What Is the Average Typing Speed? WPM by Age and Profession
Benchmark numbers for students, office workers, writers and data-entry jobs, plus how WPM is calculated.
Across large studies of everyday computer users, the average typing speed is around 38 to 40 words per minute (WPM) with roughly 92% accuracy. Professional typists and people who practise touch typing regularly reach 65 to 85+ WPM.
Typical WPM ranges
- 20 - 30 WPM: Beginners learning key locations or hunt-and-peck typists.
- 35 - 45 WPM: Average adult speed for emails and everyday office tasks.
- 50 - 65 WPM: Strong workplace speed suitable for admin, support and clerical roles.
- 70 - 90+ WPM: Fast touch typists, developers, writers and transcriptionists.
How WPM is calculated
One standard word equals five characters including spaces. Typing 250 correct characters in one minute equals 50 net WPM, regardless of whether the passage used short or long words.
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