A typing score looks like one number, but tests disagree on what a “word” is, how errors count, and whether the number is gross or net. Here is how the common formulas work, worked with the tests’ own examples, and what large studies say a typical speed actually is.
Typing tests do not count real words. Almost all of them use a standard word of five keystrokes, including spaces and punctuation, so that a passage of short words and one of long words score the same. Typing.com’s help center gives the formula: words per minute = (characters typed ÷ 5) ÷ minutes. Typing 300 characters in 2 minutes is 60 standard words in 2 minutes, or 30 WPM.
Gross WPM counts everything you typed, mistakes included. Accuracy is the share of characters typed correctly. Net WPM adjusts speed for errors, and tests do this in different ways:
| Method | How errors count | Worked example |
|---|---|---|
| Gross only (Typing.com’s WPM) | Errors are not deducted; accuracy is reported separately | 300 characters, 16 errors, 2 minutes: 30.0 WPM, about 95% accuracy |
| Net = gross × accuracy (eSkill) | Speed is scaled by the share typed correctly | 30 WPM at 90% accuracy: 27 net WPM |
| Correct words only (CBSE, India) | Only correctly typed words count toward speed | 388 correct words in 10 minutes: 38.8 WPM |
Applied to the first example, the eSkill method gives 30.0 × 94.7% = 28.4 net WPM, which is how the typing speed test on this site scores you. The same performance can be reported as 30, 28.4 or something else depending on the rule, so compare scores only from the same test.
The largest public study of keyboard typing, by Dhakal, Feit, Kristensson and Oulasvirta at CHI 2018, logged 136 million keystrokes from 168,000 volunteers transcribing sentences online.
The volunteers chose to take a typing test, so they may be faster than the general public. A companion study of 37,370 people typing on phones (Palin and colleagues, MobileHCI 2019) found an average of 36.2 WPM with 2.3% uncorrected errors.
| Benchmark | WPM | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average, physical keyboard (168,000 volunteers) | 51.56 (SD 20.2) | Dhakal et al., 2018 |
| Fastest participants | 120 or more | Dhakal et al., 2018 |
| Average, mobile phone (37,370 volunteers) | 36.2 | Palin et al., 2019 |
| Federal Clerk-Typist and Office Automation jobs | 40 | OPM qualification standard |
| Federal Data Transcriber | 20 (GS-2) or 25 (GS-3 and 4) | OPM qualification standard |
The clearest published job threshold is the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s qualification standard for clerical and administrative support jobs. Clerk-Typist (GS-2 to 4), Office Automation Clerk or Assistant, and positions with “(Typing)” in the title require 40 words per minute. Clerk-Stenographers need the same 40 WPM typing plus 80 WPM dictation.
OPM’s rule is based on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors. That is stricter than most online tests. At 40 WPM, five minutes is 200 standard words, about 1,000 keystrokes, with at most three mistakes, roughly 99.7% accuracy. A one-minute test at 95% accuracy is not the same thing. Private employers set their own standards, so check the job posting.
In a study of 168,000 volunteers the average was about 52 WPM on a physical keyboard, so anything above that is faster than most; many federal typing jobs require 40 WPM.
Characters typed, including spaces, divided by 5 to get standard words, then divided by the minutes taken.
Gross WPM counts every keystroke; net WPM adjusts for errors, for example by multiplying gross WPM by accuracy or by counting only correct words.
About 36 WPM in a study of 37,370 people typing on mobile devices.
OPM’s standard for Clerk-Typist and Office Automation positions is 40 words per minute on a 5-minute sample with three or fewer errors.
In the 168,000-person study, people who had taken a typing course averaged only about 5 WPM more than those who had not.