How the typing test works
Pick a duration of 30, 60 or 120 seconds (60 is selected when the page opens), tap or click the word box and start typing. The clock does not start until your first key, so you can settle your hands first. Type each word and press Space to move to the next one. Backspace corrects mistakes inside the word you are typing, but once you press Space that word is locked.
The words are everyday English words drawn at random in your browser, so no two runs are the same and you cannot memorise a passage. Raw finger speed is only part of typing; to measure it on its own, try the CPS test. Press Esc or the Restart button at any time to get a fresh set of words. When time runs out you see a result card with your WPM, Accuracy, Correct words and Wrong characters. Try again starts a new round with the same duration.
How your WPM and accuracy are calculated
Typing speed is measured in words per minute (WPM), where a "word" is a fixed block of five characters, not a real word. This is the standard convention in typing research, so long and short words are treated fairly.
- WPM counts only correct characters, plus the space after each word you typed exactly right, divided by five and by the test length in minutes. 250 correct characters in 60 seconds is 50 WPM.
- Accuracy is correct characters divided by all characters you typed or skipped, correct plus wrong. A missing letter, an extra letter and a wrong letter all count as wrong.
Because only correct characters count, a fast but sloppy run scores lower than a slightly slower clean one. If your accuracy is under 95%, the result card says so: easing off a little usually raises your WPM.
What is a typical typing speed?
A very large study of keyboard typing, by Dhakal and colleagues (2018), analysed 136 million keystrokes from about 168,000 volunteers who copied sentences in an online test. Their average was 51.56 WPM, with a standard deviation of 20.2 WPM, so everyday typing speeds vary a lot. The fastest typists in the data reached 120 WPM or more. People who had taken a typing course were on average only about 5 WPM faster than self-taught typists.
On phones people type more slowly. A companion study by Palin and colleagues (2019) with about 37,000 volunteers found an average of about 36.2 WPM on mobile devices.
The comparison bar on your result card marks 52 WPM when you use a keyboard and 36 WPM on a touchscreen, rounded from these two studies. Treat it as a rough reference: the studies used whole sentences with capitals and punctuation, while this test uses lowercase random words, so the numbers are not directly comparable.
How to get faster
Typing speed is a motor skill, and it grows with the same things that build any skill: regular, focused practice and good technique. The finger tapping test measures the speed of a single finger, but typing needs all your fingers to work together.
- Accuracy first. Every wrong word costs you twice: the wrong characters do not count, and correcting them eats time. Practise at a pace where you stay above 95% accuracy, then push the speed.
- Keep your eyes on the screen. Looking down at the keys breaks your reading rhythm. If you are not a touch typist yet, learning the home row (fingers resting on ASDF and JKL;) is the single biggest long-term gain.
- Read one word ahead. Fast typists already read the next word while their fingers finish the current one. Try to keep your eyes slightly ahead of the highlight. How fast you read matters too; the reading speed test measures it.
- Short, daily sessions. Five to ten minutes a day is easier to keep up than one long session a week. Use the same duration each time so your scores are comparable; the result card shows your personal best and your last results, saved only in this browser.
- Relax your hands. Tense shoulders and wrists make your fingers slower and less precise. Sit upright with your forearms roughly level and your wrists loose.
Tiredness, stress and an unfamiliar keyboard can all cost you several WPM. A bad round is usually just a bad round; look at the trend over a week, not a single score.
Which duration should you choose?
Short tests flatter you: in 30 seconds a strong start and a few lucky words carry the score. 60 seconds is a good everyday benchmark. 120 seconds shows how well you hold your pace and accuracy when your attention starts to drift, which is closer to real writing. If you compare yourself with friends, agree on the same duration.
Limits of an online typing test
This test measures how fast you copy random words, not how fast you write your own text, where thinking about what to say is often the real bottleneck. Your score also depends on your keyboard, its layout and your browser. On phones, autocorrect and predictive text can change what you type, which may help or hurt. Your typing is processed only in your browser and is never sent anywhere.
More tests of finger speed and timing are on the reflex and speed tests page.
Sources
- Dhakal V, Feit AM, Kristensson PO, Oulasvirta A. Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes. Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '18). ACM, 2018.
- Palin K, Feit AM, Kim S, Kristensson PO, Oulasvirta A. How do people type on mobile devices? Observations from a study with 37,000 volunteers. Proceedings of MobileHCI 2019. ACM, 2019.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good typing speed?
In a study of about 168,000 volunteers (Dhakal and colleagues, 2018) the average was 51.56 WPM on a keyboard, with large differences between people. On phones, a similar study found about 36.2 WPM. Anything above your own last score is a good typing speed to aim for.
How is WPM calculated in this test?
Correct characters, plus the space after every word typed exactly right, divided by five and then by the test length in minutes. Wrong characters do not count.
Why is my accuracy low even though I fixed my mistakes?
Backspace works only inside the word you are typing. Once you press Space, any wrong, missing or extra letters in that word count as wrong characters.
Which duration should I use: 30, 60 or 120 seconds?
60 seconds is the best everyday benchmark. 30 seconds tends to give a higher, noisier score, and 120 seconds shows whether you can hold your pace. Always compare results from the same duration.
Does the timer start immediately?
No. The timer starts with your first keystroke, so you can place your hands and read the first words before you begin.
How can I type faster?
Aim for accuracy above 95 percent, keep your eyes on the screen, learn touch typing on the home row, read one word ahead and practise for a few minutes every day.
Is what I type saved or sent anywhere?
No. The words are generated and checked in your browser. Only your score and personal best are kept, in this browser's local storage.