What Is a Good Typing Speed? 40 WPM Is Average, 60+ Is Fast
Updated October 2026 · 9 min read · By Munir Afridi
Find out whether your WPM is good, then take the free typing test to get your real number.
Quick Answer
A good typing speed is 40 WPM for general office work and 50 to 60 WPM for most computer-based jobs. Anything above 60 WPM is fast, and 80 WPM puts you in roughly the top 1 to 2 percent. The median adult scores 30 to 40 WPM in Ratatype's April 2026 data from 506,024 tests.
Share of typing tests by speed band. Source: Ratatype, April 2026.
Is my WPM good? A typing speed rating chart
This chart answers the specific scores people search for. The percentile column shows roughly how many Ratatype test takers you would be faster than. It is an estimate: the source publishes seven speed bands, so the figures inside a band are interpolated.
| Your speed | Faster than | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 30 WPM | about 43% | Below average. Fine for casual use, slow for any typing job. |
| 36 WPM | about 58% | Right around the median. Enough for typical office tasks. |
| 50 WPM | about 84% | Good. Above 8 in 10 test takers and fine for most computer jobs. |
| 53 WPM | about 86% | Good. About the average of the 2018 Aalto and Cambridge study (52 WPM). |
| 55 WPM | about 88% | Good to very good. Meets the competitive target for admin and support roles. |
| 65 WPM | about 94% | Fast. Meets the usual data entry target and beats about 94 percent of testers. |
| 70 WPM | about 96% | Very fast. Competitive for data entry, legal support and transcription. |
Percentiles computed from the Ratatype speed-band distribution of 506,024 tests (published April 30, 2026). Ratatype users skew toward learners, so the average can look lower than for people who type daily.
Round numbers are easier to remember. As a ladder: 20 WPM is slow, 40 is average, 60 is fast, 80 is excellent and 100 is elite.
| WPM | Faster than | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | about 15% | Hunt and peck. Too slow for any job that involves typing. |
| 40 | about 68% | Average. The usual minimum for office and admin postings. |
| 60 | about 93% | Above average. A common target for data entry. |
| 80 | about 99% | Excellent. Roughly the top 1 to 2 percent of test takers. |
| 100 | about 99% | Elite. Rare outside competitive typists and transcribers. |
How to check your typing speed
- Open the free typing speed test and type the sample text for a full minute.
- Note both your WPM and your accuracy. Raw speed with many errors is not a good score.
- Repeat three times and take the middle result. The first run is usually slow.
- Find your score in the chart above to see your percentile and rating.
- To see how long a draft will take to type, paste it into the word counter and divide the word count by your WPM.
One WPM convention matters: a "word" is counted as five keystrokes, spaces included, so a long word counts as more than one. That keeps scores comparable between tests.
What is the average typing speed for adults?
About 40 WPM, but the number depends on who you ask. Two large datasets give different answers, and both are real. Ratatype's 506,024 tests (April 2026) put the median in the 30 to 40 WPM band, with a typical speed near 35 WPM. The 2018 study by Aalto University and the University of Cambridge (Dhakal et al., CHI 2018) measured 168,960 volunteers and found a mean of 51.56 WPM with a standard deviation of 20.2.
Why the gap? The 2018 volunteers averaged 24.5 years old, chose to take an online typing test, and 72 percent had taken a typing course. Ratatype draws many learners practising from scratch. A fair summary: 40 WPM is a sensible average for adults overall, around 50 WPM for people who type every day.
| Speed band | Level | Share of testers |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 WPM | Hunt and peck | 15% |
| 20 to 30 WPM | Beginner | 27.5% |
| 30 to 40 WPM | Average (median) | 25.1% |
| 40 to 50 WPM | Skilled | 16.1% |
| 50 to 60 WPM | Pro | 9.1% |
| 60 to 80 WPM | Master | 6.1% |
| 80 to 120 WPM | Expert | 1.1% |
Source: Ratatype, "What counts as a good typing speed? Insights from 506,000 real tests," April 2026. The 2018 study also found the slowest 10 percent type under about 26 WPM and the fastest 10 percent above about 78 WPM.
What is a good typing speed for jobs?
Most employers want 40 to 60 WPM, with 98 percent accuracy or better for the most demanding roles. These ranges come from TypeTest.io (March 2026) and TypeQuicker (January 2026). Neither cites a named employer survey, and TypeTest.io warns that job ads often copy inflated numbers from old templates. Treat them as working targets and check the figure in the actual job ad.
| Role | Typical minimum (WPM) | Competitive (WPM) | Accuracy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reception and admin assistant | 35 to 45 | 50+ | 96 to 98% |
| Customer support (chat and tickets) | 40 to 50 | 55+ | 97 to 99% |
| Data entry clerk | 45 to 60 | 60 to 75 | 98 to 99% |
| Medical admin and billing | 40 to 55 | 55 to 65 | 98%+ |
| Legal assistant | 45 to 60 | 60+ | 98%+ |
| Transcription | 60+ | 75 to 90 | 98%+ |
Source: TypeTest.io, "Typing Speed for Job Applications" (March 8, 2026). Working targets, not official standards.
What is a good WPM for data entry?
For data entry, 45 to 60 WPM is the usual minimum and 60 to 75 WPM is competitive, with 98 to 99 percent accuracy. TypeQuicker (January 2026) reports typical postings asking for 40 to 45 WPM, and says some government roles set a fixed minimum such as 40 WPM or 10,000 keystrokes per hour. Many data entry tests measure the numeric keypad separately in keystrokes per hour rather than WPM, so practise both.
If you are applying now, run the typing speed test three times, aim to be 10 WPM above the posted minimum and keep errors under 2 per 100 characters. Speed you cannot sustain with accuracy will not help in a timed employer test.
What is the minimum words per minute to type?
There is no universal minimum. Office and admin job ads usually ask for 35 to 45 WPM. Ratatype describes 30 to 40 WPM as enough for typical office tasks and 20 to 30 WPM as limiting for large volumes of text. If you type under 30 WPM, a few weeks of touch-typing practice is the fastest way to open up more jobs.
Average typing speed by age
Speed peaks in the 20s and 30s, then eases slowly. These ranges are from TypeTest.io (February 2026), which says they come from large typing-test datasets but does not name the platform or sample size, so use them as a rough guide only.
| Age group | Typical WPM |
|---|---|
| Teenagers (13 to 19) | 38 to 45 |
| Young adults (20 to 30) | 50 to 70 |
| Adults (31 to 50) | 50 to 65 |
| Adults (51 to 65) | 40 to 60 |
| 65 and over | 35 to 50 |
How long does it take to type a document?
Divide the word count by your WPM. The table shows typing time for common lengths, assuming steady typing with no editing.
| Words | 30 WPM | 40 WPM | 60 WPM | 80 WPM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 4 min | 3 min | 2 min | 2 min |
| 250 | 9 min | 7 min | 5 min | 4 min |
| 500 | 17 min | 13 min | 9 min | 7 min |
| 1,000 | 34 min | 25 min | 17 min | 13 min |
| 2,000 | 1 h 7 min | 50 min | 34 min | 25 min |
Use the word counter to get the exact length of your text, the words to pages converter to turn it into pages, and the reading time calculator for how long it takes to read.
How can I type faster?
Learn touch typing. In the 2018 study, people who reported using 9 to 10 fingers typed far faster than those using fewer, and trained typists averaged 54.35 WPM against 49.00 WPM for untrained ones. Practise 15 to 20 minutes a day, keep your eyes on the screen, and slow down until accuracy is steady before pushing speed. See our guide on how to type faster.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good typing speed?
A good typing speed is 40 WPM for general office work and 50 to 60 WPM for most computer-based jobs. Anything above 60 WPM is fast. Ratatype's April 2026 data from 506,024 tests puts the median at 30 to 40 WPM, and only about 7 percent of testers type 60 WPM or faster.
What is the average typing speed for adults?
About 40 WPM, with studies landing between 35 and 52 depending on who was tested. Ratatype (April 2026, 506,024 tests) shows a median of 30 to 40 WPM. The 2018 Aalto University and University of Cambridge study of 168,960 volunteers found a mean of 51.56 WPM, but its volunteers averaged 24.5 years old and chose to take a typing test.
Is 50 WPM a good typing speed?
Yes. 50 WPM is faster than roughly 84 percent of Ratatype test takers and meets the usual minimum for admin, support and most office jobs. It is slightly below what many data entry postings want, which is closer to 60 WPM.
Is 30 WPM a good typing speed?
30 WPM is below average. It is about the 43rd percentile in Ratatype's data, so roughly 57 percent of testers are faster. It is workable for casual use but limiting if you type for several hours a day.
Is 65 or 70 WPM a good typing speed?
Yes, both are fast. 65 WPM beats about 94 percent of test takers and 70 WPM about 96 percent. Both meet competitive targets for data entry, legal support and most transcription roles, as long as accuracy stays at 98 percent or better.
What is a good WPM for data entry?
Most data entry postings ask for 40 to 60 WPM, and 60 to 75 WPM makes you competitive. Accuracy matters as much as speed, with 98 to 99 percent typical for competitive roles. Many data entry jobs also test numeric keypad speed in keystrokes per hour. These ranges come from TypeQuicker (January 2026) and TypeTest.io (March 2026), so always check the exact figure in the job ad.
What is the minimum words per minute to type?
There is no universal minimum. Office and admin postings usually ask for 35 to 45 WPM, and some government roles set a fixed minimum such as 40 WPM. Below 30 WPM typing becomes a bottleneck for most desk jobs.
Does accuracy matter more than speed?
For jobs, usually yes. Employers commonly want 95 percent accuracy or better, and 98 to 99 percent for competitive data entry and legal roles. A fast typist with many errors loses the time back in corrections.
Sources and data notes
Ratatype, "What counts as a good typing speed? Insights from 506,000 real tests," April 30, 2026. Dhakal, Feit, Kristensson and Oulasvirta, "Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes," CHI 2018 (168,960 participants). TypeTest.io, "Typing Speed for Job Applications" (March 8, 2026) and "Typing Speed by Age" (February 4, 2026). TypeQuicker, "What Is a Good Typing Speed for Data Entry?" (January 28, 2026). Sources disagree on the average because they test different groups; job and age ranges are working estimates, not official standards. Typing speed records vary by test and keyboard, so we do not rank them. Updated October 2026.
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