How are words per minute worked out?

The standard way: a word is five characters, spaces included, whatever words you actually typed, so scores compare across texts. Raw speed is the characters in the box at the end divided by five, per minute. The WPM figure is net speed: raw speed less one word a minute for each word still wrong at the end, at most one error a word. So fifty five-character words in a minute with ten left wrong is 50 raw and 40 WPM.

How is accuracy counted?

As the share of every character you entered that was right as it went in, including ones you then deleted and fixed. Fixing a mistake removes it from the net speed but not from accuracy, which is how most typing tests count it: accuracy is about how often your fingers hit the right key first time.

What is a good typing speed?

The largest study of typists so far, of 168,000 people in 2018, found an average of about 52 WPM. Over 60 is fast, over 80 very fast, and over 100 competitive-typist territory. Accuracy matters as much: the usual advice is to slow down until it is well above 90%, and speed follows as the right keys become habit.

Can I practise on my own text?

Yes. Choose your own text and paste a passage — work you type often, code, another language. Curly quotes, long dashes and ellipses are turned into the plain keys on a keyboard, line breaks into spaces, and invisible characters removed; accented letters are kept, and the tool names any your keyboard may not have. The test ends when every character has been typed or the time runs out. Pasting or dropping text into the test box itself is off.

Is my typing recorded or sent anywhere?

No. The test runs in your browser and nothing is sent or stored; your best score for each length and kind of text is kept only until you leave the page. Copy the result if you want to keep it.

Typing Speed Test

runs in your browser

How fast do you type? A 15, 30, 60 or 120-second test on common words or your own text, scored in words a minute and accuracy the standard way.

Seconds

Text

Type

60s · starts when you type

me go about into issue find them few see front where an were because little he heart summer change back in can some have lot even the people me even river job clear begin letter often back simple year issue money language even hard well any each summer machine offer like not reason might room some at into head time do want year point of these order each than there job of about you world no read make over this business just great off where open he said kind table fact eye want almost first an school or what as room little open now friend move room word what example at than even long is night now follow often first each two it city about last side so an our early world life you come after read an now read place say city course may he house father keep in most room life live move could all right all were order use of our had most it language almost than city use all make an money long for any these own like kind or over learn her lot white walk summer because head mother story them enough also garden few school color minute because take less when you almost this state we might history move plan think know few see color than last letter almost keep one be bright give family certain travel work that hand make like he use little never for from look a where off could together it letter few rest back often head few table are walk had then machine her river there after example his

Type the text above here

The clock starts at your first key and stops after 60 seconds.

Result

Your speed and accuracy appear here when the test ends.

about this tool

Type, and see how fast

Pick a length — 15, 30, 60 or 120 seconds — and start typing the words shown. The clock starts at your first key. Each character turns dark when it is right and red when it is wrong, with the next one marked, and when the test ends you get your speed, accuracy, raw speed and a line of how your speed moved through it. New test draws a fresh passage of common words, or restarts your own text. After each test, your best score of the visit for that length and kind of text is shown with it, until you leave the page.

The words come from a list of about 240 common English words, lower case and without punctuation, so the test measures typing rather than spelling or capitals. The first passage is the same for everyone, so the page loads exactly as it was sent; every new test is drawn with the same fair random source the site's dice use, and the same word never comes twice in a row. To practise on something else — code, a language you are learning, the phrases you type all day — choose your own text and paste it in.

How it is scored

The standard way, as the definition of words per minute has it: a word is five characters, spaces included, whatever words were typed, so scores compare across texts. Raw (gross) speed is the characters in the box at the end, right or wrong, divided by five, per minute. Net speed — the WPM figure — takes one word a minute off for each word still wrong at the end, counting at most one error a word, as typing exams do: fifty five-character words in a minute with ten left wrong is 50 raw and 40 net. Text is compared word by word, so a skipped letter costs that word, not the rest of the line. Accuracy is the share of every character entered that was right as it went in, including mistakes you then fixed, because it measures how often the right key came first.

Pasting and dropping text into the test box are off. Your own text is cleaned before you type it: curly quotes become straight ones, long dashes and the minus sign hyphens, ellipses three dots, line breaks spaces, and characters nobody can type or see — soft hyphens, zero-width spaces — are removed. Accented letters stay as they are, and the tool names any a keyboard may not have. The test on your own text ends when every character has had a key, or when the time runs out.

What the numbers mean

The largest study of typists so far (Dhakal and others, 2018, of 168,000 people) found an average of about 52 WPM; the verdict under your result is measured against that. Slowing down until accuracy is well above 90% is the usual advice for getting faster, since the right keys become habit.

Limits

A browser test measures a browser: a phone's on-screen keyboard, its autocorrect and its word suggestions all change the numbers, so compare scores on the same device. The clock is checked ten times a second, and a timed test is scored over exactly its length. Nothing is stored or sent. For speed with a mouse button instead, the clicks per second test measures that.

questions

How are words per minute worked out?: The standard way: a word is five characters, spaces included, whatever words you actually typed, so scores compare across texts. Raw speed is the characters in the box at the end divided by five, per minute. The WPM figure is net speed: raw speed less one word a minute for each word still wrong at the end, at most one error a word. So fifty five-character words in a minute with ten left wrong is 50 raw and 40 WPM.
How is accuracy counted?: As the share of every character you entered that was right as it went in, including ones you then deleted and fixed. Fixing a mistake removes it from the net speed but not from accuracy, which is how most typing tests count it: accuracy is about how often your fingers hit the right key first time.
What is a good typing speed?: The largest study of typists so far, of 168,000 people in 2018, found an average of about 52 WPM. Over 60 is fast, over 80 very fast, and over 100 competitive-typist territory. Accuracy matters as much: the usual advice is to slow down until it is well above 90%, and speed follows as the right keys become habit.
Can I practise on my own text?: Yes. Choose your own text and paste a passage — work you type often, code, another language. Curly quotes, long dashes and ellipses are turned into the plain keys on a keyboard, line breaks into spaces, and invisible characters removed; accented letters are kept, and the tool names any your keyboard may not have. The test ends when every character has been typed or the time runs out. Pasting or dropping text into the test box itself is off.
Is my typing recorded or sent anywhere?: No. The test runs in your browser and nothing is sent or stored; your best score for each length and kind of text is kept only until you leave the page. Copy the result if you want to keep it.