How Fast Should You Type? Average WPM by Age and Job

Average Typing Speed by Age

Based on aggregated data from typing test platforms and occupational studies:

Age Group	Average WPM	Notes
8–10	10–15	Hunt-and-peck, learning layout
11–12	20–28	School computing accelerates speed
13–17	30–45	Messaging and homework drive growth
18–24	50–65	Peak motor speed; gaming drives high-end
25–39	50–70	Peak for professional keyboard users
40–54	45–60	Slightly reduced motor speed, higher accuracy
55+	38–50	Lower raw speed, higher accuracy than younger groups

Global average for regular keyboard users: 50–65 WPM at approximately 92% accuracy. The frequently cited "40 WPM average" reflects the broader population including infrequent typists.

---

Required WPM by Profession

Profession	Typical WPM	Notes
General office	40–60	Minimum 40 for most postings
Data entry	60–80	Speed is the primary output
Legal secretary	65–80	High accuracy required
Medical transcriptionist	60–80	Accuracy critical
Software developer	55–70	Thinking speed is the limit, not typing
Journalist / writer	50–70	No standard, but 50+ removes friction
Court reporter	225+	Stenography machine, not keyboard
Bangladesh govt clerical	20–25	Bijoy keyboard, Bengali + English
India SSC/RRB	30–35	English only

---

What Is WPM?

One "word" = 5 characters including spaces. A 50 WPM typist produces 250 characters per minute. Most typing tests report net WPM — gross WPM minus an error penalty (1 word deducted per error in most systems).

At 50 WPM, this paragraph (approximately 80 words) takes about 96 seconds to type. At 80 WPM, it takes 60 seconds.

---

How to Check Your Current Speed

Take a 1-minute timed test on LearnType. For a reliable baseline, take three tests and average the results. Single-test scores are inflated by warm-up and warm-down effects.

---

How to Improve Your WPM

The fastest path: structured daily practice with accuracy priority. See How to Improve Your Typing Speed: From 30 to 80 WPM for the full plan and How to Type Faster: 10 Proven Tips for specific techniques.