What is considered an excellent typing speed?

An excellent typing speed is generally considered 70 WPM and above, with professional roles often requiring 60-95 WPM, while competitive or elite typists can exceed 100-120+ WPM, with world records even higher. Hitting 80 WPM with high accuracy (95%+) is a strong benchmark for excellent performance, significantly boosting productivity for data-heavy jobs like transcription, coding, and content creation.

What is considered excellent typing speed?

Typically, professional typists type at speeds of 43 to 80 wpm, while some positions can require 80 to 95 (usually the minimum required for dispatch positions and other time-sensitive typing jobs), and some advanced typists work at speeds above 120 wpm.

Can people actually type 200 WPM?

Yes, 200 WPM (Words Per Minute) is possible, but it's extremely rare for standard keyboard typing, achievable by only a tiny fraction of typists through intense practice, often using alternative keyboard layouts or stenotype machines, with records exceeding 200 WPM existing but being exceptional feats of dedication. While 40-80 WPM is professional for QWERTY, elite stenographers and some highly dedicated individuals can hit these speeds, often with years of specialized training, notes this Quora thread on typing speed. 

Is 500 WPM typing possible?

Yes, 500 words per minute (WPM) is possible, especially for reading through speed-reading techniques or for typing with specialized devices like the Charorder, though it's very challenging and far above average for both activities, with typical readers at 200-300 WPM and average typists around 40 WPM. Achieving this speed usually requires significant practice, specific training (for reading), or non-traditional hardware (for typing), and maintaining comprehension is key. 

How rare is it to type 100 WPM?

Typing 100 WPM (words per minute) is quite fast and relatively rare, with estimates suggesting only about 1% to 5% of typists reach or exceed this speed, placing it in the "very fast" or even near "world-class" category, far above the average adult speed of around 40 WPM. While it's an impressive and highly productive speed, often seen in professional settings, it's achievable with dedicated practice.
 

How To Type Faster (Tips for every stage 0 - 50 - 100 - 150 WPM)

Does typing speed correlate with intelligence?

Is there somehow a correlation between one's intelligence and typing speed? Yes, but not much of one. You do need a certain minimum intelligence to be able to read and type at all. This eliminates the low IQ tail of human test scores, raising the average.

Is 300 WPM humanly possible?

Yes, a human can type over 300 words per minute (WPM) for short bursts, with the current unofficial world record held by MythicalRocket, a high school student, who hit 305 WPM in 2024, though this is a sprint and not sustainable for long periods. While average speeds are around 40 WPM, and professional speeds aim for 60-80 WPM, elite speed typists can achieve these extreme speeds for brief tests, demonstrating incredible reflexes and keyboard mastery.
 

Do employers care about WPM?

If typing skills are important enough to a role that an employer requires you to pass a typing test, chances are they're looking for an average WPM of at least 60. Above 70 WPM is considered advanced, and only 1% of typists score above 100 WPM.

What is a good WPM for my age?

A good typing speed (WPM) depends on age and skill, but generally, teenagers (12-16) aim for 30-40 WPM, while adults (17+) often see averages of 40-60 WPM, with professionals in roles requiring heavy typing hitting 50-65+ WPM; accuracy (90%+ is key) matters as much as speed, and higher speeds (70+ WPM) are excellent for any age. 

How fast can a normal human type?

What is the average typing speed? The average typing speed is around 40 words per minute (wpm). If you want to be very productive, you should aim for a typing speed of 65 to 70 words per minute. It's easy with the right technique!

Has anyone typed 300 WPM?

Yes, people have typed over 300 WPM, notably a teenager known as MythicalRocket achieved over 300 WPM (around 305 WPM) in 2024 on a standard keyboard for short bursts, setting a new record, though these speeds are often for short durations (like 15 seconds) and on online platforms like Monkeytype. Other users on platforms like Monkeytype's leaderboards have also reached similar speeds, while dedicated steno (stenotype) machine users can maintain much higher speeds for longer periods, as seen in videos.
 

How fast does a good secretary type?

A good typing speed, measured in words per minute (WPM), is key for efficiency in work and daily tasks. A solid baseline is 40-60 WPM, though some jobs require faster speeds. Stenographers may need over 150 WPM, while for roles like online survey taker, 20 WPM may be “good enough,” depending on the tasks involved.

Can I improve my typing speed?

Proper practice and good typing habits can increase your typing speed by 10-15 words per minute (wpm). If you want to become an efficient typist, there are several things you can try. For example, you can try online programs or apps that provide feedback on your typing speed and accuracy to learn proper techniques.

Is 20 words per minute slow?

Yes, 20 WPM is generally considered slow, falling below the average typing speed of 35-40 WPM, but it's a great starting point for beginners, especially if focusing on accuracy, and can be sufficient for very basic tasks or jobs not requiring significant typing. While slow for professional work like transcription or coding, it's a good foundation for learners to build upon with daily practice, aiming to improve accuracy and speed.
 

How do you know your average typing speed?

To calculate WPM, simply take the number of words typed in a minute with no typos and divide by five. For example, if you type 100 characters in a minute including spaces, your typing speed would be 20 WPM. We all know how frustrating it is to make a typo in an important document.

What is a top 1% typing speed?

The top 1% of typing speed is generally considered to be 140-160 WPM (Words Per Minute) or higher, with many competitive typists pushing past 200 WPM and official records exceeding 200 WPM on standard keyboards, while some special keyboards (stenotype) can even reach 300+ WPM for professionals like court reporters, far surpassing the average of around 40 WPM. 

What job requires the highest WPM?

The 10 Typing Jobs AI Dictation Can't Replace in 2025

1. Freelance Writer. Typing Speed: 820 WPM. ...
2. Paralegal. Typing Speed: 100+ WPM. ...
3. Copywriter. Typing Speed: 80-120 WPM. ...
4. Court Reporter. Typing Speed: 100+ WPM. ...
5. Translator. Typing Speed: 54-56 WPM. ...
6. Virtual Assistant. Typing Speed: 60+ WPM. ...
7. Administrative Assistant. ...
8. Data Entry Clerk.

Are gaps in employment a red flag?

Employment gaps

This is the most obvious red flag. A standard approach should include scanning employment dates to identify if there are huge periods of unemployment. Now, there may be a need for compassion in considering unemployment periods.

What careers benefit from fast typing?

Jobs requiring typing skills

• Administrative Work. ...
• Journalism, Freelance Writing and Content Creation. ...
• Data Entry. ...
• Customer Support. ...
• Medical Transcription. ...
• Research. ...
• Copy-editing.

What are the common typing mistakes?

Types of Common Typing Errors

• Misspellings. This happens when a word is not spelled correctly. ...
• Transposed Letters. Sometimes, we accidentally switch the order of letters in a word. ...
• Omitted Letters. This error occurs when a letter is left out of a word. ...
• Extra Letters. ...
• Incorrect Punctuation.

What percent of people can type at 100 WPM?

Less than 5% of typists can type 100 WPM on average.

Who is the best typist in the world?

Sean “Arenasnow” Wrona set an unofficial record at the Ultimate Typing Championship with a speed of 256 WPM.

How fast is rocket typing?

At 300 WPM, Rocket is well over seven times as fast. Faster, even, than most courtroom stenographers, who use specialized keyboards and phonetic shorthand to achieve speeds of around 225 WPM.

How long does it take to type a 300 word essay?

How many minutes is a 300 word essay? On average, people will need 7.5 minutes to type 300 words on a computer and almost 15 minutes for handwriting.