Typing speed levels
| WPM | Level | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Under 25 | Beginner | Still looking for keys. Learn the home row and touch typing. |
| 25–40 | Average | Typical for people who type now and then. |
| 40–60 | Good | Comfortable for office work, studying and most jobs. |
| 60–80 | Fast | Enough for almost any job that involves typing. |
| 80–100 | Professional | Typists, transcribers, programmers who practise. |
| 100+ | Exceptional | Only a small share of typists ever get here. |
These levels are for net WPM on real sentences, with capitals and punctuation. On a test of plain lowercase common words, like the one-minute typing test, most people score a bit higher. Read about the average typing speed for where most people stand.
Accuracy matters as much as speed
A fast score with many mistakes is not a good score. Each error has to be found and fixed, and in a job it can cost more than the time you saved. Aim for 95% accuracy or better first; then push your speed. On typing-test.com, accuracy counts every wrong key, including ones you corrected, so 95% here is a demanding target.
What typing speed do jobs ask for?
Requirements vary by employer, so always read the job listing. As a rough guide, listings often ask for:
| Job | Often asked for |
|---|---|
| General office / admin | Around 40 WPM |
| Data entry | 35–50 WPM on alphanumeric data, or a 10 key speed in KPH |
| Customer support / live chat | 35–50 WPM or more, with very few typos |
| Executive assistant, legal secretary | 60 WPM or more |
| Transcription, medical typing | 60–75 WPM or more |
Job tests usually last 1 to 5 minutes on real sentences. Practise with the 3 minute and 5 minute typing tests, or the data entry and live chat tests.
How fast is the fastest typist?
The name that comes up most is Barbara Blackburn, an American typist who was reported in the 1980s and 1990s to sustain 150 WPM for 50 minutes and to reach a peak of 212 WPM. She typed on a Dvorak keyboard, a layout that puts the most common letters on the home row.
Today, competitive typists on websites like this one post scores above 200 WPM, but only on short tests of common words. Over several minutes of real text, anything above 120 to 150 WPM is extremely rare.
How to get to the next level
- Below 40 WPM: learn touch typing. It is the biggest jump you can make.
- 40–60 WPM: practise daily, slow down on mistakes, and learn the number row.
- 60 WPM and up: train on harder text with punctuation and numbers, and type in short bursts above your comfortable speed.
Our guide on how to type faster has a full plan.
See where you stand: take the one-minute typing test.
Start the test →Questions
What is a good WPM?
40 WPM is a solid everyday speed, 60 WPM is good for most jobs, 80 WPM is professional level and 100 WPM or more is exceptional. Always with 95% accuracy or better.
Is 70 WPM good?
Yes. 70 WPM is fast: well above the average of about 40 WPM and enough for almost any job that involves typing, including many transcription and secretarial roles.
Is 100 WPM good?
It is exceptional. Only a small share of typists reach 100 WPM on real sentences. On short tests of common words, more people get there, so check which kind of test the score came from.
Who is the fastest typist in the world?
Barbara Blackburn is often named as the fastest English-language typist: she was reported to sustain 150 WPM for 50 minutes and to reach a peak of 212 WPM, on a Dvorak keyboard. Online, some typists post scores above 200 WPM on very short tests of common words.
What typing speed do employers want?
It depends on the job. Many office jobs ask for around 40 WPM, data entry and customer support often 35 to 50 WPM or more, and transcription, legal and medical typing often 60 WPM or more. Accuracy of 90 to 95% is usually required too.