The average typing speed for adults is about 40 words per minute (WPM), with accuracy of roughly 92–95%. Most people fall somewhere between 30 and 50 WPM. That figure hides a lot of variety, though: age, job, the keyboard you use and above all how you type make a big difference. This guide collects typical figures so you can see what a good typing speed looks like for you – and the test at the top of the page tells you your own number in 60 seconds.
All figures on this page are typical, approximate ranges drawn from published studies, school curriculum guidelines and common job requirements. They are a guide for comparison, not exact statistics.
What is the average typing speed of a person?
Most sources put the average typing speed in the world at about 38–44 WPM for adults, and 40 WPM is the usual round figure. Roughly half of adults type between 30 and 50 WPM, about a quarter type between 50 and 70 WPM, and only a small share go faster than 80.
You may also see a higher figure. One large 2018 study of about 168,000 volunteers on a typing website found an average of about 52 WPM. That is not a contradiction: people who choose to take online typing tests tend to type more than average, so their average speed is higher than the general population's.
Average typing speed per minute in characters
Since one word is counted as five characters, 40 WPM is about 200 characters per minute (CPM), or about 12,000 keystrokes per hour. If a job lists speed in letters or characters per minute, divide by five to compare it with a WPM score.
Average typing speed by age
Children's figures below are common school rules of thumb; adult figures are typical ranges. Individual speeds vary much more than the averages suggest, mostly with practice rather than age.
| Age group | Typical average WPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 7–8 years (grades 2–3) | about 10–15 | Still learning key positions; accuracy matters more |
| 9–10 years (grades 4–5) | about 15–25 | Touch typing usually starts here |
| 11–13 years (grades 6–8) | about 25–35 | Average typing speed for a 12 year old is often near 30 WPM |
| 14–17 years (high school) | about 35–45 | Average typing speed for 15 and 16 year olds overlaps with adults |
| 18–30 years (young adults) | about 40–50 | Often the fastest group; many type daily for study and work |
| 31–50 years | about 38–45 | Job experience keeps many people fast |
| 50+ years | about 30–40 | Very wide range; former typists and secretaries can exceed 70 |
What about the average typing speed by generation? There is no reliable large study comparing Gen Z with Gen X. Younger people are usually quicker on phones, but many learned on touch screens and never learned keyboard touch typing, so their keyboard speed is not always higher. For children, our typing test for kids uses simpler words and shorter tests.
Average typing speed by profession
People who type all day get faster. These are typical speeds seen in each role, and the level employers commonly ask for. Always check the actual job listing.
| Job | Typical speed | Commonly required |
|---|---|---|
| Office and admin staff | about 50–70 WPM | 40–50 WPM |
| Data entry clerk | about 50–70 WPM | often 8,000–10,000+ keystrokes per hour |
| Virtual assistant (VA) | about 50–70 WPM | 45–60 WPM |
| Customer support (chat) | about 45–65 WPM | 40+ WPM |
| Programmer / software developer | about 50–80 WPM on prose | rarely tested; code is typed more slowly |
| Legal or medical secretary | about 60–80 WPM | 55–70 WPM |
| Transcriptionist / professional typist | about 65–90+ WPM | 60–75 WPM |
| 911 or emergency dispatcher | about 40–60 WPM | often 35–45 WPM |
| Indian govt clerk / typist posts | varies | 25–40 WPM net (SSC, RRB, courts) |
The average typing speed for data entry jobs is at the higher end because the work rewards both speed and accuracy. The average typing speed of a programmer surprises people: software engineers are not always fast typists, because most coding time goes on reading and thinking, and code is full of symbols that slow everyone down. For government jobs in India, the targets are set by each exam – for example 35 WPM in English for SSC CHSL, as per recent notifications. Practise under exam rules in our government exam typing test.
Average typing speed by typing method
How you type matters more than who you are. This is the biggest single factor in the tables above.
| Method | Typical average WPM |
|---|---|
| Handwriting (for comparison) | about 13–20 WPM |
| Hunt and peck with 2 fingers, looking at the keys | about 15–30 |
| Hybrid (4–6 fingers, some looking) | about 30–60 |
| Touch typing with 10 fingers, without looking | about 50–80+ |
| Phone, thumbs on a touch screen | about 30–40 (one large 2019 study found about 36) |
| Stenotype (court reporters) | 180–225+ WPM, using a special chord keyboard |
Average writing speed vs typing speed: most adults handwrite English at under 20 WPM, so even an average typist is about twice as fast on a keyboard. The average typing speed with 2 fingers can be surprisingly decent for heavy computer users, but it tops out early; typing without looking, using all ten fingers, is what gets people past 60 WPM. Our free typing lessons teach exactly that, starting from the home row.
Average typing speed in India, in English and Hindi
There is no official national figure, but Indian typists broadly match the worldwide picture: about 30–40 WPM for most people in English, and 40–60 WPM for trained typists who have prepared for exams. Hindi is usually slower in WPM terms, because Devanagari needs extra keystrokes for matras and conjuncts – and exam targets reflect this: SSC CHSL asks for 30 WPM in Hindi but 35 in English. The average Hindi typing speed for trained Inscript or Remington typists is typically 25–40 WPM.
Typing speed kitni honi chahiye? For everyday work 30–40 WPM is fine; for government typing tests, aim for 5 WPM above your exam's requirement, over the full test length.
What is a good typing speed?
What counts as a good WPM depends on your goals, but these typical bands work for most adults:
- Below 30 WPM: below average. A good typing speed for beginners is 20–30 WPM with 90%+ accuracy.
- 30–40 WPM: average. Fine for email and study.
- 40–60 WPM: good typing speed; meets most office job and data entry requirements.
- 60–80 WPM: fast; professional level.
- 80–100 WPM: very fast.
- 100+ WPM: elite – a small share of typists get here.
Accuracy counts as much as speed. A good typing speed and accuracy combination is 40+ WPM at 95% or better; professionals aim for 97–98%. The average typing speed with 100% accuracy is lower than people's usual score, because perfect accuracy needs a careful pace.
For typed-response tests such as Casper, where you answer questions against a clock, many applicants find about 40 WPM or more comfortable – you have time to think and still write full answers.
How to find and calculate your average typing speed
One test is a snapshot. To find your true average typing speed, take five tests on different days, at the same length, and average the results. Use a 3 or 5 minute test if you can, because one-minute scores run slightly high.
Average WPM = (sum of your WPM results) ÷ (number of tests)
Example: five tests of 41, 44, 39, 46 and 42 WPM add up to 212. Your average typing speed is 212 ÷ 5 = 42.4 WPM. Each result on this site is saved in your browser, and the My progress page keeps your history, so you can check the trend over weeks.
Why is the average typing speed so slow – and how to get faster
Most people never learned to type; they picked it up by hunting for keys. That habit caps them at about 30–40 WPM. To get a good typing speed:
- Learn touch typing, even if it slows you down for two weeks.
- Practise little and often – 15 minutes a day beats two hours once a week.
- Fix your weakest keys. The result screen lists them, and one click opens a practice drill for just those keys.
- Keep accuracy above 95% while you push the pace up a few WPM at a time.
Most people who follow this for two to three months move from average to about 50–60 WPM.