Short answer: The average typing speed is about 40 words per minute (WPM). Anything above 60 WPM is considered fast, and professional typists often reach 80–100+ WPM with high accuracy.
What is the average typing speed?
For most people typing on a full keyboard, the average is around 40 WPM. Casual two-finger typists often sit closer to 25–35 WPM, while touch typists who use all ten fingers comfortably exceed 50 WPM. You can measure yours right now with our free Typing Speed Test.
What counts as a good or fast typing speed?
As a rough guide: 40 WPM is average, 60–70 WPM is fast and ready for most office jobs, 80–95 WPM is professional level, and 100+ WPM is exceptional. Many data-entry and transcription roles ask for at least 50–60 WPM with strong accuracy.
How is WPM measured?
A “word” is standardised as five characters, including spaces. Your WPM is the number of correctly typed characters divided by five, scaled to one minute. That is why “accuracy” matters: mistakes reduce your effective score even if your fingers move quickly.
How can I type faster?
The biggest gains come from learning touch typing — keeping your fingers on the home row and not looking at the keyboard. After that, practice for accuracy first and speed second, because correcting errors wastes more time than typing slightly slower. Short, daily practice beats occasional long sessions.
Frequently asked questions
Is 100 WPM good? Yes — 100 WPM is well above average and puts you in the top tier of typists.
What typing speed do employers want? Many office and admin roles look for 50–60 WPM with 95%+ accuracy.
Test yourself with the Typing Speed Test and browse more free tools at Tools Multiverse.