Is 60 WPM a good typing speed?

Yes. 60 WPM is above average and comfortably enough for nearly all office work, especially if your accuracy is above 97%.

Is 100 WPM impressive?

Very. 100 WPM is well above the commonly cited adult average, and at that level accuracy and rhythm matter far more than finger speed.

Which WPM should I put on my CV?

Quote a three or five minute result with its accuracy, for example 68 WPM at 98% accuracy over five minutes. It is honest and it is the format assessors recognise.

Why does my WPM vary so much between attempts?

Warm-up, fatigue, time of day, keyboard and passage difficulty all shift results by several words per minute. Use the trend across many attempts rather than a single score.

What is a good WPM score?

40 WPM is often cited as average, 60 is comfortable, 80 is fast and 100 is rare. But the number only means something alongside your accuracy and the test length.

Updated 2026-10-27

WPM, words per minute, is the standard unit of typing speed, where one word is defined as five characters including spaces. The formula every credible test uses is WPM = (correct characters / 5) / (seconds / 60). Knowing that definition is the first step to interpreting any score, including your own.

The benchmark ladder

These bands are practical labels used by typing tutors, not a scientific standard. Different studies and tests will place the boundaries elsewhere.

10 to 25 WPM: beginner. Keys are still being located visually; lessons will produce very fast gains.
25 to 40 WPM: developing. Touch typing is partly in place but reaches and punctuation are unreliable.
40 to 55 WPM: average adult. Perfectly workable for email, notes and study.
55 to 75 WPM: good. Typing no longer limits your thinking; this is the practical target for most office roles.
75 to 95 WPM: advanced. Requires clean chunking, confident symbols and consistent rhythm.
95 to 120 WPM: expert, usually sustained by daily practice and excellent accuracy.
Above 120 WPM: competitive. A small population, typically with 98% or better accuracy.

Why accuracy changes the meaning of the number

A score without accuracy is almost meaningless. 80 WPM at 88% accuracy means roughly one keystroke in eight is wrong, and the finished text needs heavy correction. 65 WPM at 99% produces clean text at a higher effective rate.

Accuracy is reported as ((keystrokes - errors) / keystrokes) x 100. When comparing yourself to anyone else, compare both numbers, or the comparison tells you nothing.

Test length matters too

A one minute score is often higher than the same typist's five minute score, because fatigue, lost focus and recovery from mistakes have not yet averaged in. That is why employers and exams use longer passages.

If you are quoting a number, say which length it came from. The honest, defensible figure is a three or five minute result, which is also the one worth putting on a CV.

What is good for your situation

Student: 40 WPM is enough for essays and notes; 55 WPM makes live note taking comfortable.
Office or administrative work: aim for 60 to 70 WPM at 98% accuracy.
Data entry: 60 to 80 WPM plus strong numeric keypad speed and accuracy above 98%.
Transcription: 75 WPM sustained is the realistic floor, because the audio sets the pace.
Software development: 50 to 70 WPM on prose, with symbol fluency mattering more than top speed.
Government typing exams: requirements vary. SSC CHSL 2025 LDC/JSA uses 35 WPM English or 30 WPM Hindi, while CPCT uses 30 WPM English or 25 WPM Hindi. Check your own notification.

Sources

What a good score is worth in practice

The real value of a higher WPM is not output volume, it is attention. When typing becomes automatic, your working memory is free for the thing you are actually doing: writing the argument, debugging the function, listening to the customer. That is why the jump from 40 to 65 WPM feels transformative while the jump from 90 to 110 feels cosmetic.

For most people, the sensible target is 65 WPM at 98% accuracy over five minutes, with confident numbers and punctuation. Reach that and typing stops being a limit on your work.

How to raise your number

Take a one minute test for your daily benchmark and a five minute test weekly for the real figure. Spend most of your practice time on untimed drills with accuracy above 97%, add dedicated number and punctuation sessions twice a week, and use games to make the habit survive past day three.

Track the trend rather than individual attempts. A single bad run means you are tired; four weeks of flat results means something in your technique needs attention.

Frequently asked questions

Is 60 WPM a good typing speed?: Yes. 60 WPM is above average and comfortably enough for nearly all office work, especially if your accuracy is above 97%.
Is 100 WPM impressive?: Very. 100 WPM is well above the commonly cited adult average, and at that level accuracy and rhythm matter far more than finger speed.
Which WPM should I put on my CV?: Quote a three or five minute result with its accuracy, for example 68 WPM at 98% accuracy over five minutes. It is honest and it is the format assessors recognise.
Why does my WPM vary so much between attempts?: Warm-up, fatigue, time of day, keyboard and passage difficulty all shift results by several words per minute. Use the trend across many attempts rather than a single score.