Free tool
Typing test
Click the text and start typing: this free typing test times you for a minute, or from 30 seconds to 5 minutes, then gives your speed in words per minute, your accuracy and the words you left wrong.
- Free
- No sign-up
- Nothing is uploaded
You talk nearly three times faster than you type. On a Mac, NoteOwl’s dictation types what you say into any app, free and unlimited, with the speech recognition on the Mac.
How it works
How is typing speed measured?
In words per minute, where a word is any five characters, spaces included. This test adds up the characters of the words you typed right, divides by five and by the minutes, and reports accuracy: the share of keystrokes that were right.
- 1
Pick a length
30 seconds for a quick check, 1 minute for the usual test, or up to 5 minutes for the speed you can hold.
- 2
Type the text
The clock starts with your first key. Each word turns light when it’s right and amber where it isn’t; backspace to fix it.
- 3
Get your score
When time runs out you see your WPM, raw speed, accuracy and the words left wrong. Press Restart or New text to go again.
What is a good typing speed?
Anything over 52 words a minute is faster than average: that was the mean across 168,000 people in a large online typing study, whose fastest typists passed 120. On a phone keyboard, 36 is average.
| Who | Words a minute | Measured |
|---|---|---|
| Talking, in conversation | About 150 [3] | Everyday American English |
| Fastest typists online | 120 or more [1] | The top of 168,000 people tested in 2018 |
| Average typist online | 52 [1] | Copying sentences, 168,000 people |
| Typing on a phone | 36 [2] | On-screen keyboards, 2019 study |
| Copying text | 33 [2] | Computer users, 1999 study |
| Writing your own words | 19 [2] | Composing rather than copying, 1999 study |
How do you type faster?
Keep your eyes on the screen, your fingers on the home row, and your pace steady enough that you rarely need backspace. Then take a short test every day and watch both numbers.
- 1
Look at the screen, not the keys
Glancing down costs you your place in the text. Feel for the small bumps on F and J to find home.
- 2
Rest your fingers on the home row
A S D F for the left hand, J K L ; for the right, and reach out from there.
- 3
Go for accuracy first
Every fix costs time, and in this test a word left wrong scores nothing. Find a pace you can type without errors, then push it.
- 4
Practise little and often
Do a few short tests each day, and press New text each time so you don’t learn one passage by heart.
How much faster is talking than typing?
Nearly three times, for most people: conversation runs at about 150 words a minute and the average typist manages 52. On a Mac, NoteOwl’s dictation turns that speed into text: tap fn in any app, talk, and your words type at the cursor.
Dictation is free and unlimited, with the speech recognition on the Mac itself. Want your own speaking rate? The words per minute calculator times you reading aloud.
FAQ
Questions about typing speed
How do I take a typing speed test?
Open NoteOwl’s free typing test, choose a length (1 minute is the usual one), click the text and start typing: the clock starts with your first key. When time runs out, your words per minute and accuracy appear.
How is WPM calculated here?
The test adds up the characters of every word you typed correctly, plus the space after it, divides by five, the standard length of a word in typing tests, and divides by the minutes. A word with a mistake left in counts for nothing.
What is the difference between WPM and raw speed?
WPM counts only the words you got right. Raw speed counts every character you typed, right or wrong, so it shows how fast your fingers move; the gap between the two is what your mistakes cost.
How is accuracy worked out?
Every key you press that adds a character is checked as you type it. Accuracy is the share that were right, so a mistake you go back and fix still counts against it, even though the finished word is correct.
Can I test my typing on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Tap the text and type with the on-screen keyboard; the test asks the keyboard not to autocorrect. Expect a lower score: phone typing averaged about 36 words a minute in a 2019 study, against 52 on computer keyboards in a 2018 one.
Is what I type sent anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser: your keystrokes are scored on the page and never sent anywhere, and there is no sign-up or score stored.
Sources
Last checked .
- [1]Dhakal, Feit, Kristensson and Oulasvirta, Aalto University, Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes (CHI 2018) — 168,000 volunteers copying sentences online: 51.56 words a minute on average (SD 20.2), the fastest 120 or more; uncorrected errors 1.17%; a word is any five characters
- [2]Wikipedia, Words per minute — a word is standardised as five characters; computer users typed 32.5 words a minute copying and 19.0 composing (1999 study); phone typing averaged 36.2 (2019); audiobooks 150–160
- [3]VirtualSpeech, Average speaking rate and words per minute — about 150 words a minute in American English conversation; presentations 100–150, citing the National Center for Voice and Speech
Keep exploring
More free tools
- Words per minute calculatorWork out typing speed (gross and net WPM) from words or characters and time, or a speaking rate from a talk or a timed read-aloud
- Speech time calculatorHow long a speech takes to say from its word count, at a slow, average or fast pace, and how many words fit in a set time
- Online teleprompterPaste a script and it scrolls past a reading line at a speed set in words a minute, with mirror mode, text size, full screen and keyboard control
- Speech timerA speech timer with green, yellow and red timing lights, speech-club presets, full screen and a log of every speaker
Related
- Free dictation into any appFree, unlimited speech to text in every app on your Mac: tap fn, talk, and the words type at your cursor; one tap polishes them in the right tone for that app
- Dictation on MacApple’s built-in Dictation on macOS 26: settings, shortcuts, fixes when it isn’t working, and when an app helps
- Voice notes on your MacVoice notes and dictations saved as searchable text on your Mac, with the raw words beside the polished version; free
Type with your voice, free on your Mac
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds
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