Typing test
Sixty seconds is enough to get a real reading. Type the words as they appear - do not look at your hands, and do not slow down to be careful. We want your ordinary typing, not your best behaviour.
Just start typing.Tabrestarts
What this test measures
Most typing tests give you one number. That number is almost useless on its own, because two people at 58 words per minute can have completely different problems - one is accurate but hesitant, the other is fast and error-prone, and they need opposite practice.
This test reports four things, and the last two are what actually tell you what to do next.
- Net WPM - correct characters divided by five, per minute. The headline number.
- Gross WPM - every character you typed. The gap between the two is what accuracy is costing you.
- Accuracy - the share of keystrokes you got right first time. Fixing a typo does not restore it.
- Consistency - how even your rhythm is, which predicts how well your speed survives a long document.
What counts as a good score
Around 40 words per minute is the average for someone who types regularly but never learned touch typing. Competent touch typists sit between 55 and 75. Professional transcriptionists and many developers land between 80 and 100. Above 120 is genuinely rare.
Accuracy matters more than any of those figures. At 95% accuracy you are mistyping one character in twenty, and the time spent backspacing usually costs more than the raw speed gained. Getting accuracy above 97% almost always raises effective speed on its own, without any speed practice at all.
Getting a fair reading
Take the test on the keyboard you actually use. Switching between a laptop keyboard and a mechanical one can move your speed by ten words per minute in either direction.
Do not repeat the same test five times and keep the best score. The first attempt on unfamiliar text is closest to your real-world speed; later attempts measure how well you have memorised that particular text.
Common questions
How is WPM calculated?
A word is five characters, including spaces. Net WPM is your correct characters divided by five, divided by minutes elapsed. This is the standard convention, which is what makes scores comparable between people typing different text.
Do mistakes I fix still count against me?
Yes. Accuracy is measured on first attempt. If it did not count, the analysis could not tell you which keys your fingers actually get wrong - which is the part that lets you fix them.
Do I need an account?
No. The test, the full results breakdown and unlimited practice are free without signing up, and your scores are remembered in this browser. An account adds coaching: a placement test, a learning plan and daily training built from your mistakes.