What Is a Good WPM? Typing Speed Benchmarks by Profession

What does WPM mean?

WPM stands for words per minute—the standard measure of typing speed. One "word" is usually counted as five characters (including spaces). So 60 WPM means you're typing about 300 characters per minute. Accuracy matters just as much: typing fast with lots of errors is less useful than typing at a steady pace with high accuracy.

Different tests may count errors or WPM slightly differently. TypingMonk uses the common five-characters-per-word definition and lets you see both raw WPM and accuracy so you can track improvement fairly.

General WPM benchmarks

Beginners often type at 20–30 WPM. With practice, 40–50 WPM is typical for casual typists. Many office workers and students reach 50–70 WPM. Speeds of 70–90 WPM are considered good to very good, and 90+ WPM is often seen in roles that require a lot of typing or in typing enthusiasts.

These are rough ranges. Your goal should depend on your job, studies, and how much you type. Our WPM chart page breaks down ranges by level and use case.

Typing speed by context

For general office work, 40–60 WPM with high accuracy is usually enough. Data entry and transcription roles often expect 50–80 WPM or more, with strong accuracy. Secretarial and administrative roles may list 60+ WPM. For most school and university work, 40–60 WPM is sufficient; some exams or assignments may specify a minimum.

If a job posting mentions a typing test, practice with a similar duration (e.g. 3- or 5-minute tests) and aim for the stated WPM with 95%+ accuracy. Use a free typing test for employment practice so you're comfortable on test day.

How to check your own WPM

Take a timed typing test in English with a fixed duration (1, 3, or 5 minutes). Your result will show WPM and accuracy. Run the test a few times on different days to get a stable idea of your speed. Then compare to benchmarks and set a realistic target—for example, moving from 45 to 55 WPM while keeping accuracy high.