WPM calculator
Words per minute is characters typed, divided by five, divided by minutes elapsed. That is the whole formula. This calculator applies it to a run you have already done — a test result, a timed passage, a document you drafted — and separates the number you typed from the number you typed correctly. Nothing is stored and no account is needed. If you do not have a run to measure yet, take the typing speed test instead: it does this arithmetic for you.
- Net WPM
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- Gross WPM
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- Accuracy
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Enter how much you typed and how long it took.
What the three numbers mean
- Gross WPM counts every character you produced, mistakes included. It is the flattering number, and on its own it is close to meaningless: you can raise it by typing faster and worse.
- Net WPM applies the same arithmetic to only the characters that were correct. This is the number worth quoting, and it is what most modern tests display as your score.
- Accuracy is correct characters as a percentage of everything typed. Below about 95% the net figure starts collapsing fast, which is usually the real reason a score is not improving.
Why a word is five characters
The convention comes from manual typewriter testing and every typing test still uses it. Counting real words would mean a passage of short common words scored far higher than one of long words at identical hand speed, so the word length is fixed at five characters including the following space instead. The calculator's second mode counts actual words, which is useful if that is all you know — but the resulting figure is not comparable with a test score, and it will usually read lower, because ordinary English words average closer to six characters with their space.
The other net WPM formula
There are two conventions in circulation and they do not agree. This page uses correct characters ÷ 5 ÷ minutes. The older convention subtracts a whole word for each uncorrected error: gross WPM − (errors ÷ minutes). On a one-minute run with five mistakes the first costs you about one WPM and the second costs you five. Neither is wrong; they measure different things. It is worth knowing which one a site used before comparing scores across sites, and it is a large part of why the same hands produce different numbers on different typing sites.
A calculated number is not a measured one
This tool does the arithmetic; it does not watch you type. If you feed it a generous character count or a stopwatch you started late, it will return a generous score. It also cannot see the two things that separate a real result from a claimed one: whether the text was unfamiliar, and whether you could stop and restart. A number produced under those conditions tends not to survive contact with a live opponent.
Questions
How is WPM calculated?
Gross WPM is the number of characters you typed divided by five, divided by the time in minutes. A word is scored as five characters including the space, which is the convention every typing test uses. Net WPM applies the same arithmetic to only the characters you got right.
Why does a word count as five characters?
It is a scoring convention that dates back to manual typewriter testing. Counting real words would make a passage of short words score far higher than one of long words for identical hand speed, so tests fix the word length at five characters instead.
What is the difference between gross and net WPM?
Gross WPM counts everything you typed, mistakes included. Net WPM counts only the characters that were correct, so it falls as your accuracy falls. Net is the number worth quoting, because gross rewards typing quickly and wrongly.
Is there another net WPM formula?
Yes. An older convention subtracts one whole word per uncorrected error rather than counting correct characters: net WPM equals gross WPM minus errors divided by minutes. It penalises mistakes far more heavily and produces a lower number from the same run, which is one reason scores are not comparable between tests.
What is a good WPM?
The commonly cited adult average is around 40 WPM. Roughly 60 is comfortably above average, 80 is about double the average, 100 is the number most people aim at, and 150 is elite. Speed is only meaningful alongside accuracy and the difficulty of the text.
The number you just calculated was produced alone, at your own pace, against text you chose. The interesting question is what it does when someone else is typing the same passage at the same time. Race someone — the free tier needs no account and no deposit — or read how a duel works first.