Typing Speed Test Guide

What is WPM?

WPM stands for words per minute— the standard measure of typing speed. Because real words vary in length, typing tests define a “word” as five characters (including spaces), so the score is fair no matter what text you type. This test reports your net WPM (based on correctly typed characters), your raw WPM (every character you typed), and your accuracy, giving you a complete picture of both speed and precision.

How to Use the Typing Test

1. Choose a test duration — 15, 30, 60, or 120 seconds.
2. Click the passage to focus it, then start typing the words you see.
3. The timer starts on your first keystroke; correct letters turn solid and mistakes turn red.
4. Fix mistakes with Backspace to keep your accuracy high — or keep going for raw speed.
5. When time runs out, review your WPM, accuracy, and rank — then press Try Again.

Typing Speed Levels

Here is a rough guide to where your net WPM places you:

Rank	WPM Range	Level
Rookie	0–29 WPM	Still building muscle memory
Beginner	30–49 WPM	Around the average speed
Skilled	50–69 WPM	Comfortably above average
Expert	70–89 WPM	Professional typist level
Master	90+ WPM	Among the fastest typists

Tips to Type Faster

• Use touch typing — keep your fingers on the home row and use all ten fingers.
• Prioritise accuracy first; speed follows naturally as mistakes drop.
• Don't look at the keyboard — trust your muscle memory and watch the screen.
• Keep a steady rhythm rather than typing in fast, error-prone bursts.
• Practice a few minutes daily and retest to track your progress.

Frequently Asked Questions

A typing speed test measures how fast and accurately you can type. You type a passage of words for a set time, and the tool calculates your speed in words per minute (WPM) along with your accuracy as a percentage. It is the standard way to benchmark typing skill and track improvement over time.

WPM (words per minute) uses the standard where one "word" equals five characters, including spaces. This tool divides the number of correctly typed characters by five, then divides by the minutes elapsed. It also shows your raw WPM, which counts every character you typed regardless of mistakes, so the gap between the two reflects your errors.

The average typing speed is around 40 WPM. 50–69 WPM is a solid, above-average speed, 70–89 WPM is professional level, and 90+ WPM puts you among the fastest typists. Beginners often start below 30 WPM, which improves quickly with practice.

Accuracy is the share of your typed characters that match the passage. Wrong characters show up in red as you type, and fixing them with Backspace restores your accuracy. High WPM with low accuracy is not very useful, so aim to keep accuracy above 95% as you build speed.

Yes. Tap the passage to bring up your keyboard and start typing. That said, an external physical keyboard gives the most accurate WPM, since on-screen keyboards and autocorrect can interfere with natural typing.

Practice regularly, use touch typing with all ten fingers, and prioritise accuracy before raw speed. Warming up your fingers helps too — try our Keyboard Clicker or check that every key registers with the Keyboard Tester.

Typing Speed Test