WPM benchmarks by age, profession, and skill level, and how to see where you stand.
Test Your Typing Speed →The average typing speed is about 40 words per minute (WPM) at roughly 92% accuracy. Anything above 50 WPM is above average, 60-70 WPM is fast, and professional typists reach 70-100+ WPM. Beginners typically start around 20-30 WPM. Test your typing speed to see where you land.
The average typing speed is around 40 WPM for an adult using a standard keyboard, with accuracy usually sitting near 92%. That figure reflects everyday typists who haven't formally trained in touch typing. People who learn touch typing, using all ten fingers without looking at the keyboard, comfortably reach 60 WPM and beyond.
Typing speed is measured the same way as reading speed: words per minute, where one "word" is standardized to five characters. Accuracy matters just as much as raw speed, because every correction breaks your flow and costs time.
| Skill Level | Typing Speed (WPM) | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 20-30 WPM | Hunt-and-peck or learning touch typing |
| Average | 35-45 WPM | Typical everyday typist |
| Above average | 50-60 WPM | Comfortable touch typist |
| Fast | 60-80 WPM | Skilled typist, minimal errors |
| Professional | 80-100 WPM | Transcriptionists, programmers, data entry pros |
| Elite | 100+ WPM | Competitive typists and record holders |
Typing speed tends to rise through school and peak in early-to-mid adulthood:
| Age Group | Average Typing Speed |
|---|---|
| Children (6-11) | ~15 WPM |
| Teenagers (12-17) | ~30-40 WPM |
| Young adults (18-25) | ~40-45 WPM |
| Adults (26-45) | ~40 WPM |
| Older adults (45+) | ~35 WPM |
These are general benchmarks. Individual speed depends far more on practice and touch-typing skill than on age alone.
A good typing speed is 50-60 WPM or higher, faster than most people and fast enough to keep up with your own thoughts. For most office and writing jobs, 65-70 WPM is considered fast and productive. Specialized roles like transcription or programming often expect 70-90+ WPM.
Remember that accuracy counts: 60 WPM at 98% accuracy beats 75 WPM at 85%, because fixing mistakes eats your time advantage.
The fastest way to raise your WPM is to learn proper touch typing, practice common words until they're muscle memory, and prioritize accuracy before speed. Keep a steady rhythm rather than typing in bursts, and fix your posture to reduce fatigue.
Our full guide, Type Faster: 10 Techniques to Boost Your Writing Speed, walks through each technique step by step.