The average typing speed is about 52 words a minute in the largest study I could find, and 36 to 44 on two typing-test sites. A good speed depends on the job: the US government asks its clerk-typists for 40.
In short:
- Aalto University's 2018 test of 168,960 volunteers averaged 51.56 words a minute. The slowest tenth typed below about 26, and the fastest tenth above about 78.
- Typing tests measure copying. When 181 people in a 2014 study wrote their own short messages, their rate fell from 59 words a minute to 48.
- For a job, the one official line I found is 40 words a minute. It is the US federal standard for clerk-typists, on a 5-minute sample with 3 or fewer errors.
I build Typally, and it comes up near the end. I opened every source below on October 6, 2026, and linked each one.
What is the average typing speed, by source?
Between 36 and 52 words a minute (WPM), depending on who was measured. Four sources publish a number with a count behind it.
- 52 on a computer keyboard. Researchers at Aalto University and the University of Cambridge logged 168,960 volunteers in an online typing test and published the results in 2018. The average was 51.56.
- 44 on TypeQuicker. The test site's statistics page shows an average of 44 across 221,023 sessions, "as of Feb. 2026".
- 36 on Fastfingers.net. Its statistics page showed 36 across 7,147,469 tests when I opened it. English tests averaged 33, and 1 test in 10 reached 60 or more.
- 36 on a phone. A second Aalto study, of 37,370 volunteers typing on phones, averaged 36.2 in 2019.
The two sites count tests, not people, and neither says who took them. The Aalto volunteers weren't a random sample either. They came from a typing-test company's site, 72% had taken a typing course, and their mean age was 24.5. The paper calls them "people interested in testing and developing their typing skills". So 52 may run high for adults in general.
Most pages repeat "40 words a minute" instead. Ratatype's FAQ, for one, says "The average typing speed is around 41 words per minute (WPM)" and names no source. I couldn't trace 40 to a study, so treat it as a round number.
What does a typing test measure?
Copying, in short bursts. In the Aalto test, each person typed 15 English sentences. The instructions said to read and memorize a sentence first, then type it "as quickly and accurately as possible".
The clock ran from the first key to the last, and people could rest between sentences. A "word" was any 5 characters. Fixing typos took 2.29 presses of Backspace or Delete a sentence, and that time is in the score.
Writing your own words is slower. In 2014, Keith Vertanen and Per Ola Kristensson gave 181 online workers both jobs on their own full-sized keyboards. Copying a sentence, they averaged 59 WPM. Making up a short message, they averaged 48.
Even that 48 leaves the planning out. The clock again started at the first key. The gap before each entry averaged 3.0 seconds for a copied sentence and 7.1 for an invented one.
Longer tests score lower on Fastfingers.net: 45 WPM at 15 seconds, 36 at 60, and 28 at 120. Different people may pick each length, so read that as a pointer.
What is a good typing speed in WPM?
Anything above 52 beats the Aalto average, and above about 78 you are in its fastest tenth. The slowest tenth typed below about 26. The fastest people in the data reached 120 or more.
A typing course explained little of the gap. Volunteers who had taken one averaged 54 WPM, against 49 for those who hadn't. In a 2016 Aalto study of 30 people, touch typists averaged 57.8 and self-taught typists 58.9.
How to Type Faster covers moving up the scale.
What typing speed do jobs ask for?
The one official figure I found is 40 words a minute. As of October 2026, the US Office of Personnel Management sets it for federal clerk-typists and office automation clerks. Its standard adds: "Words per minute are based on a 5 minute sample with three or fewer errors."
The same page asks data transcribers for 20 or 25. So in US federal office work, 40 clean words a minute passes.
Court reporter figures measure a different skill. The National Court Reporters Association tests its Registered Professional Reporters at 225 words a minute on testimony, at 95% accuracy. That is stenography, taken down as steno notes.
Many pages list speeds for programmers and writers. None of the ones I read named a source, so those tables aren't here. For a job you want, go by the number in its posting.
How does typing speed compare with speaking?
My own speaking pace is 87 words a minute, pauses included. On September 30, 2026, my Typally Insights screen showed 476,777 dictated words in 91 hours 31 minutes of talk time.
That is one person, composing prompts for Claude and ChatGPT, with every thinking pause on the clock. The typing tests start the clock at the first key. The units differ a little too: my words are real words, and a test word is 5 characters. The cleanup is switched off on my computer, so my ums count as words.
With those limits, 87 is above the 52 for copying and the 48 for composing. It sits just above the 78 where Aalto's fastest tenth begins. If you type that fast, speaking may save you little.
Words per Minute Speaking has the speaking rates by source. Is Speaking Faster Than Typing? puts the two side by side.
To time your own pace, the free built-in tools are enough. On Windows, Microsoft's step is Windows key + H in a text box, with an internet connection. On a Mac, Apple's step is System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation. Talk for 2 minutes, count the words, and divide by 2.
Each maker states a limit. Apple's page says Dictation stops "when no speech is detected for 30 seconds". Microsoft describes correcting filler words only on Copilot+ PCs. Speech to Text covers the other ways to do it on a computer.
Where does Typally fit?
Typally, voice typing for Mac and Windows, is the app that counted my 87. Hold your shortcut key, talk, let go, and the text appears where your cursor is. That can be Gmail, Google Docs, Slack, ChatGPT or any other app. The cleanup is on by default: it removes the ums and fixes the punctuation and capitals.
It needs an internet connection. It listens only while you hold the key, the audio is discarded after transcription, and your history stays on your computer.
If you type 80 words a minute, you may not need it. If you are nearer 40 and write a lot, say one long email and time it. Download Typally free at typally.com for Windows or Mac. The free plan gives you 100 minutes a month and doesn't ask for a card.
What else do people ask about typing speed?
Is 40 WPM a good typing speed?
It meets the US federal standard for clerk-typists, if you make 3 or fewer errors in 5 minutes. It is below the 52 that Aalto's volunteers averaged and above the 36 on Fastfingers.net.
Is 100 WPM fast?
Yes. In the Aalto study, the fastest tenth began at about 78 WPM, and the fastest people reached 120 or more.
How is WPM calculated?
Count the characters you typed, spaces included, and divide by 5. Then divide by the minutes. The Aalto study timed each sentence from the first key to the last.
Is Typally free?
There's a free plan with 100 minutes of dictation a month, forever, and it doesn't ask for a card. Pro has a 14-day free trial, and the trial needs a card.