Typing Speed Test

How the typing test works

Choose a language and a test length, then type the highlighted word into the box under the text. The clock starts with your first key, and pressing Space takes you to the next word. A word turns green when you typed it exactly and red when it contains a mistake. Earlier words are locked once you press Space, so check each word before you move on, just as you would in a timed exam.

When the time runs out the test stops by itself and shows your results, with a chart of your speed for every second of the test. Your best score for each language and length is kept in this browser, so you can see whether a few minutes of practice a day is paying off.

How WPM, accuracy and errors are calculated

• WPM (words per minute) uses the standard typing definition of a word: five characters, spaces included. Only correctly typed words count, so typing 250 correct characters in a 60-second test gives 50 WPM. This keeps results fair between short and long words, and between English and Arabic.
• Raw speed counts every keystroke, right or wrong. The gap between raw speed and WPM shows how much speed your mistakes cost you.
• Accuracy is the share of keystrokes that matched the text. A wrong character still counts against you even after you delete and fix it, because it cost you time.
• Errors is the number of wrong keystrokes. The pink dots on the chart mark the seconds where they happened, which often shows whether you rush at the start or tire towards the end.

Typing in Arabic

The Arabic test uses common everyday words written without diacritics (tashkeel), so you can focus on speed. It follows the standard Arabic keyboard layout used on Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone. If your computer only has an English keyboard, tick Type Arabic with an English keyboard and each key types the Arabic letter that sits in the same place on an Arabic keyboard: F types ب, J types ت, H types ا and Shift+H types أ. Turn on Show the keyboard to see the whole layout with the next key lit up, which is one of the quickest ways to learn where the letters are.

On a phone, switch your keyboard to Arabic with the globe key and type as usual. The test reads exactly what your keyboard writes, so it works with any keyboard app. Autocorrect and word suggestions can change what you typed, though, so most people score higher with them turned off.

What is a good typing speed?

One of the largest studies of real-world typing analysed 136 million keystrokes from about 169,000 volunteers and found an average of 51.56 words per minute, with roughly 1% of errors left uncorrected (Dhakal and colleagues, CHI 2018). The volunteers chose to take an online typing test, so the wider population is probably a little slower. As a rough guide, 30 to 40 WPM is fine for everyday use, 50 to 70 WPM is quick and comfortable for office work and study, and anything above 80 WPM is fast. Accuracy matters just as much: aim for 95% or better.

Tips to type faster

1. Rest your index fingers on F and J (ب and ت on an Arabic keyboard). Both keys have a small bump so you can find them without looking.
2. Keep your eyes on the screen. Looking down at the keys is the habit that slows most people down.
3. Slow down until you reach about 95% accuracy, then speed up. Fixing mistakes costs more time than typing carefully.
4. Practise little and often. Two or three one-minute tests a day beat one long session a week.
5. Use the 15-second test for bursts of speed and the 120-second test to build stamina.