What a WPM test measures
WPM means words per minute. It is the standard unit for typing speed, and this test reports it as a raw figure and as a net score adjusted for accuracy. Press Start test, type the passage of about 55 words, and the result appears when you reach the last character.
The five-character word
Real words are uneven. The word a and the word information are very different amounts of work, so counting actual words would make your speed depend on the text you were given. Typing tests solve this with a standard word of five characters. Every letter, space and punctuation mark counts as one character.
So WPM is really a measure of keystrokes. Five keystrokes make one word, whatever they spell.
The formula, with an example
WPM = (characters / 5) / minutes
Say the passage is 280 characters long and you finish it in 70 seconds.
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Standard words | 280 / 5 | 56 words |
| Minutes | 70 / 60 | 1.17 minutes |
| Raw WPM | 56 / 1.17 | 48 WPM |
| Net score at 95 percent accuracy | 48 x 0.95 | 45.6 |
Raw WPM and net WPM
Raw WPM is how fast you got through the text. It ignores mistakes.
Net WPM is what this test calls your score: raw WPM multiplied by accuracy. Accuracy is the share of your keystrokes that were correct. A wrong key that you fix with Backspace still counts as an error, because the fix took time.
Net is the more honest figure. Someone who types at 80 raw WPM with 85 percent accuracy scores 68. A calmer typist at 70 raw WPM with 97 percent accuracy also scores about 68, and leaves far fewer mistakes behind.
While you type, live WPM and accuracy are shown. The live number jumps around in the first few seconds, because a short pause is a large share of a short time. It settles as the run goes on, so keep your eyes on the text and do not chase it.
What to do with your WPM
Compare your score with the average typing speed, or see the rating bands on the main typing test page. If you want every run to last the same length of time, the 1 minute typing test uses a fixed 60 second clock.