Key evidence & numbers
| Measure | Value | What was measured? |
|---|---|---|
| Mean typing speed | 51.56 WPM | English sentence transcription. |
| Analyzed participants | 168,960 | Self-selected online volunteers, mainly teenagers and young adults. |
| A typing “word” | 5 characters | A standardized unit, not a dictionary word. |
Source: original paper, performance measures and results. WPM means words per minute.
What affects it?
Text, errors and typing technique matter. The study measured copying rather than composing ideas, and its speed calculation timed the interval between the first and last keypress; results using another method may differ. Paper
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Common questions
Is this the average for all adults?
No. The sample consisted of people who chose to visit a typing site and complete the study.
Does the same benchmark apply to a phone?
The study used physical keyboards. We do not apply its average to touchscreen typing.
Why can another test show a different WPM?
Check the text, timing and error rules. A shared unit does not guarantee identical testing conditions.
Sources
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