How to use the typing speed test
- Pick a test length from the menu: 30, 60 or 120 seconds, or a short, medium or long passage. Timed tests give you a long stream of text, passage tests end when you reach the last character.
- Click the typing box, or use Tab to move to it, and start typing the passage shown above it. The clock starts on your first key press, not before.
- Correct characters turn green, mistakes turn red, and the next character is outlined. Fix mistakes with Backspace; whatever is in the box when time ends is what gets scored. Press Escape to restart with a new passage.
- When the test ends, read your net WPM, gross WPM, accuracy, characters typed and mistakes left. Press Copy result to copy a summary. Your recent scores are listed at the bottom.
Formula
word = 5 characters (letters, spaces and punctuation all count)
gross WPM = (characters typed / 5) / minutes
net WPM = (correct characters / 5) / minutes
accuracy = correct characters / characters typed x 100
A character is correct when it matches the passage at the same position in the final text. Mistakes you fixed with Backspace do not count against you in the final score, but the time spent fixing them does.
Worked example
Suppose a 60-second test ends with 290 characters in the box and 275 of them match the passage. Gross WPM is 290 / 5 = 58 words in 1 minute, so 58 gross WPM. Net WPM counts only the 275 correct characters: 275 / 5 = 55 net WPM. Accuracy is 275 / 290 = 94.8 percent.
If you finish a 30-second test with 150 correct characters and no mistakes, net WPM is (150 / 5) / 0.5 = 60. Typing 300 correct characters in exactly 60 seconds gives 60 net WPM as well, because speed is measured per minute whatever the test length.
Why a word is 5 characters
Real words vary in length, so typing speed is measured with a fixed unit: 5 characters, including spaces and punctuation, counts as one word. That makes a result from one passage comparable with a result from another, and it is the convention most typing tests and keyboard teachers use. A page of long technical words and a page of short everyday words give the same WPM for the same number of characters per minute.
Gross WPM ignores accuracy and measures raw speed. Net WPM keeps only the correct characters, so it rewards careful typing. If your gross number is much higher than your net number, slowing down a little usually raises the score that counts.
Timing and fairness
The clock uses timestamps from your browser, not a count of timer ticks, so it stays right even if the page is briefly busy. Timed tests stop at exactly the chosen length. Passage tests measure from your first key to the keystroke that completes the passage.
Passages are original text written for this page and use plain letters, spaces and basic punctuation, so any standard keyboard can type them. Copy and paste is turned off in the typing box, because pasted text would defeat the point of a test. Browsers vary slightly in how fast they report key presses, so compare scores from the same device and keyboard.
Privacy and saved scores
Your keystrokes are used on this page to compare what you typed with the passage and are never sent anywhere. After each test the page saves only a small record in your browser: the date, test length, net WPM, gross WPM and accuracy. You can clear these records with the Clear saved tests button, or by clearing site data. The last 30 tests are kept.
If you want to keep practicing the ideas, the reaction time test trains response speed, and the word counter shows how long a piece of your own writing is.
Assumptions and limits
- One word is 5 characters. Scores are not comparable with tests that count real words or that use a different definition.
- Accuracy is measured on the final text, so mistakes you corrected are not counted against you. A stricter keystroke-level accuracy is not reported.
- Everything is typed in English with a standard keyboard layout. Other layouts and languages work only where they can produce the same characters.
- Scores depend on the passage, the keyboard, the device and how warmed up you are, so treat one result as a snapshot and look at your recent average.
- Saved scores live in this browser only and are lost if you clear site data or switch browsers.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good typing speed in words per minute?
It depends on the person and the job, so this page does not claim a single target. Use your own saved results to see progress: if your net WPM and accuracy both rise over a few weeks of short practice, you are improving.
What is the difference between gross and net WPM?
Gross WPM counts every character you typed, right or wrong. Net WPM counts only characters that match the passage. In the 60-second example above, 290 typed characters give 58 gross WPM and the 275 correct ones give 55 net WPM.
Why is my score lower here than on another typing test?
Tests differ in passages, punctuation, whether capital letters are included and how they score mistakes. This page uses 5 characters per word and counts only correct characters for net WPM, so a test that scores differently can give a different number for the same performance.
Does the test record or upload what I type?
No. The text you type stays in the page and is compared locally with the passage. Only your final scores are stored, and they are stored in this browser, not on a server.
Can I paste text or use a different passage length?
Pasting is blocked on purpose so results reflect typing. You can choose 30, 60 or 120 seconds, or a short, medium or long passage from the menu, and press New passage to get different text.