User Guide
- Pick a duration — 15 or 30 seconds for a quick check, 1 minute for the standard test, 2 minutes for endurance.
- Click the input box and start typing the highlighted word; the timer starts on your first keystroke. Press space after each word.
- Watch live WPM and accuracy as you type — correct words turn green, mistakes red (the box warns you mid-word too).
- When time’s up, read your WPM, accuracy, raw speed and keystrokes — and try to beat your saved personal best.
About the Typing Speed Test
This free typing test measures your speed in WPM (words per minute) and your accuracy on real, common English words — the standard way typing speed is measured for jobs, schools and personal bests. Pick 15 seconds to 2 minutes, type the highlighted words, and get your score instantly. Your best result for each duration is saved on your device, so improvement is visible week to week.
What do the numbers mean?
A “word” in WPM is standardised as 5 characters including spaces — so a 300-character minute is 60 WPM regardless of whether you typed long or short words. Only correctly typed words count toward your headline WPM; raw WPM shows your speed with errors included, and accuracy is the percentage of words you got right. A high raw score with low accuracy means you’re rushing — and since fixing errors costs more time than typing slightly slower, accuracy-first is genuinely the faster strategy.
What’s a good typing speed?
The average typing speed is around 40 WPM. Office jobs that involve regular writing sit comfortably at 50–60 WPM; transcriptionists and professional typists work at 70–90 WPM; and 100+ WPM is elite territory. Data-entry and administrative job listings often ask for “45 WPM with 95% accuracy” — one 60-second test here tells you exactly where you stand against that bar before you claim it on a CV.
How to type faster (what actually works)
Three things move the number more than anything else. Stop looking at the keyboard: touch typing with all ten fingers is the single biggest unlock — hunt-and-peck plateaus around 30–40 WPM, touch typists routinely double that. Accuracy before speed: every backspace is two keystrokes wasted; slow down 10% and your WPM usually rises. Short, frequent practice: five minutes daily beats an hour on Sunday — muscle memory builds on repetition. Retest weekly on the same duration (1 minute is the best benchmark) and let the personal-best tracker keep score.
Fair testing, and friends of this tool
The test uses the 200 most common English words in random order, so no run is memorisable and scores stay comparable between attempts. It works with any keyboard layout — QWERTY, AZERTY, Dvorak — and on phones and tablets, where mobile typing speeds of 25–35 WPM are normal. Curious about the other half of your input speed? The CPS Test measures clicking and the Reaction Time Test measures how fast you start. Everything runs in your browser; only your personal bests are stored, locally on your device.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average typing speed?
About 40 WPM for adults. 50–60 WPM is comfortable for office work, 70–90 WPM is professional-typist territory, and 100+ WPM is elite. On phones, 25–35 WPM is normal.
How is WPM calculated?
One “word” is standardised as 5 characters including spaces. Your WPM counts only correctly typed words; raw WPM includes errors, and accuracy is the percentage of words typed correctly.
What typing speed do employers ask for?
Data-entry and admin roles commonly ask for 40–50 WPM with 95%+ accuracy; transcription roles ask for 60–80 WPM. A 1-minute test here gives you a defensible number for your CV.
How can I type faster?
Learn touch typing (all ten fingers, eyes off the keyboard), prioritise accuracy over speed — every backspace costs two keystrokes — and practice five minutes daily. Most people gain 10–20 WPM within a few weeks.
Why does my score differ between attempts?
Word difficulty is randomised, warm-up matters, and fatigue shows quickly. Test on the same duration (1 minute is the standard benchmark), do a warm-up run first, and compare your personal best over time rather than single runs.