Typing Test
1 minute. Type as fast and accurately as you can.
Click here and start typing...
The morning light filtered through the window, casting soft patterns across the desk. A cup of coffee sat steaming beside the keyboard. Outside, birds were singing their first songs of the day. Everything felt calm and full of possibility.
What the test measures
The test measures two things: your typing speed in words per minute (WPM) and your accuracy in percent. A word counts as 5 characters including spaces and punctuation, the convention every standard typing measurement uses. You type real sentences, not random words, for 1, 2 or 5 minutes. Wrong keystrokes are blocked until you hit the right key, so the result shows how fast you type without errors.
What is a good typing speed?
Short answer: 40 WPM is average, 60 and up is fast, 80 and up is professional level. The largest typing study ever run (Aalto University and University of Cambridge, 168,000 participants) measured an average of 52 WPM, with the fastest participants above 120. Two-finger typists copy text at about 27 WPM.
| Who | Words per minute |
|---|---|
| Two-finger typist, copying text | about 27 |
| Two-finger typist, from memory | about 37 |
| Average in the Aalto study (168,000 participants) | 52 |
| Trained touch typist | 40 to 60 |
| Professional typists | 43 to 80, some positions require 80 to 95 |
| Fastest participants in the Aalto study | over 120 |
| World record 1946 (Stella Pajunas-Garnand, IBM electric typewriter) | 216 |
How to read your result
- Up to 25 WPM: Beginner. Where most people start who never learned a technique. The course starts exactly there.
- 26 to 40 WPM: Average. The pace of most office workers.
- 41 to 60 WPM: Good. Faster than half of all people.
- 61 to 80 WPM: Fast. Top 25 percent, the pace of a trained touch typist.
- 81 to 100 WPM: Very fast. Top 10 percent.
- Over 100 WPM: Elite. Top 5 percent, professional typist territory.
Watch your accuracy: below 95 percent, slowing down and typing cleanly pays off. In the Aalto study, fast typists make fewer errors than slow ones, not more. Speed comes from confident movements, not from rushing.
What next?
If you want to know which keys are holding you back, take the placement test: it measures every key and builds your training plan. If you want proof of your result, get it as a typing certificate with WPM, accuracy and date. How to score higher next time, and what counts in a typing test for a job, is in the typing test guide. What counts as a good score, by age and profession, is in the average typing speed benchmarks. Prefer real work texts over random words? The practice paragraphs load into this test with one click.
Sources
- Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes - Aalto University and University of Cambridge, CHI 2018: 168,000 participants, average 51.6 WPM, fastest above 120 WPM, fast typists make fewer errors.
- Words per minute (Wikipedia) - the 5 characters = 1 word convention, two-finger typists at 27 and 37 WPM, professional typists 43 to 80 WPM.
- Typing (Wikipedia) - the 216 WPM record, Stella Pajunas-Garnand, 1946.
Typing Test FAQ
Choose a duration (1, 2, or 5 minutes), click the text area, and type the displayed text. The timer starts with your first keystroke. Wrong inputs are blocked until you hit the correct key.
The average sits between 33 and 52 WPM, depending on the study. Cross 60 and you're fast, think secretary in a 90s movie. Professional typists work at 43 to 80 WPM, the fastest clear 120.
216 WPM, set by Stella Pajunas back in 1946 - on an IBM electric typewriter. You don't need anywhere close to that to call yourself fast.
Blocking on errors trains accuracy. Instead of skipping mistakes, you learn to hit every key correctly. This improves both speed and precision in the long run.
Yes, as many times as you like. After your result, click 'Try again' or 'New text' for a fresh attempt. Each test uses a random text.
WPM stands for words per minute (one word = 5 characters). Accuracy shows the percentage of error-free keystrokes compared to all keystrokes.
Yep - join the waitlist for our typing certificate (5 euros). It'll have your WPM, your accuracy, and a real issue date, ready for your CV or LinkedIn.