Average Typing Speed (WPM)
How fast does the average person type? Many websites quote figures without a source. This guide uses the largest published studies of real typing to show the average typing speed on a computer and on a phone, what separates fast typists from slow ones, and how to see where you stand.
To measure yourself, take the Typing Speed Test or the standard 1 Minute Typing Test.
Average typing speed on a computer
The best data comes from a 2018 study by researchers at Aalto University and the University of Cambridge, which analysed 136 million keystrokes from 168,000 volunteers who took an online typing test.
- The average speed was about 52 words per minute (51.6 WPM).
- Speeds varied a lot. The fastest participants typed 120 WPM or more.
- On average, about 1 percent of errors were left uncorrected.
The researchers noted that professionally trained typists in the typewriter era typically reached around 60 to 90 WPM, faster than today’s average user.
Average typing speed on a phone
A follow-up study in 2019 looked at 37,000 people typing on mobile phones.
- The average speed was about 36 WPM, roughly 15 WPM slower than on a full keyboard.
- Typing with two thumbs was clearly faster than with one thumb or one finger, and about three quarters of people used two thumbs.
- Younger people typed faster on average.
What counts as a word?
Typing tests do not count real words, because words have different lengths. The standard is that one word equals five characters, including spaces and punctuation. A test counts the characters you typed correctly, divides by five and then by the number of minutes. Both studies above, and the tests on Click Tester, use this definition.
Typing speed levels
There is no official scale, but these levels are a practical guide based on the study averages:
| WPM | Level |
|---|---|
| under 30 | Beginner |
| 30 to 50 | Below average to average |
| 50 to 70 | Above average |
| 70 to 90 | Fast |
| over 90 | Very fast |
Remember that test conditions matter. Short tests usually give higher scores than long ones, and random word tests are different from typing your own sentences. Our typing tests use random common words without capitals or punctuation, so your score is not directly comparable with the studies, which used full sentences.
What makes some people type faster?
The 2018 study found clear differences between fast and slow typists:
- Rollover. Fast typists often press the next key before releasing the previous one. For the fastest typists this happened in about 40 to 70 percent of keystrokes, while slow typists hardly did it at all.
- More fingers. Fast typists used about 8 fingers on average, slow typists about 5. Using more fingers was linked to higher speed, though not strongly.
- Fewer errors. Fast typists made fewer mistakes and spent less time correcting them.
- Typing courses helped a little. People who had taken a typing course were on average about 5 WPM faster. The researchers summed it up this way: untrained typists can be as fast as trained typists, but trained typists are faster in general.
Want to improve? Read our guide on how to type faster.
Test your speed
- 1 Minute Typing Test: the classic benchmark.
- 3 Minute Typing Test and 5 Minute Typing Test: a more realistic average.
- Typing Speed Test: choose from 15 seconds to 5 minutes.
Sources
- Dhakal, Feit, Kristensson and Oulasvirta (2018), Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes, CHI 2018
- University of Cambridge (2018), What makes a faster typist?
- Palin et al. (2019), How do People Type on Mobile Devices?, MobileHCI 2019
Frequently asked questions
What is the average typing speed?
About 52 WPM on a computer keyboard and about 36 WPM on a phone, according to the largest published studies.
Is 40 WPM good?
It is a little below the average of about 52 WPM, but it is perfectly usable for everyday work. With practice most people can improve on it.
Is 100 WPM fast?
Yes. 100 WPM is far above average. Only a small share of typists reach that speed on a full sentence test.
Does accuracy matter?
Yes. Typing tests only count correct words, and correcting errors costs time. Fast typists are usually accurate typists.