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Typing Speed (WPM) Calculator

Typing speed on the standard convention where a word is five characters, with errors deducted. Net speed is the only figure worth quoting, since gross speed rewards typing fast and badly.

Also called: wpm calculator, words per minute test.

Net words a minute
59

59 net words a minute against 60 gross, with 98.33% accuracy. Around the adult average.

Gross words a minute
60
Accuracy
98.33%
Characters a minute
300
Standardised words
300
How that rates
Around the adult average.
How this is calculated

An estimate, not an offer or a guarantee. Projected returns assume the rate you entered holds for the whole term, which no market does.

Method and background

How this is calculated

The five-character word is a convention from typewriter testing that survives because it makes speeds comparable regardless of the text. Gross speed divides standardised words by minutes. Net speed subtracts one word for every uncorrected error, which is what stops the measure from rewarding speed at the expense of accuracy. Professional typing tests almost always quote net.

a word is five characters; net speed subtracts one word for each uncorrected error
c
Characters (characters)
t
Minutes (minutes)
e
Errors (errors)

Worked examples

Each of these is asserted on every build. If a change to the engine ever moved one of these answers, the build would fail before the page could print it.

fifteen hundred characters in five minutes

Characters typed
1,500
Minutes taken
5
Uncorrected errors
5

Net words a minute59

300 standardised words over 5 minutes, less one word per error

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perfect accuracy makes the two equal

Characters typed
1,500
Minutes taken
5
Uncorrected errors
0

Net words a minute60

boundary

Open this example

Method and limits

What it assumes

  • Errors are uncorrected. Corrected mistakes cost time and are already in the elapsed minutes.

What it deliberately does not model

  • Speed on familiar prose is not speed on code or numbers, which run substantially slower.

Formula version 1.0.0 · definition 1.0.0 · United States · Report a problem with this calculator

Frequently asked questions

Why is a word five characters?
It is a testing convention, including the space. It makes results comparable across different passages, since a text full of short words would otherwise flatter the typist.
What is a good speed?
Around 40 net words a minute is average for an adult, 65 to 75 is solidly professional, and above 100 is fast. Accuracy below about 95% makes any speed misleading.