Words Per Minute Calculator
Calculate your typing speed in words per minute (WPM) from how many characters you typed and how long it took.
How to use the calculator
- Enter how many characters (letters, numbers, punctuation, and spaces) you typed.
- Enter how long it took, in minutes.
- See your typing speed in words per minute (WPM).
How it's calculated
Since actual words vary a lot in length, typing speed tests use an industry-standard convention where 5 characters (including spaces) count as one "standard word" — the same convention used by well-known typing tests like TypeRacer and 10FastFingers. WPM = (character count / 5) / minutes.
Reading, writing and speaking speeds are not the same number
All three are measured in the same unit but sit at very different levels. Speech is typically the slowest — a comfortable presentation pace is well below the tempo of relaxed conversation. Reading is clearly faster than speech, because the eye can skip ahead and pass over words without losing the meaning. Typing continuous, considered prose is normally the slowest of the three.
The kind of text matters as much as the person reading it. Familiar, easy material is read far faster than a technical text full of unfamiliar terms, and text you need to remember is read more slowly than text you are skimming. Speed figures are therefore most useful for comparing against yourself over time, not against other people.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a good typing speed?
Average typing speed typically sits around 40 WPM, while experienced typists (e.g. professional typists) often reach 65-75 WPM or more.
Why are spaces counted as characters?
Because they also require a keystroke, and because the 5-characters-per-"word" standard already accounts for average word length including the trailing space.
Can I use this to measure a longer piece of text, like a report?
Yes — count (or estimate) the total number of characters in your text and how long it actually took you to write it, and the calculator gives a representative average.