What is a typing speed test?
A typing speed test measures how fast and how accurately you type. The result is shown in words per minute, or WPM, together with an accuracy percentage. It is a simple way to check your skill, set a goal and see your progress over time. Students, office workers and job applicants all use it.
How to take the test
- Choose a level: Easy, Normal or Hard.
- Choose the time. You can pick 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes or 5 minutes, or select Custom and enter any time from 10 to 600 seconds.
- Click in the typing box and start typing the text shown above it. The timer begins with your first key.
- Correct letters turn green and mistakes turn red, so you can see errors as you go.
- When the time ends, your final WPM and accuracy appear. Press New text to try again.
The three levels
- Easy: short sentences with simple, common words in lower case. This is the best place to start if you are a beginner.
- Normal: everyday sentences with capital letters and basic punctuation, similar to ordinary writing.
- Hard: longer words, numbers, commas, colons, brackets and quotation marks. It trains the keys you reach for less often and is closer to office and data entry work.
How WPM is calculated
In typing tests, one word is counted as five characters, including spaces. Your WPM is the number of correct characters divided by five, then divided by the minutes you typed. Accuracy is the percentage of the characters you typed that were correct. For example, 300 correct characters in one minute is 60 WPM.
What is a good typing speed?
Most people type between 35 and 45 WPM. A speed of 50 to 60 WPM is considered good for office work, and many data entry jobs ask for 60 WPM or more. Accuracy matters as much as speed. Aim for at least 95 percent accuracy before trying to go faster.
Tips to type faster
- Learn touch typing so you do not need to look at the keyboard.
- Keep your wrists relaxed and your back straight.
- Practise a little every day, and move from Easy to Hard as you improve.
- Read a few words ahead while you type to keep a steady rhythm.
Privacy
The test runs entirely in your browser. What you type is not sent or stored anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
Which level should I start with?
Start with Easy to build accuracy, then move to Normal, and use Hard when you want to practise numbers and punctuation.
Can I set my own time?
Yes. Choose Custom in the Time box and enter any number of seconds from 10 to 600.
What is a good WPM score?
Around 40 WPM is average, and 60 WPM or more is strong. Many typing jobs ask for 40 to 60 WPM.
Why does the timer start late?
The timer starts when you type your first character, not when the page loads.
Can I paste text into the box?
No. Pasting is turned off so that your result shows your real typing speed.