Whether you're preparing for a data entry job, curious about your speed, or just competitive — knowing your words per minute matters. Here's how to test it accurately in under 60 seconds.
How to take a typing test
- Open the Typing Test
- Choose your duration — 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, or custom
- Start typing the displayed text. The timer begins when you press the first key.
- See your results: WPM, accuracy, consistency, and a performance chart
For a quick benchmark, the WPM Test gives you a focused 60-second speed test with fewer options to configure.
What's a good WPM score?
Context matters, but here are rough benchmarks:
- Under 30 WPM — hunt-and-peck typing. Functional but slow for daily computer work.
- 30-50 WPM — average for most people. Fine for casual use.
- 50-70 WPM — above average. Comfortable for office work, email, and chat.
- 70-90 WPM — fast. You're noticeably quicker than most people around you.
- 90-120 WPM — very fast. Common among programmers, writers, and transcriptionists.
- 120+ WPM — competitive level. Most people will never type this fast.
For most desk jobs, 50-70 WPM with 95%+ accuracy is plenty. Speed without accuracy is useless — correcting errors eats any time you saved.
WPM vs accuracy: which matters more?
Accuracy. Always accuracy.
A typist at 60 WPM with 98% accuracy produces cleaner work faster than someone at 80 WPM with 90% accuracy. The faster typist spends more time fixing mistakes than the slower typist spends typing in the first place.
Focus on accuracy first. Speed follows naturally as your muscle memory improves.
How to actually get faster
Testing measures your speed. Practice improves it. Two approaches:
Structured practice: Typing Practice offers lessons that focus on specific keys, gradually building up your speed on each finger position. This is the methodical route and works well for fixing bad habits (like using the wrong finger for certain keys).
Competitive practice: Typing Race puts you against the clock in a more game-like format. If structured lessons bore you, this keeps you engaged while still building speed.
The key insight: practice sessions should be short and frequent. Four 5-minute sessions throughout the day beat one 20-minute session. Your fingers learn through repetition spaced over time, not marathon sessions.
Other typing tools
- Keyboard Tester — verify every key on your keyboard registers correctly. Useful when troubleshooting a new keyboard or checking for dead keys.
- CPS Test — clicks per second. More relevant for gaming than typing, but fun to test.
- Reaction Time Test — measure how fast you respond to visual cues.
How is WPM calculated?
WPM = (total characters typed / 5) / minutes elapsed. The "/ 5" part is a standard convention — a "word" is defined as 5 characters, including spaces. This standardizes the measurement across different text samples.
Does the typing test count mistakes?
Yes. Errors are tracked and reflected in your accuracy score. Depending on the mode, uncorrected errors may also reduce your WPM.
What's the best test duration for an accurate measurement?
60 seconds is the standard. Shorter tests (15-30s) are useful for quick checks but can be skewed by a fast or slow start. For a reliable benchmark, use 60 seconds or longer.
Can I use this to practice for a typing speed requirement for a job?
Yes. Many data entry and transcription jobs require 50-60 WPM with 95%+ accuracy. Take the test multiple times over several days to get a consistent baseline, then use Typing Practice to improve.