1 Minute Typing Test

How to use it: click the text box and type the underlined word, then press SPACE or Enter. The 60 second timer starts with your first letter. Press ESC or Restart for a fresh set of words.

This 1 minute typing test gives you 60 seconds to type random common English words and then shows your words per minute (WPM), accuracy, correct words and mistakes. Only words typed exactly right count. Since the test lasts one minute, your WPM equals your correct characters, spaces included, divided by 5.

The timer waits for your first key, so you can read the opening words before you start. Every attempt draws new words from the same list, so you cannot learn a passage by heart, and your best one minute score stays saved in this browser.

How to take the 1 minute typing test

  1. Click or tap the box that says “Start typing here”. The first word is underlined.
  2. Type that word. The clock starts counting down from 60 with your first letter, not when the page loads.
  3. Press SPACE or Enter to submit the word. A space on an empty box does nothing, so you cannot skip a word.
  4. If the underline turns red, you have typed a wrong letter. Press backspace and fix it before you submit.
  5. Keep going until the clock shows 0. The result card then shows your WPM, accuracy, correct words and mistakes.
  6. Press Try again, Restart or ESC to start a new 60 second test with new words.

This page is locked to one minute, so the length buttons you see on the main typing speed test are hidden here. The counter above the text shows the seconds left, your live WPM, your accuracy and your best score.

How your one minute WPM is worked out

Your WPM is the number of correct characters you typed, divided by 5. A “word” in typing tests is a standard 5 characters, so the length of the real words does not change the scale. In this test the space after each correct word counts as a character too.

Here is the exact method the tool uses:

  • When you press space, the word you typed is compared with the target word.
  • If it matches exactly, its letters plus one for the space are added to your total.
  • If any letter is wrong, missing or extra, the word turns red, gets a line through it and adds nothing.
  • At 60 seconds the total is divided by 5. Because the test is exactly one minute long, there is no further division.

So 300 correct characters give 60 WPM, and 200 give 40 WPM. A word you are halfway through when the clock hits 0 is not counted, so keep going right to the end.

Words typed versus WPM

Your WPM is usually a little higher than the number of words you typed. The word list behind this test has 434 different common words, and the average entry is 4.8 letters long. Add the space and a typical correct word is worth about 5.8 characters, which is 1.16 standard words.

Correct words in 60 secondsTypical WPM
25about 29
35about 41
45about 52
55about 64
65about 75
80about 93

Treat these as typical values, not fixed ones. A run that happens to draw many short words such as “a”, “to” or “the” scores fewer characters per word, and a run with long words like “relationship” or “international” scores more.

Accuracy and mistakes

Accuracy is the share of your letter keys that matched the target word at the moment you pressed them. Backspace presses are not counted either way. If you type a wrong letter and fix it, the word still counts for WPM, but the wrong key stays in your accuracy figure.

The mistakes number is different. It counts words you submitted with an error. Each of those costs you the whole word, so one mistake can easily cost 5 or 6 characters, which is more than 1 WPM.

What is a good score on a one minute typing test?

About 52 WPM is average for people who take online typing tests, and 78 WPM or more puts you in the fastest 10%. Those numbers come from a study of 168,000 volunteers who typed on computer keyboards (Dhakal et al., CHI 2018).

One minute WPMWhere it sits
Under 26Slowest 10% of the study
26 to 40Below average, common for new typists
40 to 52Around average, fine for everyday work
52 to 78Above average
78 or moreFastest 10% of the study

The same study found an average uncorrected error rate of about 1.2%, so aim for 95% accuracy or better here. On a phone the numbers are lower: a second study of 37,370 phone users found an average of 36.17 WPM (Palin et al., MobileHCI 2019). Keep phone and keyboard scores apart.

Those volunteers typed short sentences with capitals and punctuation, and their WPM counted all text typed. This test uses lower case words and counts only correct ones, so the comparison is a guide, not an exact match. For age groups, jobs and more detail, read our guide to average typing speed.

Is one minute long enough to measure your typing?

One minute is the most common length for a quick check, and it is long enough to smooth out a single slow word or a slow start. It is short enough to keep full focus from the first word to the last. That makes it a good way to track progress from day to day.

It does have limits. It is easier to hold your top pace for 60 seconds than for several minutes, when focus and hands start to tire. Your one minute score is close to your best sustained speed, not your speed across an hour of writing.

A few points to keep in mind when you read your result:

  • The start is free, pauses are not. The clock waits for your first key, but once it is running, any pause counts against you.
  • The live WPM jumps early. In the first second the live counter can show a big number from only one or two words. Only the final figure at 0 seconds matters.
  • One test is noisy. Take three tests in a row and note the middle score. That number moves less from day to day than a single best run.

If you want to know how well you hold your speed, compare your result with the 2 minute typing test or the 3 minute typing test. A gap of a few WPM is normal. A big drop usually means tension or rushing.

One minute typing tests for job applications

Some employers screen candidates with a short timed test, and many care about errors as much as speed. Criteria, a company that supplies hiring tests, describes a typing test in which candidates get “one minute to type as much of the passage as possible”. It reports three scores: WPM, number of errors and an adjusted WPM equal to WPM minus errors (Criteria).

You can work out a rough version of that adjusted figure from your result here: take your WPM and subtract your mistakes. If you score 55 WPM with 3 mistakes, your adjusted figure would be about 52.

Other employers use longer tests. A US Department of the Air Force clerk advert asks for “a minimum of 40 WPM proficiency” (USAJOBS). A Bureau of Indian Affairs clerk standard measures 40 WPM on a five minute test with no more than three errors (BIA qualification standard). If a job asks for a speed over a set time, practise at that length. The 5 minute typing test is the closest match for that standard.

How to raise your 1 minute score

Most gains come from fewer mistakes and a steady rhythm, not from forcing your fingers to move faster.

  • Fix errors before you press space. A wrong word adds nothing to your score, while a quick backspace costs only a fraction of a second.
  • Read one word ahead. While your fingers finish the current word, your eyes should be on the next one.
  • Do not sprint the first 10 seconds. A calm, clean start is faster over a full minute than a rushed one full of red words.
  • Keep your eyes on the screen. Looking down at the keys costs time on every word. Touch typing from the home row (ASDF and JKL;) removes that cost, though it feels slower for the first weeks.
  • Practise little and often. A few tests on most days are easier to keep up than one long session a week, and your saved best shows the trend.

For drills, posture and a practice plan, see our guide on how to type faster.

Other typing test lengths

If you also play games, the APM test counts your actions per minute and the reaction time test measures how fast you respond in milliseconds.

Frequently asked questions

How many words can you type in 1 minute?

In a large study of 168,000 volunteers on computer keyboards, the average was 51.56 WPM with a standard deviation of 20.2, which puts roughly two thirds of people between about 31 and 72 WPM. On a phone, the average was about 36 WPM. In this test you will usually type a few words fewer than your WPM, because a typical word in the list is worth about 1.16 standard words.

Is 40 WPM good for a 1 minute typing test?

40 WPM is a little below the computer average of about 52 WPM, but it is a usable speed for everyday work. It is also the minimum many US federal clerk jobs ask for. If your accuracy is above 95%, regular practice usually gets you past 50 WPM.

Does the timer start as soon as the page loads?

No. The 60 second timer starts with your first letter. You can read the first words, place your hands and start when you are ready. Once it is running, pauses count against your score.

Why is my WPM higher than the number of words I typed?

WPM uses standard words of 5 characters, and this test also counts the space after each correct word. The average word in the list is 4.8 letters, so with the space each correct word is worth about 1.16 standard words. Type 50 correct words and you will usually see about 58 WPM.

Do mistakes lower my WPM?

Yes. A word with any wrong, missing or extra letter adds nothing to your WPM. A mistake you fix with backspace before pressing space still counts as a correct word, but the wrong key lowers your accuracy.

Is my best 1 minute score saved?

Yes. Your best result is saved in your browser on this device, and nothing is uploaded. The main typing speed test uses the same saved score when you pick 1 min, so a best set on either page shows on both. Clearing your browser data removes it.

Can I take the 1 minute typing test on a phone?

Yes. Tap the text box to open your keyboard and type as normal. Swipe typing and autocomplete work too, because each finished word is scored when a space appears. Phone scores are usually lower, so compare them only with other phone scores.

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