Words per minute (WPM) is a measure of typing speed commonly used in recruitment. Our free typing test gives test-takers an instant-feedback WPM Ð words per minute - response.

For the purposes of WPM measurement a word is standardized to five characters or keystrokes. So, "eight" counts as one word, but "eighteenth" counts as two.

The benefits of a standardized measurement of WPM words per minute input speed are that it enables comparison across language and hardware boundaries. The words per minute typing speed of an Afrikaans-speaking operator in Cape Town can be compared with a WPM French-speaking operator in Brussels.

Someone having minor experience with keyboards can, with some practice, reach a typing speed of about 20 words per minute. An average typist can achieve about 30 to 45 words per minute (usually the minimum required for dispatch positions and other typing jobs). Advanced typists generally are expected to operate at typing speeds above 60 WPM.

As of 2005, Barbara Blackburn is the fastest typist in the world, according to The Guinness Book of World Records. Using the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard, she has maintained 150 words per minute for 50 minutes, 170 words per minute for shorter periods of time, and has been clocked at a peak typing speed of 212 words per minute. It is noteworthy to point out that Blackburn failed her typing class in high school. She first encountered the Dvorak keyboard in 1938, quickly learned to achieve very high typing speeds, and occasionally toured giving speed-typing demonstrations during her secretarial career.

Can you compete with Ms. Blackburn on speed typing? There is only one way to find outÉ Take our speed typing test to assess your words per minute typing speed.