What is the average typing speed?

The most commonly cited published measurement is 32.5 words per minute for copying existing text, from a 1999 text-entry study of ordinary computer users. The same study measured 19.0 WPM for composition, where people write their own words rather than copying. The widely repeated 40 WPM figure was that study's fast band, not its overall average.

Is 40 WPM a good typing speed?

Yes. 40 WPM is above the documented transcription average of 32.5 WPM and matches the band the 1999 study labelled fast. It is comfortable for everyday work, though roles that specify a typing requirement often ask for 60 WPM or more.

What is a good typing speed for a job?

Published professional typing ranges run from 43 to 80 WPM, some positions require 80 to 95 WPM, and advanced typists work above 120 WPM. Numeric data entry is measured differently, in keystrokes per hour, where 8,000 to 10,000 KPH are common requirements.

How is words per minute calculated?

A word is standardised as five characters or keystrokes, not a real dictionary word. Net WPM divides your correctly typed characters by five, then divides by the elapsed time in minutes. Gross WPM uses every character you typed, including mistakes, which is why gross is always the higher number.

Does typing speed decrease with age?

There is no single reliable published figure for typing speed at each age, and charts that give one number per age group usually do not cite a measurement. What is documented is that technique matters more than age: two-finger typists average about 27 WPM when copying text, while touch typists in professional roles reach 43 to 80 WPM.

What is the fastest typing speed ever recorded?

Some typists have sustained over 300 WPM across a 15-second test using simple English words. Short bursts flatter any score, which is why a longer test with punctuation is a better measure of real typing ability.

Reference figures

Average typing speed: what the research actually says

Almost every page on this topic repeats the same 40 WPM figure. That number is real, but it is not the average — it was the fast band in the study it comes from. Here is what is actually documented, what is only guidance, and which is which.

The short answer

The most widely cited published measurement of ordinary computer users puts average typing speed at 32.5 words per minute when copying existing text, and 19.0 WPM when composing your own words. In the same study, the group described as fast typed 40 WPM, moderate 35 WPM, and slow 23 WPM. So if you test somewhere in the thirties, you are near the documented average, not below it.

One caveat worth knowing before you compare yourself to any number: a “word” in typing measurement is a fixed five characters, not a real word. Every figure below uses that convention, and so does our scoring.

Documented measurements

Each row below is a published figure with a source. Nothing here comes from this site’s visitors: results are stored only in your own browser and are never uploaded, so we have no dataset to average and will not pretend otherwise.

Published typing speed measurements by group
Group	Speed	What it measures
Copying existing text (transcription)	32.5 WPM	Average rate recorded in a 1999 text-entry study of ordinary computer users.
Writing while thinking (composition)	19.0 WPM	Same 1999 study. Composing your own words is far slower than copying.
Study group described as fast	40 WPM	The figure popularly quoted as the average. It was the fast band, with moderate at 35 WPM and slow at 23 WPM.
Two-finger (hunt-and-peck) typists	27–37 WPM	About 37 WPM for memorised text and 27 WPM when copying unfamiliar text.
Professional typing roles	43–80 WPM	Typical professional range. Some positions require 80–95 WPM, and advanced typists work above 120 WPM.
Phone keyboards	36.2 WPM	Average mobile typing speed measured in 2019, with 2.3% uncorrected errors.
Numeric data entry	8,000–10,000 KPH	Numeric keypad work is measured in keystrokes per hour rather than WPM, and these are common job requirements.
Elite short-burst records	300+ WPM	Some typists have sustained over 300 WPM across a 15-second test using simple English words.

Source: Wikipedia — Words per minute, which collects the underlying studies and their figures.

How to read your own result

These bands are interpretation, not measurement. They exist to help you decide what to work on next, and they are labelled that way deliberately.

Under 25 WPMBuilding the basics: Usually means you are still looking at the keyboard. Accuracy drills pay off far more than speed attempts at this stage.
25–39 WPMFunctional: Comfortable for everyday messages and notes. This overlaps the transcription average from the 1999 study.
40–59 WPMSolid: Fast enough that typing rarely limits your thinking. This is at or above the band that study called fast.
60–79 WPMStrong: Within the documented professional range and sufficient for most roles that list a typing requirement.
80–99 WPMFast: Matches the requirement for positions that specify 80–95 WPM.
100+ WPMVery fast: Above most published job requirements. Sustaining it on a longer test with punctuation is the real challenge.

Why there is no trustworthy speed-by-age chart

Searching for average typing speed by age returns confident tables giving a WPM for every age band. Those tables rarely cite a measurement, and the numbers disagree with each other from page to page, which is a reliable sign they were estimated rather than observed.

What the literature does support is that technique dominates. Two-finger hunt-and-peck typists average about 27 WPM copying unfamiliar text and 37 WPM on text they have memorised, while touch typists in professional roles sit between 43 and 80 WPM. That gap is much larger than any plausible effect of age, and unlike age it is something you can change. Working through the touch typing lessons addresses exactly that.

WPM, CPM, and KPH are the same measurement

Job listings and test sites mix units, which makes scores look incomparable when they are not. Because a word is defined as five characters, the conversions are exact: multiply WPM by 5 for characters per minute, and by 300 for keystrokes per hour. A 60 WPM typist is also 300 CPM and 18,000 KPH. The typing speed converter does this both ways.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average typing speed?: The most commonly cited published measurement is 32.5 words per minute for copying existing text, from a 1999 text-entry study of ordinary computer users. The same study measured 19.0 WPM for composition, where people write their own words rather than copying. The widely repeated 40 WPM figure was that study's fast band, not its overall average.
Is 40 WPM a good typing speed?: Yes. 40 WPM is above the documented transcription average of 32.5 WPM and matches the band the 1999 study labelled fast. It is comfortable for everyday work, though roles that specify a typing requirement often ask for 60 WPM or more.
What is a good typing speed for a job?: Published professional typing ranges run from 43 to 80 WPM, some positions require 80 to 95 WPM, and advanced typists work above 120 WPM. Numeric data entry is measured differently, in keystrokes per hour, where 8,000 to 10,000 KPH are common requirements.
How is words per minute calculated?: A word is standardised as five characters or keystrokes, not a real dictionary word. Net WPM divides your correctly typed characters by five, then divides by the elapsed time in minutes. Gross WPM uses every character you typed, including mistakes, which is why gross is always the higher number.
Does typing speed decrease with age?: There is no single reliable published figure for typing speed at each age, and charts that give one number per age group usually do not cite a measurement. What is documented is that technique matters more than age: two-finger typists average about 27 WPM when copying text, while touch typists in professional roles reach 43 to 80 WPM.
What is the fastest typing speed ever recorded?: Some typists have sustained over 300 WPM across a 15-second test using simple English words. Short bursts flatter any score, which is why a longer test with punctuation is a better measure of real typing ability.

Measure your own speed

One minute is the usual comparison point. Three minutes is closer to what employment benchmarks use, because it exposes fatigue that a short burst hides.

1-minute test 3-minute test How we score