OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Words Per Minute Calculator
Gross and Net WPM, Typing and Reading Speed
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How the Words Per Minute Calculator works
This words per minute calculator gives your gross and net typing speed and accuracy from the characters you typed, the time and your uncorrected errors, or a straight reading or speaking speed from a word count.
How the words per minute calculator works
Typing tests count a word as five characters, spaces included, so the formula for gross WPM is characters ÷ 5 ÷ minutes. Net WPM takes off one word a minute for each uncorrected error: gross WPM − errors ÷ minutes. Accuracy is the share of characters typed correctly. For reading or speaking, WPM is simply words ÷ minutes.
First example. 1,250 characters in 5 minutes is 250 characters a minute, a gross speed of 50 WPM. Six uncorrected errors take off 1.2 WPM for a net 48.8 WPM, with 99.5% accuracy.
Second example. Reading 450 words in 2 minutes 30 seconds is 180 words a minute. At that pace a 1,000-word article takes 5.6 minutes.
How many words per minute is a good typing speed? Most adults type 35 to 45 WPM. 60 WPM is fast enough for most office work, and professional typists often reach 70 to 90 WPM.
Words-per-minute speeds with the time to type or read 1,000 and 2,000 words
| WPM | Characters per minute | 1,000 words takes | 2,000 words (minutes) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 100 | 50 min 0 s | 100 |
| 25 | 125 | 40 min 0 s | 80 |
| 30 | 150 | 33 min 20 s | 66.7 |
| 35 | 175 | 28 min 34 s | 57.1 |
| 40 | 200 | 25 min 0 s | 50 |
| 45 | 225 | 22 min 13 s | 44.4 |
| 50 | 250 | 20 min 0 s | 40 |
| 55 | 275 | 18 min 11 s | 36.4 |
| 60 | 300 | 16 min 40 s | 33.3 |
| 65 | 325 | 15 min 23 s | 30.8 |
| 70 | 350 | 14 min 17 s | 28.6 |
| 75 | 375 | 13 min 20 s | 26.7 |
| 80 | 400 | 12 min 30 s | 25 |
| 85 | 425 | 11 min 46 s | 23.5 |
| 90 | 450 | 11 min 7 s | 22.2 |
| 95 | 475 | 10 min 32 s | 21.1 |
| 100 | 500 | 10 min 0 s | 20 |
| 105 | 525 | 9 min 31 s | 19 |
| 110 | 550 | 9 min 5 s | 18.2 |
| 115 | 575 | 8 min 42 s | 17.4 |
| 120 | 600 | 8 min 20 s | 16.7 |
| 150 | 750 | 6 min 40 s | 13.3 |
| 200 | 1,000 | 5 min 0 s | 10 |
| 250 | 1,250 | 4 min 0 s | 8 |
FAQ
What is the formula for net WPM?
Net WPM = (characters ÷ 5 − uncorrected errors) ÷ minutes. It is the gross speed minus one word a minute for every mistake left in the text.
Why is a word five characters?
Real words vary in length, so typing tests use a fixed five characters, spaces and punctuation included, to compare speeds fairly across different texts. A 1,000-character passage is 200 words.
What is the difference between gross and net WPM?
Gross WPM counts everything you typed. Net WPM takes off the errors you did not fix, so it is the speed of usable text. Employers usually quote net WPM.
How fast do people read?
Most adults read non-fiction at 200 to 300 words a minute and speak at 130 to 160. Skimming can pass 400, but understanding drops. Reading speed is not typing speed.
How do I find my characters typed?
Paste your typed text into a word counter for the character count with spaces, or take a typing test, which counts them for you. Include every space.
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