Is 40 WPM Good?
40 WPM is about average for an adult. It is 12 WPM below the 51.6 WPM average in the largest typing study and faster than about 28.4% of the people tested.
Scale 0–150 WPM. The tick marks the 51.6 WPM study average.
What 40 WPM means in practice
- A 150-word email: about 4 minutes of typing.
- A 500-word essay: about 13 minutes.
- 1,000 words of notes or transcription: about 25 minutes.
Jobs that 40 WPM qualifies for
Typical requirements from job listings (they vary by employer, and most also want 90–98% accuracy):
| Role | Typical ask | At 40 WPM |
|---|---|---|
| General office / receptionist | 35–45 WPM | Meets the lower end |
| Customer service / chat support | 40–60 WPM | Meets the lower end |
| Administrative assistant | 45–60 WPM | Short by 5 WPM |
| Legal or medical secretary | 60–75 WPM | Short by 20 WPM |
| Transcriptionist | 65–80 WPM | Short by 25 WPM |
For numeric roles scored in keystrokes per hour, use the 10 key test or the data entry test.
How to move past 40 WPM
From here, speed comes from rhythm and accuracy rather than pressing keys harder. Short daily sessions on your most-missed keys and common letter pairs move the number fastest. Practice drills target the keys you miss, and how to type faster explains why slowing down slightly often raises net WPM.
Next milestone: is 55 WPM good?
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Frequently asked questions
Is 40 WPM a good typing speed?
40 WPM is about average for an adult. In the largest typing study (Dhakal et al., CHI 2018, about 168,000 volunteers) the average was 51.6 WPM, so 40 WPM is 12 WPM below that average and faster than roughly 28.4% of participants.
Is 40 WPM good enough for a job?
It meets the typical listed requirement for: general office / receptionist; customer service / chat support. Employers usually also expect 90 to 98 percent accuracy, and many test you themselves.
How many characters per minute is 40 WPM?
Typing tests count a word as 5 characters, so 40 WPM is 200 characters per minute, or about 12,000 keystrokes per hour.
How long does it take to type 1,000 words at 40 WPM?
About 25 minutes of pure typing. A 500-word essay takes about 13 minutes. Real writing takes longer because you also stop to think.
How do I get faster than 40 WPM?
From here, speed comes from rhythm and accuracy rather than pressing keys harder. Short daily sessions on your most-missed keys and common letter pairs move the number fastest.
Percentiles are a normal approximation (mean 51.56, SD 20.2) of the data in Dhakal, Feit, Kristensson & Oulasvirta, "Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes", CHI 2018. Volunteers on a typing site are likely faster than the general public, so treat percentiles as approximate. See average typing speed.