How to use the typing speed test
- Choose a Test length of 15s, 30s, 60s or 120s. The page starts on 30s, and changing the length starts a fresh test.
- Click the typing box and type the text shown above it exactly, with capitals and punctuation. The clock starts on your first key.
- Press Space after every word. A mistake only affects its own word, so keep going, or use Backspace to fix the word you are on.
- When time is up, read your WPM, Accuracy and Consistency. Try again loads a new text, and Restart resets a test in progress.
How WPM, accuracy and consistency are scored
- WPM: correct characters ÷ 5 ÷ minutes. A "word" is five characters, spaces and punctuation included, which is the standard convention for text-entry research. Only correct characters count, so mistakes you leave in lower your score.
- Accuracy: correct characters ÷ (correct + incorrect) × 100, measured on the text left on screen. Wrong, extra and skipped letters are incorrect. A typo you fix with Backspace costs time but not accuracy.
- Word by word: each word you type is compared with the same word in the text, and a space ends it. Skip a letter and only that word is marked wrong.
- Consistency: 100% minus how much your speed varies from second to second (the standard deviation as a percent of your average), never below 0%. Higher means steadier.
Worked example
On the default 30s test you type 200 characters, 190 right and 10 wrong. WPM is 190 ÷ 5 ÷ 0.5 = 76. Accuracy is 190 ÷ 200 = 95%. Raw WPM, which counts every character, is 200 ÷ 5 ÷ 0.5 = 80. The results panel shows 76 WPM, 95% accuracy, 200 characters typed, 190 correct, 10 incorrect and a raw WPM of 80.
Limits and edge cases
This is copy typing, which is faster than writing your own words because there is no thinking time. Pasting is blocked, and the text is English. For context, a 2018 study of 168,960 volunteers copying sentences found an average of 51.56 WPM (standard deviation 20.2), with the slowest tenth below about 26 WPM, the fastest tenth above about 78 WPM and the fastest typists at 120 or more. Your best score for each length is saved in this browser only. For a practice plan, read How to Improve Your Typing Speed. To time your own writing, try the Reading Time Estimator, and to check reflexes, the Reaction Time Test.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good typing speed?
In a 2018 study of 168,960 volunteers, the average was 51.56 WPM, the slowest tenth typed below about 26 WPM and the fastest tenth above about 78 WPM. A speed near or above 50 WPM with high accuracy is average or better. Employers set their own targets, so check the job posting.
Which test length should I pick?
Use 60 seconds to track your progress, because short rounds reward bursts and 15 second scores swing a lot from run to run. Use 15 or 30 seconds as a quick warm-up and 120 seconds to see how tiredness affects your speed.
Do mistakes I fix with Backspace count against my accuracy?
No. Accuracy is measured on the text left on screen when time runs out, so a typo you fix costs time but not accuracy. Mistakes you leave in count as incorrect characters and also lower your WPM, because only correct characters are counted.
Why is my score different on other typing tests?
Sites differ in their word lists, in whether capitals and punctuation are required, in whether corrected errors count, and in whether they report gross or net speed. This test uses real sentences, requires them exactly and reports net WPM from correct characters only, so its numbers can be a little lower than tests that count every keystroke.
Sources: Dhakal, Feit, Kristensson and Oulasvirta (2018), "Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes", CHI 2018, doi:10.1145/3173574.3174220. Five-character word convention: Words per minute (Wikipedia).