Typing ToolkitAverage typing speed: what is a good WPM?
"Is my typing speed good?" is the most common question after a typing test. The best large study of everyday typing gives a useful reference point, with a few caveats.
What the research found
In 2018, researchers from Aalto University and the University of Cambridge analysed 136 million keystrokes from 168,000 volunteers who took an online typing test. Their findings, presented at the ACM CHI conference:
- The average speed was 52 WPM.
- Most people typed between 30 and 60 WPM.
- The fastest typists reached about 120 WPM.
- Fast typists made fewer mistakes, and often pressed the next key before releasing the previous one.
- People who had taken a typing course were not consistently faster than self-taught typists.
The volunteers were mostly young and chose to take a typing test, and over 70% had taken a typing class, so the average for the whole population is probably somewhat lower.
A practical scale
These bands are a rough guide built around those findings, not official standards:
| WPM | Description |
|---|---|
| Under 25 | Beginner or hunt-and-peck. Lessons will help quickly. |
| 25–40 | Comfortable for everyday messages and email. |
| 40–60 | Around and above average. Fine for most office work. |
| 60–80 | Fast. Useful for writing-heavy jobs. |
| 80+ | Very fast. Typical of experienced professionals and enthusiasts. |
Accuracy matters as much as speed
A fast score with poor accuracy is less useful than a steady one, because every mistake has to be found and fixed. Aim for at least 95% accuracy before trying to raise your speed, and 98% for work where errors are costly.
Realistic goals
- Beginners: learning touch typing usually means a temporary slowdown before speed climbs past your old level. Give it a few weeks of short daily sessions.
- Students: 40 WPM makes writing assignments much less of a chore.
- Office and job seekers: check the posting for the exact requirement and whether it is gross or net speed. See typing tests for jobs.
Measure your own speed
Take three one-minute tests and average them. Your progress page keeps the history so you can see the trend.
Source: Dhakal, Feit, Kristensson and Oulasvirta, "Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes", CHI 2018. Summary from Aalto University.
Reviewed October 2026 · How we write our guides · Suggest a correction