Typing Speed Test: How Fast Can You Type, What Is a Good WPM and How to Improve Your Speed for Jobs and Exams

I type for a living. Articles, emails, code, messages — easily 50,000 words a week. But when I actually tested my typing speed for the first time in years, I was typing at 62 WPM. Not bad, but not great either. The average office worker types at about 40 WPM. Professional typists hit 75-80. Court reporters exceed 200.

After two weeks of daily practice using our free typing speed test, I was at 78 WPM with fewer errors. That's a 26% improvement that saves me roughly 45 minutes every working day. Over a year, that's nearly 200 hours — five full working weeks.

Whether you're preparing for a job that requires a minimum typing speed, studying for exams with timed essays, or just want to be more productive, knowing and improving your typing speed is one of the highest-return skills you can develop.

What Is a Good Typing Speed?

Typing speed is measured in WPM (words per minute), where a "word" is standardised as 5 characters including spaces. Here's how different speeds compare:

The world record for typing speed is 216 WPM, set by Stella Pajunas in 1946 on an IBM electric typewriter. Modern records on standard keyboards exceed 300 WPM in short bursts.

Why Typing Speed Matters

Job Requirements

Many UK jobs specify minimum typing speeds:

• Administrative assistant — 40-60 WPM
• Data entry clerk — 60-80 WPM
• Medical transcriptionist — 60-90 WPM
• Legal secretary — 65-80 WPM
• Court reporter — 200+ WPM (using stenography)
• Customer service (live chat) — 50-70 WPM
• Journalist — 60-80 WPM

If a job listing says "minimum 50 WPM," they will test you. Our typing speed test lets you practice and know your exact speed before the interview.

Academic Performance

Timed exams and essays reward fast, accurate typing. A student typing at 30 WPM has half the output time of one typing at 60 WPM — that's a massive disadvantage in a timed assessment. Use our exam timer alongside typing practice to simulate real exam conditions.

Productivity

The maths is simple. If you type 10,000 words per day:

• At 40 WPM: 250 minutes (4 hours 10 minutes)
• At 60 WPM: 167 minutes (2 hours 47 minutes)
• At 80 WPM: 125 minutes (2 hours 5 minutes)

Going from 40 to 60 WPM saves you 83 minutes per day. That's nearly 7 hours per week — almost a full working day.

How Our Typing Speed Test Works

Our free online typing speed test measures three things:

• WPM (Words Per Minute) — your raw typing speed
• Accuracy — percentage of characters typed correctly
• Adjusted WPM — your speed after accounting for errors (the number that actually matters)

The test presents a passage of text and measures how quickly and accurately you type it. You can choose different durations — 30 seconds for a quick check, 1 minute for standard measurement, or 5 minutes for endurance testing.

Touch Typing vs Hunt and Peck

There are two main typing methods:

Hunt and Peck

Looking at the keyboard, using two to four fingers, finding each key visually. Most self-taught typists use this method. Typical speed: 20-40 WPM. The ceiling is low because your eyes constantly move between screen and keyboard.

Touch Typing

Using all ten fingers with each finger assigned to specific keys, without looking at the keyboard. Your fingers rest on the "home row" (ASDF JKL;) and reach to other keys from there. Typical speed after learning: 50-80+ WPM. The ceiling is much higher because your eyes stay on the screen.

If you currently hunt and peck, switching to touch typing will temporarily slow you down — but within 2-4 weeks of practice, you'll surpass your old speed and keep improving.

The Home Row and Finger Placement

The bumps on the F and J keys help you find the home position without looking.

How to Improve Your Typing Speed

1. Learn Proper Finger Placement

If you don't touch type, start here. It's the single biggest improvement you can make. Free resources like TypingClub and Keybr teach the basics in a structured way.

2. Practice Daily

Consistency beats intensity. 15 minutes of daily practice is better than 2 hours once a week. Use our typing speed test to track your progress over time.

3. Focus on Accuracy First

Speed without accuracy is useless. If you're making lots of errors, slow down. Accuracy should be above 95% before you push for more speed. Correcting errors takes more time than typing slowly and correctly.

4. Don't Look at the Keyboard

This is the hardest habit to break. Cover your keyboard with a cloth if you need to. Your fingers know where the keys are — trust them. Looking at the keyboard breaks your flow and slows you down.

5. Use Real Text, Not Random Letters

Practising with actual sentences and paragraphs is more effective than typing random character sequences. Your brain learns common word patterns and letter combinations.

6. Work on Problem Keys

Everyone has keys they struggle with. For most people, it's numbers, punctuation, and less common letters like Z, X, Q. Identify your weak spots and practise them specifically.

7. Maintain Good Posture

Typing ergonomics matter for both speed and health:

• Feet flat on the floor
• Elbows at roughly 90 degrees
• Wrists straight, not bent up or down
• Screen at eye level
• Shoulders relaxed, not hunched

Typing Speed Test: What to Expect

When you take our free typing speed test, here's what happens:

1. A passage of text appears on screen
2. You start typing — the timer begins with your first keystroke
3. Correct characters are highlighted green, errors in red
4. When the time expires, you see your results: WPM, accuracy, and adjusted WPM
5. You can retake the test immediately with different text

Average Typing Speeds by Age

These are averages — individual variation is enormous. A 60-year-old professional writer might type at 90 WPM while a 20-year-old who mostly uses their phone might struggle at 25 WPM on a keyboard.

Typing Speed for Different Languages

Our typing test supports English text, which is the most commonly tested language. However, typing speeds vary significantly by language:

• English — average 40 WPM, relatively easy due to simple character set
• Hindi — typically slower due to complex script and keyboard layout
• Bangla — similar challenges to Hindi with additional characters
• Marathi — Devanagari script requires different keyboard skills
• French/Spanish — similar to English but accented characters slow things down
• Chinese/Japanese — measured differently due to input method editors (IME)

Typing Speed Tests for Jobs

If you're preparing for an employment typing test, here's what to know:

• Duration — most employment tests are 1, 3, or 5 minutes
• Accuracy matters — many employers require 95%+ accuracy alongside speed
• Net WPM — employers use net (adjusted) WPM, which deducts for errors
• Practice the exact duration — if the test is 5 minutes, practice 5-minute tests. Endurance matters
• Warm up — take a few practice tests before the real one

Our typing speed test lets you practise at different durations so you're prepared for whatever the employer throws at you.

Keyboard Shortcuts That Save Time

Beyond raw typing speed, keyboard shortcuts dramatically improve productivity:

Common Typing Mistakes and How to Fix Them

• Transposed letters (typing "teh" instead of "the") — slow down slightly and focus on finger sequence
• Double letters (typing "thee" instead of "the") — practise controlled key release
• Wrong hand reaching (using left index for Y instead of right) — go back to home row drills
• Spacebar timing (spaces in wrong places) — practise thumb timing with common words
• Capitalisation errors — practise Shift key with opposite hand to the letter

Other Useful Productivity Tools

• Word Counter — check word count, character count, and reading time
• Exam Timer — time your practice sessions and exams
• GPA Calculator — track your academic performance
• Percentage Calculator — calculate improvement percentages

Try Our Free Typing Speed Test

Find out your exact typing speed in 60 seconds. Our free online typing speed test measures WPM, accuracy, and adjusted speed. Practice daily, track your improvement, and build a skill that saves you hours every week. No sign-up required.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good typing speed?

40 WPM is average for office workers. 60+ WPM is above average and sufficient for most jobs. 80+ WPM is fast. For competitive typing or specialised roles, 100+ WPM is the target.

How can I test my typing speed online for free?

Use our free typing speed test. It measures your WPM, accuracy, and adjusted speed with no sign-up required. Take the test multiple times to get a reliable average.

How long does it take to improve typing speed?

With 15 minutes of daily practice, most people see noticeable improvement within 1-2 weeks. Going from 40 to 60 WPM typically takes 2-4 weeks of consistent practice. Going from 60 to 80+ takes longer.

Is 40 WPM a good typing speed?

40 WPM is average — it's fine for general use but below the requirement for most typing-intensive jobs. With practice, most people can reach 60+ WPM within a few weeks.

What is WPM in typing?

WPM stands for Words Per Minute. A "word" is standardised as 5 characters (including spaces). So if you type 300 characters in one minute, your speed is 60 WPM (300 / 5 = 60).