How the typing test works
- Choose a test: 15, 30 or 60 seconds, or a set number of words (10, 25 or 50).
- Click in the box and start typing the highlighted word. The timer starts with your first key, so take your time getting ready.
- Press Space after each word. Letters turn green when they're right and red when they're wrong, and a word with a mistake stays underlined so you can see where you slipped.
- When the time runs out (or you finish the words), you get a result card with your WPM, accuracy and errors. Press Esc or Restart to go again.
The words are common everyday words, picked at random each time, so you can't learn the test by heart. On non-English pages you can switch the word list to English.
How typing speed and accuracy are worked out
- WPM (words per minute) follows the usual standard: every five correctly typed characters, including spaces, count as one "word". Only correct letters count, so mistakes lower your score.
- Accuracy is the share of letters you typed correctly. Letters typed on the wrong spot, extra letters and missing letters all count as errors.
- Characters per minute counts everything you typed. For Korean, each syllable block counts as the keys used to type it, as in a usual 타수 count.
What's a good typing speed?
Many people who type with two or three fingers manage 25 to 40 WPM. Around 40 to 60 WPM is a good, comfortable speed for school and office work. Touch typists who use all ten fingers without looking often reach 60 to 80 WPM, and very fast typists go beyond 100. Accuracy matters as much as speed: aim for 95% or more, because fixing mistakes takes longer than typing a little slower.
Tips to type faster
- Learn touch typing. Rest your fingers on the home row (A S D F and J K L ;) and use the bumps on F and J to find your place without looking.
- Slow down to speed up. Practise at a pace where you make almost no mistakes. Speed comes naturally once the movements are automatic.
- Look at the next word, not your hands. Reading a word ahead keeps your typing smooth.
- Sit comfortably, with your wrists straight and relaxed, and take short breaks.
Typing on a phone or tablet
The test works with an on-screen keyboard too: tap the box and type. Turn off autocorrect suggestions if they change your words. Phone scores are usually lower than on a real keyboard, so compare like with like. If a key on your computer keyboard seems to miss presses, check it with the keyboard tester.
Practise spelling and vocabulary with our word puzzles at Unscramble Words 4U.