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On a phone, a second study found a lower average typing speed of ",{"t":169,"v":184},"36.2",{"t":166,"v":186}," words per minute for ",{"t":169,"v":188},"37,370",{"t":166,"v":190}," people",{"t":178,"id":192,"n":193},"palin-2019",2,{"t":166,"v":195},". Both are averages of people who chose to take an online typing test, so they are a useful mark and not a rule for everyone. You can see where you stand with the ",{"t":197,"v":198,"to":54,"key":53},"link","typing test",{"t":166,"v":200},".",[202,274,286,298,334,346],{"role":203,"section":204},"section",{"heading":205,"blocks":206},"The figures in one table",[207,269],{"type":208,"caption":209,"head":212,"rows":222},"table",[210],{"t":166,"v":211},"Typing speed in two published studies",[213,216,219],[214],{"t":166,"v":215},"What",[217],{"t":166,"v":218},"Computer keyboards",[220],{"t":166,"v":221},"Phones",[223,231,239,249,259],[224,227,229],[225],{"t":166,"v":226},"People measured",[228],{"t":169,"v":174},[230],{"t":169,"v":188},[232,235,237],[233],{"t":166,"v":234},"Average, words per minute",[236],{"t":169,"v":170},[238],{"t":169,"v":184},[240,243,246],[241],{"t":166,"v":242},"Spread (standard deviation)",[244],{"t":169,"v":245},"20.2",[247],{"t":166,"v":248},"not used on this site",[250,253,256],[251],{"t":166,"v":252},"What they typed",[254],{"t":166,"v":255},"English sentences, read first and then copied",[257],{"t":166,"v":258},"English sentences, with autocorrect and word suggestions allowed",[260,263,266],[261],{"t":166,"v":262},"Year published",[264],{"t":169,"v":265},"2018",[267],{"t":169,"v":268},"2019",{"type":270,"text":271},"paragraph",[272],{"t":166,"v":273},"The spread tells you how much people differ. In the keyboard study it is large: it is the usual distance between one typist and the average, and it is a good deal wider than most people expect. Most typists in that study were within one spread of the average, so a result well above or well below the average is nothing unusual.",{"role":203,"section":275},{"heading":276,"blocks":277},"How a word is counted",[278,282],{"type":270,"text":279},[280],{"t":166,"v":281},"Typing speed is written WPM, words per minute, but a word here is not a word of a sentence. By the usual rule a word is five characters long, spaces and punctuation included. A text is cut into groups of five characters, and the number of groups you finish in a minute is your speed. This way a long word counts as more than one word and a short one as less than one, and the measure does not depend on which words you happened to get.",{"type":270,"text":283},[284],{"t":166,"v":285},"The studies counted the length of what people typed, however many mistakes it held. A test that counts only the words you got right, like ours, reads a little lower than that. When you set a result next to these averages, remember which of the two ways of counting it used.",{"role":203,"section":287},{"heading":288,"blocks":289},"Who was measured",[290,294],{"type":270,"text":291},[292],{"t":166,"v":293},"The keyboard study took its volunteers from a typing-test website, so they were people who wanted to know how fast they type. Most came from the United States and most were native English speakers, their average age was in the mid twenties, and most had taken a typing course. That group is probably faster than people who never think about their typing.",{"type":270,"text":295},[296],{"t":166,"v":297},"The phone study also used volunteers, mostly from the United States, and just over half spoke English as a first language. People typed with their own phone's keyboard, with autocorrect, suggestions and swiping all allowed. That helps a phone typist's speed and makes it hard to compare with a keyboard where nothing is done for you.",{"role":203,"section":299},{"heading":300,"blocks":301},"What counts as a good typing speed",[302,312,327],{"type":270,"text":303},[304,306,310],{"t":166,"v":305},"Nobody has set an official line between slow and fast. What is good depends on what you need it for: a chat, an essay, a job application that names a speed. The averages above give you a reference point, and the best thing to compare with is your own result from last month. The guide on how to ",{"t":197,"v":307,"to":308,"key":309},"type faster","\u002Fguides\u002Ftype-faster","guide-type-faster",{"t":166,"v":311}," covers what is worth practising.",{"type":313,"items":314},"list",[315,318,321,324],[316],{"t":166,"v":317},"Around the average of the keyboard study, you type about as fast as the typical volunteer of a typing-test site.",[319],{"t":166,"v":320},"Within one spread of it, you are in the large middle of the group.",[322],{"t":166,"v":323},"Far above it, you are among the quicker typists of a group that was already keen on typing.",[325],{"t":166,"v":326},"On a phone, set yourself beside the phone average and not the keyboard one.",{"type":270,"text":328},[329,331,332],{"t":166,"v":330},"The ",{"t":197,"v":198,"to":54,"key":53},{"t":166,"v":333}," uses single everyday words, not sentences, which is a different job from copying sentences. That is why it only says roughly where you are, as one of five levels, and never gives a rank.",{"role":203,"section":335},{"heading":336,"blocks":337},"Speed is only half of it",[338,342],{"type":270,"text":339},[340],{"t":166,"v":341},"A fast result with many mistakes is worth less than a slower one that is clean, because errors have to be fixed and fixing them takes time. If your speed goes up while your accuracy drops, you have probably gone past the pace your fingers can control. Watch both numbers together, and use the same device and the same length of test each time you check how you are changing.",{"type":270,"text":343},[344],{"t":166,"v":345},"Language matters as well. Both studies used English. Other languages have shorter or longer words, accents and different keys, so an average from an English study is a rough guide there.",{"role":203,"section":347},{"heading":348,"blocks":349},"What this page does not say",[350],{"type":351,"tone":352,"text":353},"note","info",[354],{"t":166,"v":355},"An average is a mark to look at, not a goal to reach. Typing speed grows with practice, but nothing on this page promises that a result will rise by a certain amount.",[357,360,363,366],{"key":53,"path":54,"title":358,"description":359},"Typing test","Free typing test: type everyday words against the clock and see your words per minute, the letters you got right and your speed each second. No sign-up.",{"key":309,"path":308,"title":361,"description":362},"How to type faster","Learn to type faster the steady way: accuracy first, touch typing, short daily practice, a calm posture, and what a typing test can and cannot tell you.",{"key":138,"path":139,"title":364,"description":365},"Methodology","Methodology of Selfspecs: how timing is measured, how results are compared with a named sample, how questionnaires are scored, and what is unverified.",{"key":367,"path":368,"title":369,"description":370},"facts-typing-speed-records","\u002Ffacts\u002Faverage-typing-speed-by-age","Average typing speed by age","Average typing speed by age from a phone study of 37,370 people, the keyboard average, the fastest typists measured, and what court reporters reach.",[372,376,378],{"key":373,"path":374,"name":375},"home","\u002F","What would you like to test?",{"key":49,"path":50,"name":377},"Typing tests",{"key":156,"path":379,"name":163},"\u002Faverage-typing-speed",[381,390],{"n":180,"id":179,"kind":382,"authors":383,"year":384,"title":385,"venue":386,"doi":387,"url":388,"participants":174,"population":389},"sample","Dhakal, V., Feit, A. M., Kristensson, P. O., & Oulasvirta, A.",2018,"Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes","Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '18)","10.1145\u002F3173574.3174220","https:\u002F\u002Fuserinterfaces.aalto.fi\u002F136Mkeystrokes\u002Fresources\u002Fchi-18-analysis.pdf","Self-selected volunteers from a typing-test site: mean age 24.5, 68% from the US, 85% native English speakers, 72% had taken a typing course",{"n":193,"id":192,"kind":382,"authors":391,"year":392,"title":393,"venue":394,"doi":395,"url":396,"participants":188,"population":397},"Palin, K., Feit, A. M., Kim, S., Kristensson, P. O., & Oulasvirta, A.",2019,"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI '19)","10.1145\u002F3338286.3340120","https:\u002F\u002Fuserinterfaces.aalto.fi\u002Ftyping37k\u002Fresources\u002FMobile_typing_study.pdf","Volunteers who took an online typing test on a mobile device; most from the US, 56% native English speakers",{"heading":399,"items":400},"Questions",[401,417,427,434],{"q":402,"a":403},"What is the average typing speed?",[404],{"type":270,"text":405},[406,408,409,411,412,414,415],{"t":166,"v":407},"In the largest study of keyboard typing the average was ",{"t":169,"v":170},{"t":166,"v":410}," words per minute, with a spread of ",{"t":169,"v":245},{"t":166,"v":413},". On phones, the average in a second study was ",{"t":169,"v":184},{"t":166,"v":416}," words per minute.",{"q":418,"a":419},"What is a good typing speed?",[420],{"type":270,"text":421},[422,424,425],{"t":166,"v":423},"There is no official line. A speed near or above the keyboard study's average of ",{"t":169,"v":170},{"t":166,"v":426}," words per minute is a good everyday speed, and what you need depends on your task. Your own earlier results are the fairest thing to compare with.",{"q":428,"a":429},"How is a word counted in typing speed?",[430],{"type":270,"text":431},[432],{"t":166,"v":433},"As five characters, spaces and punctuation included, so that long and short words count fairly. Your speed is the number of such groups you finish in a minute.",{"q":435,"a":436},"Is typing slower on a phone?",[437],{"type":270,"text":438},[439,441,442],{"t":166,"v":440},"In the studies it was: the phone average of ",{"t":169,"v":184},{"t":166,"v":443}," words per minute is lower than the keyboard average, even though the phone study allowed autocorrect and suggestions.","Keep reading",{"label":446,"to":54,"key":53},"Take the typing test","Sources",[449,467,489,499,525,543],{"section":6,"hub":9,"cards":450},[451,455,459,463],{"key":12,"test":12,"path":13,"title":452,"line":453,"minutes":180,"devices":454},"Reaction time test","Find out how fast you react when the screen turns green.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":16,"test":16,"path":17,"title":456,"line":457,"minutes":180,"devices":458},"F1 reaction test","Find out how quickly you can start when five red lights go out.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":19,"test":19,"path":20,"title":460,"line":461,"minutes":180,"devices":462},"Audio reaction test","Find out how fast you react to a beep.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":23,"test":23,"path":24,"title":464,"line":465,"minutes":180,"devices":466},"Aim trainer","Find out how fast and how exactly you can hit targets.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":21},{"section":26,"hub":29,"cards":468},[469,473,477,481,485],{"key":32,"test":32,"path":33,"title":470,"line":471,"minutes":180,"devices":472},"CPS test","Find out how many times a second you can click.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":21},{"key":35,"test":35,"path":36,"title":474,"line":475,"minutes":180,"devices":476},"Spacebar clicker","Find out how fast you can press the space bar.",{"mouse":21,"touch":21,"keyboard":14},{"key":38,"test":38,"path":39,"title":478,"line":479,"minutes":180,"devices":480},"Click counter","Keep a tally of anything you like with one big button.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":41,"test":41,"path":42,"title":482,"line":483,"minutes":180,"devices":484},"Tap BPM","Tap along to a beat and find out how fast it is.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":44,"test":44,"path":45,"title":486,"line":487,"minutes":180,"devices":488},"APM test","Find out how many actions a minute you make with keyboard and mouse.",{"mouse":14,"touch":21,"keyboard":14},{"section":47,"hub":50,"cards":490},[491,494],{"key":53,"test":53,"path":54,"title":358,"line":492,"minutes":180,"devices":493},"Find out how fast and how accurately you type.",{"mouse":21,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":56,"test":56,"path":57,"title":495,"line":496,"minutes":497,"devices":498},"Reading speed test","Find out how fast you read while still understanding the text.",3,{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"section":59,"hub":62,"cards":500},[501,505,509,513,517,521],{"key":65,"test":65,"path":66,"title":502,"line":503,"minutes":497,"devices":504},"Number memory test","Find out how many digits you can hold in mind.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":68,"test":68,"path":69,"title":506,"line":507,"minutes":497,"devices":508},"Visual memory test","Find out how many squares you can remember on a growing grid.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":71,"test":71,"path":72,"title":510,"line":511,"minutes":497,"devices":512},"Sequence memory test","Find out how long a sequence of lit squares you can repeat.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":74,"test":74,"path":75,"title":514,"line":515,"minutes":497,"devices":516},"Verbal memory test","Find out how many words you can tell apart as seen or new.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":77,"test":77,"path":78,"title":518,"line":519,"minutes":497,"devices":520},"Chimp memory test","Find out how many numbers you can remember after they vanish.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":21},{"key":80,"test":80,"path":81,"title":522,"line":523,"minutes":497,"devices":524},"Stroop test","Find out how well you can ignore a word while you name its colour.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"section":83,"hub":86,"cards":526},[527,531,535,539],{"key":89,"test":89,"path":90,"title":528,"line":529,"minutes":180,"devices":530},"Keyboard tester","Press your keys and see which ones work.",{"mouse":21,"touch":21,"keyboard":14},{"key":92,"test":92,"path":93,"title":532,"line":533,"minutes":180,"devices":534},"Mouse tester","Check every button and the wheel of your mouse.",{"mouse":14,"touch":21,"keyboard":21},{"key":95,"test":95,"path":96,"title":536,"line":537,"minutes":180,"devices":538},"Polling rate test","Find out how often your mouse reports where it is.",{"mouse":14,"touch":21,"keyboard":21},{"key":98,"test":98,"path":99,"title":540,"line":541,"minutes":180,"devices":542},"Refresh rate test","Find out how many pictures a second your screen shows.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"section":101,"hub":104,"cards":544},[545,550,555,559,563,567,572,577],{"key":107,"test":107,"path":108,"title":546,"line":547,"minutes":548,"devices":549},"Big Five personality test","A long, careful look at five broad traits, with more detail for each.",20,{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":110,"test":110,"path":111,"title":551,"line":552,"minutes":553,"devices":554},"Personality test","Fifty short statements about how you usually are, for five broad traits.",8,{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":113,"test":113,"path":114,"title":556,"line":557,"minutes":193,"devices":558},"Quick personality test","Ten short statements: a quick sketch of five broad traits.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":116,"test":116,"path":117,"title":560,"line":561,"minutes":548,"devices":562},"16 personality types test","See your Big Five answers as four dials and a four-letter code.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":119,"test":119,"path":120,"title":564,"line":565,"minutes":553,"devices":566},"Career interest test","Find out which kinds of activity you are most drawn to.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":122,"test":122,"path":123,"title":568,"line":569,"minutes":570,"devices":571},"Dark triad test","A short questionnaire about four less pleasant sides of personality.",5,{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":125,"test":125,"path":126,"title":573,"line":574,"minutes":575,"devices":576},"Political values test","Find out where you stand on four scales of values.",10,{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},{"key":128,"test":128,"path":129,"title":578,"line":579,"minutes":193,"devices":580},"Self-esteem test","A short questionnaire about how you see yourself.",{"mouse":14,"touch":14,"keyboard":14},1791315172804]