What Is a Good Typing Speed? Average WPM, Job Requirements and How to Improve
Quick answer: a good typing speed is around 50–70 words per minute (WPM) with 95% accuracy or better. About 40 WPM is roughly average, and anything above 80 WPM is fast.
Typing speed is measured in words per minute, where every five characters you type — including spaces — counts as one word. Below you'll find how typical speeds compare, what employers usually ask for, why accuracy matters more than raw speed, and how to get faster.
Typing speed chart: where do you stand?
| Speed | Level | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| Under 30 WPM | Beginner | Often still looking at the keyboard or typing with a few fingers. |
| 30–40 WPM | Below average | Fine for messages and short emails. |
| 40–55 WPM | Average | Enough for most everyday computer work. |
| 55–70 WPM | Good | Meets most office and customer service requirements. |
| 70–90 WPM | Fast | Typical of people who type for a living. |
| 90+ WPM | Very fast | Professional transcription and competitive typing level. |
How does that compare with real people? One of the largest studies of typing, by researchers at Aalto University and the University of Cambridge (2018), analysed 136 million keystrokes from about 168,000 volunteers who took an online typing test. Their average was about 52 WPM, and the fastest typists reached around 120 WPM. People who choose to take a typing test are probably faster than the general population, so the everyday average is likely somewhat lower — which is why 40 WPM is often quoted.
Check your own typing speed
The quickest way to know where you stand is to take a test. A one-minute test gives a quick snapshot; a three- or five-minute test is closer to your real working speed, because it includes the moments when you slow down or make mistakes.
Test your typing speed in words per minute (WPM) and accuracy with 15-second to 10-minute tests, a punctuation mode, a speed chart and the keys you mistype most.
Your result shows your WPM, accuracy, characters per minute, raw speed and number of mistakes. Try the 1-minute test for a quick check and the 5-minute test when a job application asks for a certified-style speed. Speaking is slower than typing for most people — about 130 words per minute — so if you are writing a speech, the words to minutes converter tells you how long it will take to deliver.
What typing speed do jobs require?
Requirements vary between employers, but these are the ranges you'll commonly see in job adverts:
| Job | Typical requirement |
|---|---|
| General office, receptionist | 35–45 WPM |
| Administrative or executive assistant | 45–60 WPM |
| Customer service and live chat | 40–60 WPM, with high accuracy |
| Data entry | 40+ WPM, or 8,000–10,000 keystrokes per hour |
| Legal or medical secretary | 50–70 WPM |
| Transcriptionist | 60–75+ WPM |
| Programmer | No formal requirement — thinking time matters far more than typing speed |
Data entry jobs often measure speed in keystrokes per hour (KPH) instead of WPM. Since one word is five characters, 1 WPM equals about 300 keystrokes per hour — so 10,000 KPH is roughly 33 WPM of continuous typing, usually of numbers and short fields.
Speed vs accuracy: which matters more?
Accuracy. Every mistake costs time to notice, delete and retype, so a fast typist with lots of errors often finishes later than a slower, careful one. Aim for 95% accuracy or higher, and ideally 98%+ for professional work.
That's why many tests report two speeds. Raw (gross) speed counts everything you typed. Net speed subtracts your errors, so it reflects usable output. Employers usually care about the net figure.
How to type faster
- Learn touch typing. Rest your fingers on the home row (A S D F and J K L ;) and use all ten fingers, so each key always belongs to the same finger.
- Stop looking at the keyboard. It feels slower for a week or two, but it's the single biggest step from 30 WPM to 60+.
- Go for accuracy first. Type slowly enough to make almost no mistakes. Speed follows once the finger movements become automatic.
- Practise little and often. 10–15 minutes a day beats an hour once a week.
- Practise real text. Copy paragraphs from articles or books, including capitals, numbers and punctuation, not just lists of common words.
- Sit well. Keep your wrists straight and floating slightly above the keyboard, with the screen at eye level.
- Measure your progress. Take the same test once a week and keep a note of your WPM and accuracy.
Does the keyboard matter?
A little, but less than practice. A full-size keyboard with keys that are comfortable for you helps, and mechanical keyboards are popular with fast typists. If some keys feel unreliable, check them with a keyboard tester before blaming your technique.
Frequently asked questions
Is 40 words per minute a good typing speed?
Yes. 40 WPM is around average and is enough for most everyday computer work. Many office jobs ask for 40 WPM or more.
Is 60 words per minute good?
Yes. 60 WPM is comfortably above average and meets the requirements of most office, customer service and administrative jobs.
Is 100 words per minute fast?
Very fast. Typing 100 WPM accurately puts you far above the average typist; it's the kind of speed experienced transcriptionists and competitive typists reach.
How is typing speed calculated?
Words per minute counts every 5 characters you type (including spaces) as one word, then divides by the number of minutes. 250 characters in one minute is 50 WPM.
How many words per minute does a beginner type?
Beginners who still look at the keyboard often type 10–25 WPM. With regular touch-typing practice, most people reach 40 WPM within a few weeks.
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