What is a good WPM for typing?

Between email, Slack, data entry, and writing reports, presentations, or proposals, many of us spend a ton of time every day typing. But have you ever thought about how fast you type or whether or not you’re typing properly? How many words per minute (WPM) can you type? And what is a good WPM anyway? 

WPM may be a key assessment metric for hiring managers if the role requires a lot of typing, as efficiency and productivity hinge largely on the candidate’s typing speed. Even if data entry, transcription, or copywriting aren’t a major feature of the job, in today’s office or remote work environment, typing still plays a key role in effective communication.

As an employee, it’s critical to evaluate your WPM if you’re looking for an entry-level position, or for a vocation that involves typing as fast and as accurately as possible. 

In this post, we’ll break down why WPM matters, average typing speeds based on different employment positions, and how you can improve your WPM. 

Why WPM matters in the workplace

The ability to type quickly and legibly is a valuable skill, as it streamlines routine tasks, boosting productivity and enabling employees to meet their deadlines and take on more engaging and complex duties. 

A high and accurate WPM also limits typing errors, which prevents miscommunication. How often has an awkward typo caused confusion and head-scratching around the office or derailed a proposal? Typos look sloppy and can easily damage a brand’s public image. 

Let’s say an employee needs to write a short 200-word email. If they type at 40 WPM, which is the average, that email will take five minutes, but if they type at 20 WPM, which is below average, that same email will take ten minutes. 

Now, let’s say they need to write 10 of those emails over the course of their day. The employee who types at 20 WPM would take an hour and 40 minutes, whereas the employee who types at 40 WPM can write 10 emails in only 50 minutes, freeing up their time to take on more responsibilities. If they can type at higher speeds, like 80 WPM, all the better, as that cuts the time down to 25 minutes. 

A few minutes saved here and there may not seem like a big deal, but that extra 50 minutes it takes the employee who types 20 WPM to draft 10 emails will add up. Fifty minutes over the standard five-day workweek is 250 minutes or just over four hours a week. That’s 17 hours a month that could have been spent more productively. And that’s only considering a few emails, let alone all of the other workplace tasks that involve typing. 

Average typing speeds

There’s quite a range between slow, average, and fast typing speeds. A slow typing speed is below 20 WPM. An average typing speed is around 40 WPM, 80 WPM is considered excellent, and 120 WPM is quite advanced. 

• If you type 20 WPM, you can type 1,200 words in an hour.
• If you type 40 WPM, you can type 2,400 words in an hour. 
• If you type 80 WPM, you can type 4,800 words in an hour. 
• If you type at 120 WPM, you can type a whopping 7,200 words in an hour.

The number of words you can type in an hour adds up. If a key aspect of your job is typing efficiently and accurately, a high WPM is to the advantage of both you as an employee and your organization as a whole.  

WPM benchmarks for different positions

While a fast WPM is always an asset, as online communication is a key aspect of many professions, WPM is more of a concern in some positions than others. 

These are the WPM benchmarks for different positions. 

• Programming: 40-60 WPM
• Administrative positions (office assistants): 50-60 WPM
• Management and leadership: 50-60 WPM
• Customer support: 60-80 WPM
• Content writing and marketing: 70-90 WPM
• Data entry and transcription: 80-100 WPM 

For coders and developers in programming, precision is more important than speed, so their WPM does not need to be as high as some other industries. 

Administrative assistants need an average-to-fast WPM to handle communication and documentation and effectively take meeting notes. 

Most management positions require a number of presentations, reports, and everyone’s favorite—emails. These tasks need to be completed efficiently and accurately, as a hastily written email full of typos is a bad look for any manager. 

Customer support agents need to be proficient typists to manage their email support and live chat responsibilities effectively. If someone is reaching out to customer support, they’re likely in a bit of a mood. If your responses are confusing or loaded with typos, that customer’s opinion of the brand will plummet even more.

Content writers, digital marketers, and journalists write long-form content that needs to be completed efficiently and accurately by a certain deadline, so the ability to type quickly is definitely a significant asset. 

Data entry specialists have a massive amount of data to input, so speed and accuracy are both vital to their success in the role. 

How do you compare?

Now the question that’s sure to be on your mind: How does your typing speed compare? How fast can you type? 

Fortunately, there are a myriad of free typing tests and tools available online, including: 

• Free Typing Test
• Typing Practice
• Monkeytype 
• Typing test online

Try a couple out and see how you do. Are you impressed with yourself, or did you think you typed faster? How is your accuracy? 

How do you compare to your friends and coworkers? Is anyone interested in a friendly typing tournament? 

How to improve your typing speed

To improve your typing speed, you first need to determine what kind of typer you are. Are you a “hunt and peck” typer, where you need to look for the specific keys you want and hit them one at a time with one or two fingers from each hand? If so, chances are you’re not the fastest typer. 

The most efficient method of typing is touch typing, where you use all ten fingers and have the keyboard memorized so that you can type without your eyes ever leaving the screen. Each finger has a specific role and hits a specific set of keys so that your fingers never have to travel far and you never have to think about it. 

With touch typing, you keep your fingers on the home row. Your left hand will sit on keys A, S, D, and F while your right hand rests on keys J, K, L, and :;. From there, your muscle memory guides your fingers across the keyboard. 

This means the only way to become truly proficient with touch typing is with consistent practice. Just like with going to the gym, the more reps you perform, the stronger your muscles. The more you practice your typing, the stronger your muscle memory will be, and the faster you’ll be able to type. 

Typing speeds for PI Reference Profiles

Is there any correlation between your typing speed and your Reference Profile? For example, the Artisan profile is accommodating and analytical while producing highly precise and accurate work. If you identify with the Artisan, you likely have a fast WPM. 

But if you relate more to the Promoter profile, which is a persuasive extravert with a tendency for informality, your WPM is likely slower than that of the Artisan. Your penchant for informality may also result in more than a few typos. 

Conscientious, detail-oriented types who are passionate about efficiency tend to make fast typers, whereas big-picture extraverts are more likely to gravitate to positions where they can do more speaking than typing. 

Not sure which Predictive Index Profile you relate to most? Take our free assessment to learn your own strongest behavioral drivers, and start optimizing your professional development today.