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Data guide

Average Typing Speed (WPM): What's Normal?

40 WPM

The average typing speed is about 40 WPM. Most adults type between 38 and 42 WPM; anything above 60 WPM is above average.

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WPM (words per minute) is the standard way to report how fast someone types. A typical adult lands near 40 WPM on a one-minute typing speed test. The charts below break that average down by skill, age, and job — with a named source on every number — then you can measure yourself without leaving the page.

Test your WPM and compare to the average

Take a one-minute test. When you finish, we show your score against the 40 WPM average.

1:00
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Average WPM by skill level

Where 40 WPM sits on a beginner-to-expert scale

LevelWPMSource
Beginner
20–30According to common keyboarding skill charts used by education programs and sites such as Ratatype
Average adult
38–42According to Wikipedia: Words per minute, the average typist types around 40 WPM
Above average
60–80According to widely published typing-skill bands (Ratatype and similar keyboarding charts)
Professional typist
65–75According to Wikipedia: Words per minute
Expert
100+According to Wikipedia: Words per minute and competitive-typing references

Average WPM by age and setting

School, college, adult, and office reference ranges

GroupWPMSource
Elementary (ages 8–11)
15–25According to typical U.S. elementary keyboarding targets
Middle school / teens (12–14)
25–40According to middle-school keyboarding benchmarks
High school (15–18)
35–50According to high-school keyboarding programs
College students
40–55According to college-level keyboarding expectations
Working adults
38–42According to Wikipedia: Words per minute
Office / admin work
40–60According to typical hiring requirements for office roles

Individual results vary widely. These ranges are for reference only — they are not pass/fail scores.

Average WPM by occupation

Copy typing is faster than composing; jobs quote hiring floors, not personal bests

RoleWPMSource
Transcription (copy typing)
32.5According to Karat et al., CHI 1999, cited on Wikipedia: Words per minute
Composition / writing while typing
19According to Karat et al., CHI 1999, cited on Wikipedia: Words per minute
Average adult typist
~40According to Wikipedia: Words per minute
Professional typist / data entry
65–75According to Wikipedia: Words per minute
Administrative / office staff
40–60According to typical job-posting requirements
Expert / competitive typist
100+According to Wikipedia: Words per minute

How this average is measured

Most sites, including TypeTap, report WPM as (correct characters ÷ 5) ÷ minutes. That five-keystroke “word” is an industry convention, so a 40 WPM score is comparable across tests. Wikipedia’s Words per minute article uses the same convention when it cites the ~40 WPM adult average.

A one-minute test is a snapshot, not a career grade. Accuracy matters as much as speed: 40 WPM at 98% accuracy is more useful at work than 55 WPM at 80%. After you finish the test below, we plot your score against the 40 WPM average so the gap is obvious.

How to move from 24 WPM toward 40–60

Beginners who stay under 30 WPM usually look at the keyboard and correct every typo mid-word. Park your fingers on the home row, keep your eyes on the text, and finish the word before you fix mistakes. Fifteen to twenty minutes a day for two to four weeks is enough for most adults to reach the 35–45 WPM band.

Once you pass 40 WPM, accuracy work beats raw speed drills. Practice full paragraphs — not just word lists — so punctuation and capitalization stop stealing time. Then take another timed test and compare the bar again.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia, “Words per minute” — adult average (~40 WPM) and professional typist band (65–75 WPM).
  2. Karat, C., Halverson, C., Horn, D., and Karat, J. (1999). “Patterns of entry and correction in large vocabulary continuous speech recognition systems.” CHI ’99 — transcription 32.5 WPM, composition 19 WPM.
  3. U.S. keyboarding education benchmarks commonly used from elementary through high school (age ranges are reference only).
  4. Typical office and administrative hiring requirements (40–60 WPM) as published in job postings.

People also ask about average WPM

01

Is 120 WPM good?

Yes. 120 WPM is elite — roughly the top 1% of typists. According to Wikipedia: Words per minute, professional typists usually sit around 65–75 WPM, and 100+ is already expert. Treat 120 as a competition-level score, not a workplace requirement.

02

Is 75 WPM impressive?

Yes. 75 WPM is well above the adult average of about 40 WPM and sits at the top of the professional-typist band cited on Wikipedia: Words per minute. It is a strong office and data-entry pace if accuracy stays high.

03

Is 24 WPM an average?

No. 24 WPM is below the typical adult range of 38–42 WPM. Most beginners who practice 15–20 minutes a day for two to four weeks can reach 35–45 WPM. Use the test on this page to track that jump.

04

What's the difference between typing WPM and reading/speaking WPM?

They measure different things. Typing WPM counts keystrokes (usually five characters = one word). Adult reading is often 200–300 WPM, and speaking is often around 120–150 WPM. Do not compare those numbers to a typing score.

Keep learning and practicing

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