Average Typing Speed-Improve Your Speed

The average typing speed lies between 40 to 50 for those who gradually practice but are never properly trained.

WPM typing test measures how many words a person can type in 1 minute time duration. The standard calculation counts each group of five characters along with spaces and punctuation as one word, and it remains the same with every text and test format. Most of the typing benchmarks derive from the standard test and not from real-world data, so they seem focused and accurate rather than on the rhythm of composing an email.

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Average Typing Speed for Students and Adults?

Age plays a quantitative role in average WPM speed tests, but most of the time because of how and when people learned typing. Schools and colleges typically average 35-45 WPM, with variation depending on how much work happens on the keyboard. Adults in their 30’s and 40’s who spent most of the time in office work often took speed above the average, with 45-60 WPM. Students can practice on their mobile and smartphone as well.

Age range

Typical context

Average WPM

Accuracy target

5–6

Pre-K / Kindergarten

2–6

Any

6–7

1st Grade

5–10

85–90%

7-8

2nd Grade

8–15

90%

8-9

3rd Grade

13–20

92%

9-10

4th Grade

18–25

95%

10-11

5th Grade

22–30

95%

11-13

Middle school

28–40

95%+

13-17

High school

35–50

96%+

18-24

College / early career

38–55

97%+

25-44

Working adults

38–50

97%+

45-64

Mid-career and later

30–45

95%+

65+

Retirees

20–35

Varies

Average Typing Speed in Words Per Minute?

The average typing speed is measured mostly in WPM. It measures how many words you can type in one minute. Your typing speed can be measured by dividing the total number of standard words by the total minutes taken for the test.

Speed

Category

Below 20 WPM

Beginner

20–30 WPM

Developing

30–40 WPM

Moderate

40–50 WPM

Average

50–60 WPM

Good

60–80 WPM

Fast

80–100 WPM

Very fast

Above 100 WPM

Advanced

How to Improve Your Typing Speed Above Average?

The most useful technique for improving typing speed is that typists should not chase speed over accuracy. They can improve their speed by changing their techniques from time to time. You can’t  plan to achieve 50-60WPM above average without relearning the keys. Learning how a specific finger is responsible for its own specific task on the keyboard without looking at your hands is the foundation of building your speed.

Apart from techniques, the most authentic way to improve speed  is to be focused and take practice over time, targeting the keys and  combinations of words that slow you down and learn to build memory muscle fast. Track your WPM and accuracy throughout your practice session. A 1-minute typing speed test is suitable for practising in a daily routine and enough for your daily speed target.

Why Typing Accuracy Matters More Than Speed?

Avoid achieving speed before achieving the accuracy that matters most. Typing at 70 WPM with 99% accuracy is far better than 85 WPM with 80% accuracy. When the accuracy is consistent at 97%, then speed will automatically increase and improve faster than most people expect.

Accuracy vs speed comparison infographic showing reliability of average typing speed and fewer errors on one side and faster completion and productivity on the other.

Frequently Asked Questions​.

The average typing speed is 40-50 WPM for adults and can vary from beginner to professional typist. The data comes from millions of typing sessions and declares an average typing speed of 52.5 WPM, where most people fall within the average speed between 35-60 WPM, while professional typists reach 60-80 WPM.

We measure speed in WPM (words per minute). We count WPM as total correct characters divided by 5 and then A good typing speed is considered 60WPM with 95% accuracy. For office and professional work, 60-80 WPM is considered excellent. You can check your speed  whether it is good or not with our typing speed tool.

Typing 80 and 80+ WPM is considered faster than average typing speed. Typing with 100+ WPM is exceptional; that places you in the top 2 to 3% of typists. Professional typists often achieve speeds of 120 WPM, and stenotypists can type more than 200 words with specific techniques and tools

Different styles of tests create different results. Tests that compose primary words give a higher score than tests that require typing sentences with punctuation and numbers. Some sites calculate typos from WPM(Words per Minute)  and CPM(Characters per minute) scores, while most of the sites don’t.

The good way to increase typing speed is to learn in a correct way instead of using the “ hunt and peck” method. Using all 10 fingers and placing them on the keyboard is the best way to type fast and accurately. Another good way to increase typing speed is to play typing games an The average WPM is often dependent on the role. For competitive and administrative roles, the average WPM is 60-70 WPM, and for a data entry role, 50-70 WPM is enough. Court reporters can type 200+ WPM with the help of specific tools.