Technology & Units
What Is WPM (Words Per Minute)?
WPM measures typing or reading speed, where one "word" is standardized as five characters; 40 WPM is the average typing speed.
Words per minute (WPM) is the standard measure of typing and reading speed. Because real words vary in length, one "word" is defined as five characters including spaces — typing 200 characters in a minute equals 40 WPM.
Average typing speed is about 40 WPM, competent professionals reach 60–80, and top typists exceed 120. Reading speed averages 200–250 WPM for adults. Accuracy matters as much as speed: most tests subtract errors from the raw score.