Typing test: how fast do you type?

Pick a duration and start typing – the timer starts with your first keystroke. Every character turns green or red instantly, and you can fix mistakes with Backspace.

How it is calculated

This typing test measures how fast and how accurately you copy a given text. The timer only starts with your first keystroke, so you can read ahead and place your fingers first. Each character is checked as you type: green means correct, red with a wavy underline means wrong, and the highlighted letter is where you are. You can fix mistakes with Backspace at any time. The practice texts come in random order; press "New text" to shuffle them again.

How WPM and characters per minute are calculated

Typing speed is usually given in WPM (words per minute). Because real words vary in length, the standard definition counts every 5 keystrokes as one word, including spaces and punctuation. That gives:

Characters per minute = characters typed ÷ minutes
Gross WPM = (characters typed ÷ 5) ÷ minutes
Net WPM = gross WPM − (uncorrected errors ÷ minutes)
Accuracy = correct keystrokes ÷ all keystrokes

Worked example: you type 250 characters in 1 minute and 5 of them are still wrong at the end. That is 250 characters per minute, 250 ÷ 5 = 50 gross WPM and 50 − 5 = 45 net WPM. The 30-second test scales up to a full minute: 100 characters in 0.5 minutes give 200 characters per minute and 40 gross WPM.

Errors, corrections and accuracy

Errors are only the characters that are still wrong when time runs out – they are subtracted for net WPM. If you fix a typo, it no longer counts as an error, but it costs you time and lowers your accuracy, which judges every keystroke at the moment you make it. Hitting 260 keys with 13 misses gives 247 ÷ 260 = 95% accuracy, even if you corrected 8 of those misses. Deleted characters do not count towards characters typed. Capital letters count as one keystroke each; Shift is not counted separately.

How fast do other people type? Rough benchmarks

A large online study with about 168,000 participants (Dhakal et al., 2018) found an average of about 52 WPM on computer keyboards, with a wide spread: the slowest 10% typed below roughly 26 WPM, the fastest 10% above roughly 78 WPM, and a few reached 120 WPM or more. On smartphones, a follow-up study with 37,000 volunteers measured an average of 36.2 WPM (Palin et al., 2019). Both studies used volunteers on a typing website, so treat the figures as rough benchmarks rather than a population norm.

Net WPM	Characters/min	Rough rating
below 25	below 125	beginner, often hunt and peck
25–50	125–250	lower to middle range
50–80	250–400	above the study average
above 80	above 400	roughly the fastest 10%

Type faster with touch typing

Home row: left fingers on A S D F, right fingers on J K L ;. You can feel the bumps on F and J without looking.
Keep your eyes on the screen: it feels slower at first, but it is the key to lasting speed.
Accuracy before speed: every correction costs several keystrokes. A steady, error-free rhythm is faster in the end.
Short, frequent practice: 10 to 15 minutes a day beats one long session a week.
Posture: relaxed wrists, forearms roughly level, screen at eye height.

Which duration should I choose?

1 minute is the usual standard for a quick comparison. 30 seconds is good for warming up or on a phone, but results vary more because a single stumble weighs heavily. 3 minutes gives the most reliable figure and shows whether you can keep up your pace. There is enough practice text that nothing repeats, even at high speed over 3 minutes.

Limits of this test

Copying is not the same as composing: when you write your own text you type much more slowly, because thinking takes time. Your result also depends on your keyboard, layout, the practice text and how you feel on the day, so do several rounds and compare the average. On phones, word suggestions and autocorrect can distort the result; the input box turns them off as far as your browser allows. Curly apostrophes and quotation marks inserted by your phone keyboard are accepted as correct.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good typing speed?

In a large online study (Dhakal et al., 2018) the average on a computer was about 52 WPM. Above roughly 80 WPM you are among the fastest 10% or so. These are rough benchmarks, not an official standard.

How do I convert characters per minute to WPM?

Divide by 5: 300 characters per minute equal 60 gross WPM. The other way round, 40 WPM × 5 = 200 characters per minute.

What is the difference between gross and net WPM?

Gross WPM counts every character you typed. Net WPM subtracts one word per minute for each error left uncorrected: 50 gross WPM with 5 errors in one minute gives 45 net WPM.

Do spaces count as keystrokes?

Yes. Spaces and punctuation count just like letters. A capital letter counts as one keystroke; Shift is not counted separately.

Why is my accuracy below 100% when I fixed every mistake?

Accuracy judges every keystroke at the moment you type it. A corrected mistake is gone from the text but was still a wrong keystroke. So accuracy shows how cleanly you type, while the error count shows what was left at the end.

Does the typing test work on a phone?

Yes. Tap the input box to open the on-screen keyboard. Autocorrect and automatic capitals are switched off where the browser allows it. Expect lower figures on a phone: people average about 36 WPM there (Palin et al., 2019).

Is what I type saved anywhere?

No. The test runs entirely in your browser. Neither your text nor your result is sent or stored; reloading the page clears everything.

Where do the practice texts come from?

All texts were written specifically for this typing test. They use everyday words, capital letters and common punctuation, but no special characters that are hard to find on some keyboards.

Sources and legal basis

As of: 27 September 2026