How to Type Faster and What Your WPM Really Means

Typing speed is measured in words per minute, or WPM. A faster, more accurate typist spends less effort on the keyboard and more on ideas. This guide covers how the number is worked out and how to improve it.

How WPM is calculated

A word is counted as five characters, including spaces, so that long and short words are treated fairly. Take the number of correct characters, divide by five, and divide by the minutes you typed. If you type 300 correct characters in one minute, that is 60 words per minute. Accuracy is the share of keystrokes that were right, and speed means little if it is full of mistakes.

What is a good speed?

Around 40 words per minute is often quoted as an average for adults. Office jobs that involve a lot of writing often ask for 50 to 70. Experienced touch typists reach 80 or more. Aim for accuracy above 95 percent before pushing speed.

Habits that help

• Learn touch typing: keep your fingers on the home row (A S D F and J K L ;) and let each finger own certain keys.
• Look at the screen, not the keys.
• Go slowly first. Speed follows smooth, accurate movement.
• Practice for 10 to 15 minutes a day instead of one long session.
• Sit with your wrists level and your shoulders relaxed, and take breaks to avoid strain.

Test yourself

The Typing Test gives you a passage and a 30, 60 or 120 second timer, then shows your WPM, accuracy and errors, and remembers your best for each length on your device. Take it at the same time each week to see progress.

Counting your own writing

The same ideas help when you write. The Word Counter and the Character Counter show how long a piece is, and the limits for posts and messages, so you can plan how much you need to type.