Average Typing Speed in WPM: What the Numbers Really Say
Search for the average typing speed and you will find answers from 35 to 55 words per minute. They are not all wrong. They measure different people in different ways. Here is what the numbers mean and which one to compare yourself with.
๐ The short answer
For adults typing on a physical keyboard, the average is usually given as around 40 WPM. People who type a lot, or who choose to take online typing tests, average closer to 50 WPM.
๐ฌ What large studies found
| Study | Who was measured | Average speed |
|---|---|---|
| Aalto University keyboard study | More than 160,000 online volunteers on physical keyboards | About 52 WPM |
| Aalto University phone study | Tens of thousands of volunteers typing on smartphones | About 36 WPM |
Both studies used volunteers who chose to take a typing test online. People who do that probably type more than average, so the real population average is likely a little lower than these figures. That is why 40 WPM remains the common rule of thumb.
๐ค Why sources disagree
- Who is tested. Office workers, students and gamers type far more than the general public.
- Test length. A 15-second sprint gives a higher number than a 1-minute or 5-minute test.
- What text is used. Common short words are faster to type than text with punctuation, capitals and numbers.
- How errors count. Some tests subtract mistakes from the score, others only report them separately.
๐ฅ Average speed by group
There is no single official table, so treat these as rough guides rather than exact figures.
| Group | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Adults, general population | 35 to 45 WPM |
| Regular computer users and students | 40 to 55 WPM |
| Office and administrative workers | 45 to 65 WPM |
| Programmers | 40 to 70 WPM |
| Transcriptionists and other typing professionals | 60 to 90 WPM |
| Smartphone, two thumbs | 30 to 40 WPM |
๐ Does age matter?
Less than practice does. Typing is a motor skill, so the people who type most tend to be fastest, whatever their age. On phones the gap is clearer: the phone study reported that teenagers typed noticeably faster than people in their forties. On keyboards, a person who learned touch typing years ago often outpaces a younger person who types with two fingers.
โ๏ธ Technique matters more than the number of fingers
One finding from typing research at Aalto University surprises many people: fast typists did not all use the classic ten-finger method. What they had in common was that they kept their hands in a steady position, used the same finger for the same key every time, and made few mistakes. Consistency is what makes typing fast.
๐ How to compare yourself fairly
- Use a test of at least one minute. Try the 1-minute typing test.
- Take it three times and average the results.
- Only count runs with 95% accuracy or better.
- Compare keyboard results with keyboard averages, and phone results with phone averages.
โ Conclusion
The average typing speed is about 40 WPM for adults in general and about 50 WPM among people who type regularly. If you are above 50 WPM with good accuracy, you are faster than most. To see exactly where your number sits, check the WPM chart from 20 to 120.
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