{"dataset":{"name":"Text entry speed by input method","title":"Speech vs Typing Speed: Text Entry Rates Compared","question":"How fast can people enter text by keyboard, touchscreen, handwriting, voice and other methods?","url":"https://yapapp.cc/data/text-entry-methods","measure":{"label":"Entry speed","unit":"words per minute","short":"WPM","decimals":1},"dimensions":[{"key":"method","label":"Method","values":["Computer keyboard","Phone touchscreen keyboard","Gesture or swipe typing","Handwriting on paper","Handwriting recognition","Speech recognition","Stenography","Braille input","Eye typing","Brain-computer interface","Other"]},{"key":"population","label":"Who"},{"key":"task","label":"Task","values":["Copying text","Composing text","Mixed or unspecified"]},{"key":"corrections","label":"Includes fixing errors","values":["Yes","No","Not stated"]},{"key":"language","label":"Language"},{"key":"n","label":"People"},{"key":"year","label":"Year"}],"include":"Measured text entry rates in words per minute for any input method, from controlled studies or published evaluations that state who was measured and how. Studies that compare two methods with the same people contribute one row per method.","exclude":"Theoretical maximums, vendor claims without a published measurement, and speaking rates without text entry (in the speaking rate dataset instead).","method":"Rows come from the facts already cited across the library and from a structured search of human-computer interaction research (OpenAlex and Semantic Scholar). Each figure is stored as a fact with the exact words of its source, checked automatically against the live page.","limitations":"Methods are measured in different studies with different people, phrases and error handling. A direct comparison is only fair within one study; the medians show the typical reported figure per method.","sources":25,"updated":"2026-10-19","license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","credit":"Yap (2026). Text entry speed by input method [Data set]. https://yapapp.cc/data/text-entry-methods"},"rows":[{"row":"Wrona 2010, standard text","value":163,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"163","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Championship finalist, live race","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2010,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the 2010 Ultimate Typing Championship final, Sean Wrona typed a standard 574-word text at 163 words per minute, which Wikipedia calls an unofficial world record.","quote":"Wrona defeated Bowen 163-110 wpm, setting an unofficial world record","where_in_source":"Final round, first text","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/wrona-2010-163-wpm-standard-text","source_title":"Ultimate Typing Championship","source_publisher":"Wikipedia","source_year":"n.d.","source_url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Typing_Championship","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Logan et al. 2016, standard typists","value":79.99,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"80","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Standard touch typists, lab study","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":24,"year":2016,"conversion":"The group size of 24 comes from the paired fact's caveats (48 participants, 24 in each group), not from the quote.","claim":"In the Vanderbilt study, standard (touch) typists averaged 79.99 words per minute.","quote":"Overall, standard typists were faster (79.99 vs. 65.63 WPM), and more accurate (around 94% vs. 83% accuracy), compared to nonstandard typists.","where_in_source":"Summary paragraph","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/logan-2016-standard-79-99-wpm","source_title":"Ready, Set, Type! Touch Typists Are Faster, But Not By Much","source_publisher":"Association for Psychological Science, summary of Logan, Ulrich and Lindsey (2016) in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance","source_year":"2016","source_url":"https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/minds-business/ready-set-type-touch-typists-are-faster-but-not-by-much.html","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Logan et al. 2016, nonstandard typists","value":65.63,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"65.6","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Nonstandard typists, lab study","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":24,"year":2016,"conversion":"The group size of 24 comes from the fact's caveats (48 participants, 24 in each group), not from the quote.","claim":"In the same study, nonstandard typists averaged 65.63 words per minute.","quote":"Overall, standard typists were faster (79.99 vs. 65.63 WPM), and more accurate (around 94% vs. 83% accuracy), compared to nonstandard typists.","where_in_source":"Summary paragraph","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/logan-2016-nonstandard-65-63-wpm","source_title":"Ready, Set, Type! Touch Typists Are Faster, But Not By Much","source_publisher":"Association for Psychological Science, summary of Logan, Ulrich and Lindsey (2016) in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance","source_year":"2016","source_url":"https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/minds-business/ready-set-type-touch-typists-are-faster-but-not-by-much.html","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Typing.com, mainly did not look down","value":61,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"61","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Full-time workers who type on computers at work, mainly did not look down at the keyboard","task":null,"corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":null,"conversion":null,"claim":"In Typing.com's survey of full-time workers, those who mainly typed without looking down at the keyboard averaged 61 words per minute on a one-minute typing test, about 17 words per minute faster than those who looked at both the keyboard and the screen.","quote":"averaging 61 wpm and almost 17 words faster than those who looked at both the keyboard and screen when typing","where_in_source":"Findings on where workers looked","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/typing-com-undated-no-keyboard-look-61-wpm","source_title":"The Time Savings of Fast Typists","source_publisher":"Typing.com","source_year":"n.d.","source_url":"https://www.typing.com/articles/the-time-saving-of-fast-typists","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Feit et al. 2016, non-touch","value":58.93,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"58.9","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Non-touch typists","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":"Finnish and English","n":null,"year":2016,"conversion":"The fact does not name the device. The keyboard is inferred from the source, a study of everyday typing on a physical keyboard.","claim":"In the same task, typists who had not learned touch typing entered text at an average of 58.93 words per minute.","quote":"and 58.93 WPM and 168.91 ms for non-touch typists","where_in_source":"Typing Performance","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/feit-2016-non-touch-typists-58-9-wpm","source_title":"How We Type: Movement Strategies and Performance in Everyday Typing","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems","source_year":"2016","source_url":"https://userinterfaces.aalto.fi/how-we-type/","source_doi":"10.1145/2858036.2858233","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Feit et al. 2016, touch typists","value":57.8,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"57.8","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Touch typists","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":"Finnish and English","n":null,"year":2016,"conversion":"The fact does not name the device. The keyboard is inferred from the source, a study of everyday typing on a physical keyboard.","claim":"In the transcription task, touch typists entered text at an average of 57.8 words per minute.","quote":"were found to be 57.8 WPM and 176.39 ms for touch typists","where_in_source":"Typing Performance","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/feit-2016-touch-typists-57-8-wpm","source_title":"How We Type: Movement Strategies and Performance in Everyday Typing","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems","source_year":"2016","source_url":"https://userinterfaces.aalto.fi/how-we-type/","source_doi":"10.1145/2858036.2858233","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Typing.com, 5 to 9 fingers","value":54.7,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"54.7","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Full-time workers who type on computers at work, 5 to 9 fingers","task":null,"corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":null,"conversion":null,"claim":"In Typing.com's survey of full-time workers, those who typed with five to nine fingers averaged 54.7 words per minute on a one-minute typing test, just faster than those who used all 10 fingers.","quote":"Workers who used five to nine fingers comprised just over a quarter of those surveyed but averaged 54.7 wpm","where_in_source":"Findings on typing method","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/typing-com-undated-five-to-nine-fingers-54-7-wpm","source_title":"The Time Savings of Fast Typists","source_publisher":"Typing.com","source_year":"n.d.","source_url":"https://www.typing.com/articles/the-time-saving-of-fast-typists","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Typing.com, all 10 fingers","value":54.6,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"54.6","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Full-time workers who type on computers at work, all 10 fingers","task":null,"corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":null,"conversion":null,"claim":"In Typing.com's survey of full-time workers, those who typed with all 10 fingers averaged 54.6 words per minute on a one-minute typing test, and 61 percent of respondents used that method.","quote":"Typing with all 10 fingers was the method used by 61 percent of respondents, allowing them to produce an average of 54.6 wpm","where_in_source":"Findings on typing method","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/typing-com-undated-all-ten-fingers-54-6-wpm","source_title":"The Time Savings of Fast Typists","source_publisher":"Typing.com","source_year":"n.d.","source_url":"https://www.typing.com/articles/the-time-saving-of-fast-typists","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Zumsteg et al. 2016, 12 weeks after","value":53.5,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"53.5","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Patients 12 weeks after open carpal tunnel release","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2016,"conversion":"Method is inferred: the fact measures typing speed, which is keyboard typing, but it does not name the device or the test. Group size and task are not stated in this fact, so they are left out.","claim":"At 12 weeks after open carpal tunnel release, the group's average typing speed reached 53.5 words per minute.","quote":"continued improvement to 53.5 ± 3.5 WPM at 12 weeks following surgery","where_in_source":"Results","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/zumsteg-2016-typing-53-5-wpm-12-weeks","source_title":"The Effect of Carpal Tunnel Release on Typing Performance","source_publisher":"The Journal of Hand Surgery","source_year":"2016","source_url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5364521/","source_doi":"10.1016/j.jhsa.2016.10.005","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"136M keystrokes, CHI 2018","value":51.56,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"51.6","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Online typing test volunteers","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":168000,"year":2018,"conversion":"The context says about 168,000 volunteers, so n is approximate.","claim":"In a study of 136 million keystrokes from an online typing test, the average participant typed 51.56 words per minute, with a standard deviation of 20.2.","quote":"The average WPM value for participants is 51.56 (SD = 20.2).","where_in_source":"Performance Measures","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/typing-average-51-56-wpm-online-test","source_title":"Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes","source_publisher":"CHI 2018, ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems","source_year":"2018","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/cd64d093-2fa5-49c0-8242-f5dbf3de2ca7/download","source_doi":"10.1145/3173574.3174220","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Zumsteg et al. 2016, before surgery","value":49.7,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"49.7","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Patients before open carpal tunnel release","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":27,"year":2016,"conversion":"Method is inferred: the fact measures typing speed on an online typing test, which is keyboard typing, but it does not name the device. Task is copying because patients typed a given paragraph.","claim":"Before open carpal tunnel release, the 27 patients in a 2016 study typed at an average of 49.7 words per minute on a short online test.","quote":"Average typing speed decreased significantly from 49.7 ± 2.7 words-per-minute (WPM) preoperatively to 45.2 ± 3.1 WPM at 8–10 days postoperatively.","where_in_source":"Results","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/zumsteg-2016-typing-49-7-wpm-before-surgery","source_title":"The Effect of Carpal Tunnel Release on Typing Performance","source_publisher":"The Journal of Hand Surgery","source_year":"2016","source_url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5364521/","source_doi":"10.1016/j.jhsa.2016.10.005","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Zumsteg et al. 2016, post-surgery","value":45.2,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"45.2","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Patients 8 to 10 days after open carpal tunnel release","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":27,"year":2016,"conversion":null,"claim":"Eight to ten days after open carpal tunnel release, average typing speed fell to 45.2 words per minute, a drop the authors call statistically significant.","quote":"Average typing speed decreased significantly from 49.7 ± 2.7 words-per-minute (WPM) preoperatively to 45.2 ± 3.1 WPM at 8–10 days postoperatively.","where_in_source":"Results","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/zumsteg-2016-typing-45-2-wpm-8-to-10-days","source_title":"The Effect of Carpal Tunnel Release on Typing Performance","source_publisher":"The Journal of Hand Surgery","source_year":"2016","source_url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5364521/","source_doi":"10.1016/j.jhsa.2016.10.005","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Suhm et al. 1999, fast typists","value":40,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"40","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Fast typists","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":5,"year":1999,"conversion":null,"claim":"The average typing rates of the study's participants on plain text were 23, 35 and 40 words per minute for the slow, average and fast typists.","quote":"The average typing rates of our participants on plain text were 23, 35, and 40 wpm for the slow, average, and fast typists, respectively","where_in_source":"Experiment design","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/suhm-1999-typing-rates-by-skill","source_title":"Model-based and Empirical Evaluation of Multimodal Interactive Error Correction","source_publisher":"Proceedings of CHI 99, ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems","source_year":"1999","source_url":"https://isl.iar.kit.edu/english/5567.php","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Typing.com, mainly looked down","value":39.5,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"39.5","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Full-time workers who type on computers at work, mainly looked at the keyboard","task":null,"corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":null,"conversion":null,"claim":"In Typing.com's survey of full-time workers, the fewer than 5 percent who mainly looked at the keyboard while typing averaged 39.5 words per minute on a one-minute typing test, the slowest of the three methods the survey compared.","quote":"Less than 5 percent of typists primarily looked at the keyboard and trailed the other two methods with a lackluster 39.5 wpm","where_in_source":"Findings on where workers looked","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/typing-com-undated-keyboard-look-39-5-wpm","source_title":"The Time Savings of Fast Typists","source_publisher":"Typing.com","source_year":"n.d.","source_url":"https://www.typing.com/articles/the-time-saving-of-fast-typists","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Typing.com, male baby boomers","value":38,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"38","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Full-time workers who type on computers at work, male baby boomers","task":null,"corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":null,"conversion":null,"claim":"In Typing.com's survey of full-time workers, male baby boomers were the slowest group by generation and gender, averaging 38 words per minute on a one-minute typing test.","quote":"male baby boomers were the slowest ... averaging only 38 wpm","where_in_source":"Findings on generation and gender","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/typing-com-undated-baby-boomer-men-38-wpm","source_title":"The Time Savings of Fast Typists","source_publisher":"Typing.com","source_year":"n.d.","source_url":"https://www.typing.com/articles/the-time-saving-of-fast-typists","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"Ratatype 2026 median","value":35,"low":30,"high":40,"as_written":"30 to 40","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"People who took a free typing test on Ratatype's website","task":null,"corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":506024,"year":2026,"conversion":"Midpoint of the 30 to 40 range that Ratatype reports as the median. The quote gives the range, not 35.","claim":"In an analysis of 506,024 typing speed tests taken on Ratatype in April 2026, the median typing speed fell in the range of 30 to 40 words per minute, which Ratatype rounds to about 35.","quote":"According to our test data, the median falls in the range of 30–40 WPM","where_in_source":"Section: So what is the average typing speed?","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/ratatype-2026-median-30-40-wpm","source_title":"What typing speed is considered good? Real data from 506,000 tests","source_publisher":"Ratatype","source_year":"2026","source_url":"https://www.ratatype.com/typing-tips/3004-what-typing-speed-is-considered-good-real-data-from-506000-tests/","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-19"},{"row":"UCT dissertation 2017, gamified","value":25,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"25","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Grade 11 learners, typing course with game elements","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2017,"conversion":null,"claim":"In a 2017 master's dissertation, the average typing speed of the gamified group rose from 8 to 25 words per minute by the end of the training, and its accuracy rose from 43 to 93 percent.","quote":"By the end of the training, the average speed had improved from 8 wpm to 25wpm, while accuracy had shot up from 43% to 93% for the sample group.","where_in_source":"Conclusions section, results paragraph","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/uct-2017-gamified-sample-8-to-25-wpm","source_title":"Typing Training Through Gamification (Master of Science dissertation)","source_publisher":"University of Cape Town, Department of Computer Science","source_year":"2017","source_url":"https://open.uct.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/3ec6bd53-aabf-4375-ace5-fc14b917e6ff/content","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Japanese students, desktop PC","value":23,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"23","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Japanese university students","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Yes","language":"Japanese","n":24,"year":null,"conversion":null,"claim":"In a two-minute transcription task, Japanese university students typed Japanese at 23 words per minute on desktop PCs.","quote":"In 2-minute transcription tasks, 24 Japanese university students typed Japanese:English at 8:7 wpm on miniature QWERTY thumb keyboards, 10:9 on onscreen QWERTY keyboards, 17:5 on cellphones, 23:14 on desktop PCs, and 31:30 with pencil and paper.","where_in_source":"Abstract","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/houser-japanese-desktop-pc-23-wpm","source_title":"Japanese college students' typing speed on mobile devices","source_publisher":"Kinjo Gakuin University (conference paper, copy hosted by Universidade Federal de Pernambuco)","source_year":"n.d.","source_url":"https://www.cin.ufpe.br/~mlearning/intranet/m-learning/Japanese%20college%20students'%20typing%20speed%20on%20mobile%20devices.pdf","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-17"},{"row":"UCT dissertation 2017, control","value":15,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"15","unit":"words per minute","method":"Computer keyboard","population":"Control group, typing course without game elements","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2017,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the same 2017 dissertation, the average typing speed of the control group rose from 8.3 to 15 words per minute, and its accuracy rose from 44 to 70 percent.","quote":"For the control group, speed improved from 8.3 wpm to 15wpm, and accuracy from 44% to 70%.","where_in_source":"Conclusions section, results paragraph","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/uct-2017-control-8-3-to-15-wpm","source_title":"Typing Training Through Gamification (Master of Science dissertation)","source_publisher":"University of Cape Town, Department of Computer Science","source_year":"2017","source_url":"https://open.uct.ac.za/server/api/core/bitstreams/3ec6bd53-aabf-4375-ace5-fc14b917e6ff/content","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Ruan et al. 2018, English keyboard","value":52,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"52","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Lab participants, short messages","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Yes","language":"English","n":null,"year":2016,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the same controlled study on an iPhone, English text entered on the built-in QWERTY keyboard reached 52 words per minute, against 153 words per minute by speech.","quote":"the English input rate was 2.93 times faster (153 vs. 52 WPM)","where_in_source":"Abstract","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/speech-input-52-wpm-english-phone","source_title":"Comparing Speech and Keyboard Text Entry for Short Messages in Two Languages on Touchscreen Phones","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies (IMWUT)","source_year":"2018","source_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/1608.07323","source_doi":"10.1145/3161187","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Ruan et al. 2018, Mandarin keyboard","value":43,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"43","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Lab participants, short messages","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":"Mandarin Chinese","n":null,"year":2016,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the same study, Mandarin Chinese text entered with the built-in Pinyin keyboard reached 43 words per minute, against 123 words per minute by speech.","quote":"the Mandarin Chinese input rate was 2.87 times faster (123 vs. 43 WPM)","where_in_source":"Abstract","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/speech-input-43-wpm-mandarin-keyboard","source_title":"Comparing Speech and Keyboard Text Entry for Short Messages in Two Languages on Touchscreen Phones","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies (IMWUT)","source_year":"2018","source_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/1608.07323","source_doi":"10.1145/3161187","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, ages 10-19","value":39.6,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"39.6","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers aged 10 to 19","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"Participants aged 10 to 19 typed the fastest of all age groups on phones, with a mean of 39.6 words per minute.","quote":"Participants of age between 10 and 19 typed the fastest (M = 39.6, SD = 14.3)","where_in_source":"Results: Age","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-age-10-19-39-6","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, U.S. ages 20-29","value":39,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"39","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"U.S. volunteers aged 20 to 29","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the U.S. subsample of the phone study, participants aged 20 to 29 averaged 39.0 words per minute, slightly above the 38.0 for ages 10 to 19.","quote":"10-19 39.6 (14.3) p<.001 38.0 (14.8) p<.001 20-29 36.5 (12.6) 39.0 (13.3)","where_in_source":"Table 4: Performance by demographic group, U.S. subsample column","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-us-age-20-29-39-0","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, two thumbs","value":38.02,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"38","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers who typed with two thumbs","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"Typing with two thumbs was the fastest phone technique in the study, at a mean of 38.02 words per minute.","quote":"this was the fastest way to enter text (M = 38.02, SD = 13.1, p < 0.001 in comparison to all other groups)","where_in_source":"Results: Hands and fingers","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-two-thumbs-38-02","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, native English","value":37.8,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"37.8","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers, native English users","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"Native speakers of English were the fastest group by English experience, with a mean of 37.8 words per minute on phones.","quote":"Native users of English were the fastest typists (M = 37.8, SD = 13.6)","where_in_source":"Results: Language use","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-native-english-37-8","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, two fingers","value":37.7,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"37.7","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers who used two fingers","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the Palin study, participants who reported using two fingers averaged 37.7 words per minute, significantly faster than the 29.2 of those who used only one finger.","quote":"Participants who reported to use two fingers were significantly faster than those who used only one finger (M = 37.7, SD = 13.2 versus M = 29.2, SD = 10.7, p < 0.001, d = 0.66)","where_in_source":"Results, finger usage","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-two-fingers-37-7-vs-one-finger-29-2","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, U.S. men","value":37.4,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"37.4","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"U.S. male volunteers","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the U.S. subsample, men averaged 37.4 words per minute on phones.","quote":"female 36.0 (12.5) p=.002 34.6 (12.3) p<.001 male 36.1 (14.4) d=.003 37.4 (15.7) d=.22","where_in_source":"Table 4: Performance by demographic group","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-us-men-37-4","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, ages 20-29","value":36.5,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"36.5","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers aged 20 to 29, full sample","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"Participants aged 20 to 29 averaged 36.5 words per minute on phones.","quote":"10-19 39.6 (14.3) p<.001 38.0 (14.8) p<.001 20-29 36.5 (12.6) 39.0 (13.3) 30-39 32.2 (10.8) 34.3 (13.8) 40-49 28.9 (9.2) 27.3 (9.0) 50-59 26.3 (9.9) 24.8 (9.1)","where_in_source":"Table 4: Performance by demographic group","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-age-20-29-36-5","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, all phones","value":36.2,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"36.2","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers, full sample","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":37370,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"In an online study of 37,370 volunteers typing on their own phones, the average speed was 36.2 words per minute, with 2.3 percent uncorrected errors.","quote":"a large-scale dataset on mobile text entry collected via a web-based transcription task performed by 37,370 volunteers. The average typing speed was 36.2 WPM with 2.3% uncorrected errors.","where_in_source":"Abstract","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-mobile-typing-36-2-wpm","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://userinterfaces.aalto.fi/typing37k/","source_doi":"10.1145/3338286.3340120","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, touch typing course","value":35.7,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"35.7","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers with a desktop touch typing course","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the Palin study, people who had taken a touch typing course for desktop keyboards averaged 35.7 words per minute on phones, slightly slower than the 36.4 of those who had not.","quote":"users who reported to have taken a touch typing course for typing on desktop keyboards were slightly slower (M = 35.7, SD = 13.4) than those who reported to not have taken such a course (M = 36.4, SD = 13.1)","where_in_source":"Results, typing training","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-touch-course-35-7-vs-36-4","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, U.S. women","value":34.6,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"34.6","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"U.S. female volunteers","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the U.S. subsample, women averaged 34.6 words per minute on phones.","quote":"female 36.0 (12.5) p=.002 34.6 (12.3) p<.001 male 36.1 (14.4) d=.003 37.4 (15.7) d=.22","where_in_source":"Table 4: Performance by demographic group","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-us-women-34-6","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, prediction only","value":32.8,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"32.8","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers who used word prediction alone","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the Palin study, people who reported word prediction alone averaged 32.8 words per minute, against 34.8 for people who used no intelligent text entry feature.","quote":"none 34.8 (12.6) 2.3 1.2 42.6 (14.7) 2.2 1.2 P 32.8 (12.1) 2.3 1.2 35.4 (15.1) 2.2 1.1 A 43.4 (14.4) 2.4 1.2 46.1 (14.4) 2.3 1.2 G 32.2 (13.4)","where_in_source":"Table 5","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-prediction-32-8-vs-none-34-8","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, ages 30-39","value":32.2,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"32.2","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers aged 30 to 39, full sample","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"Participants aged 30 to 39 averaged 32.2 words per minute on phones.","quote":"10-19 39.6 (14.3) p<.001 38.0 (14.8) p<.001 20-29 36.5 (12.6) 39.0 (13.3) 30-39 32.2 (10.8) 34.3 (13.8) 40-49 28.9 (9.2) 27.3 (9.0) 50-59 26.3 (9.9) 24.8 (9.1)","where_in_source":"Table 4: Performance by demographic group","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-age-30-39-32-2","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Buschek et al. 2018, field study","value":32.1,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"32.1","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Participants typing in their own apps","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":30,"year":2018,"conversion":null,"claim":"In a three-week field study of 30 people typing in their own apps, the mean typing speed was 32.1 words per minute.","quote":"The mean speed was 32.1 WPM.","where_in_source":"Typing Speed","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/buschek-2018-mean-32-1-wpm","source_title":"ResearchIME: A Mobile Keyboard Application for Studying Free Typing Behaviour in the Wild","source_publisher":"ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2018)","source_year":"2018","source_url":"https://www.medien.ifi.lmu.de/pubdb/publications/pub/buschek2018chi2/buschek2018chi2.pdf","source_doi":"10.1145/3173574.3173829","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, ages 40-49","value":28.9,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"28.9","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers aged 40 to 49, full sample","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"Participants aged 40 to 49 averaged 28.9 words per minute on phones.","quote":"10-19 39.6 (14.3) p<.001 38.0 (14.8) p<.001 20-29 36.5 (12.6) 39.0 (13.3) 30-39 32.2 (10.8) 34.3 (13.8) 40-49 28.9 (9.2) 27.3 (9.0) 50-59 26.3 (9.9) 24.8 (9.1)","where_in_source":"Table 4: Performance by demographic group","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-age-40-49-28-9","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, ages 50-59","value":26.3,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"26.3","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers aged 50 to 59, full sample","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"Participants aged 50 to 59 averaged 26.3 words per minute on phones, the lowest of the age groups in Table 4.","quote":"10-19 39.6 (14.3) p<.001 38.0 (14.8) p<.001 20-29 36.5 (12.6) 39.0 (13.3) 30-39 32.2 (10.8) 34.3 (13.8) 40-49 28.9 (9.2) 27.3 (9.0) 50-59 26.3 (9.9) 24.8 (9.1)","where_in_source":"Table 4: Performance by demographic group","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-age-50-59-26-3","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, never English","value":25.6,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"25.6","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers who never type in English","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"Participants who never type in English were the slowest group by English experience, with a mean of 25.6 words per minute on phones.","quote":"those who never type in Eng- lish the slowest (M = 25.6, SD = 12.4)","where_in_source":"Results: Language use","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-never-english-25-6","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, under 10","value":24.3,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"24.3","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Online volunteers under 10, full sample","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"Participants under 10 years old were the slowest age group on phones, with a mean of 24.3 words per minute.","quote":"participants of age below 10 – the slowest ( M = 24.3, SD = 13.2)","where_in_source":"Results: Age","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-age-under-10-24-3","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Gaines et al. 2023, QWERTY + VoiceOver","value":7.5,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"7.5","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Blind participants, longitudinal study","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":12,"year":2023,"conversion":"The fact does not name the device. A QWERTY keyboard with VoiceOver is inferred to be a touchscreen phone keyboard.","claim":"In a longitudinal study with 12 blind participants, the dissertation reports an average entry speed of 7.5 words per minute on a QWERTY keyboard with VoiceOver.","quote":"We evaluate the improved interface in a longitudinal study with 12 blind participants. On average, participants entered text at 8.2 words per minute using FlexType, 7.5 words per minute using a Qwerty keyboard with VoiceOver","where_in_source":"Abstract","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/gaines-2023-keyboard-voiceover-7-5-wpm","source_title":"An Ambiguous Technique for Nonvisual Text Entry","source_publisher":"Michigan Technological University, Open Access Dissertation","source_year":"2023","source_url":"https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etdr/1667/","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Alnfiai et al. 2024, no prediction","value":1.87,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"1.9","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Blind participants using a screen reader","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2024,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the 2024 blind-user study, average typing speed on the default smartphone keyboard without word prediction was 1.87 words per minute.","quote":"The average typing speed was higher when using the keyboard without word prediction (average = 1.87 words per minute, WPM)","where_in_source":"Section 4.1, Typing Speed","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/alnfiai-2024-default-keyboard-1-87","source_title":"Exploring the Impact of Word Prediction Assistive Features on Smartphone Keyboards for Blind Users","source_publisher":"arXiv preprint (later journal article)","source_year":"2024","source_url":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2408.10791","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Alnfiai et al. 2024, with prediction","value":1.63,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"1.6","unit":"words per minute","method":"Phone touchscreen keyboard","population":"Blind adults using a screen reader","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":11,"year":2024,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the results section of the blind-user study, average typing speed was 1.87 words per minute without word prediction and 1.63 with it.","quote":"the average typing speed was higher when using the keyboard without word prediction (average = 1.87 words per minute, WPM) than the standard keyboard with word prediction (average = 1.63 WPM)","where_in_source":"Section 4.1 (Typing Speed)","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/alnfiai-2024-prediction-1-63-wpm-blind-users","source_title":"Exploring the Impact of Word Prediction Assistive Features on Smartphone Keyboards for Blind Users","source_publisher":"arXiv preprint (later journal article)","source_year":"2024","source_url":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2408.10791","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Palin et al. 2019, swipe typing","value":32.2,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"32.2","unit":"words per minute","method":"Gesture or swipe typing","population":"Phone typists who reported swipe typing","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2019,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the Palin study, people who reported gesture (swipe) typing averaged 32.2 words per minute overall, against 34.8 for people who used no intelligent text entry feature.","quote":"none 34.8 (12.6) 2.3 1.2 42.6 (14.7) 2.2 1.2 P 32.8 (12.1) 2.3 1.2 35.4 (15.1) 2.2 1.1 A 43.4 (14.4) 2.4 1.2 46.1 (14.4) 2.3 1.2 G 32.2 (13.4)","where_in_source":"Table 5","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/palin-2019-gesture-32-2-vs-none-34-8","source_title":"How do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices and Services (MobileHCI 2019)","source_year":"2019","source_url":"https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/2844ef42-91ad-467b-81d9-0b4a6ba111eb/download","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Franzsen et al. 2014, copying","value":22.85,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"22.9","unit":"words per minute","method":"Handwriting on paper","population":"University students in South Africa","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":300,"year":2014,"conversion":null,"claim":"In a 2014 study of 300 university students in South Africa, the mean handwriting speed in a short copying task was 22.85 words per minute.","quote":"The results for the mean score of 22.85 wpm found in this study","where_in_source":"Discussion","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/franzsen-2014-mean-copying-22-85-wpm","source_title":"Identifying the factors that contribute to handwriting problems experienced by students at a higher education institution in South Africa","source_publisher":"South African Journal of Occupational Therapy","source_year":"2014","source_url":"https://journals.assaf.org.za/index.php/sajot/article/download/19695/22614/121466","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Amundson 1995 norm, middle school","value":16,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"16","unit":"words per minute","method":"Handwriting on paper","population":"Children at the end of middle school (compiled norm)","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":1995,"conversion":null,"claim":"Compiled norms show handwriting copying rates of about 5 words per minute in first grade, rising to about 16 by the end of middle school.","quote":"By the end of middle school, word per minute rates for copying using handwriting rise to about 16 WPM.","where_in_source":"Handwriting speeds for copying tasks","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/handwriting-copying-16-wpm-end-of-middle-school","source_title":"Handwriting Speeds","source_publisher":"Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland","source_year":"n.d.","source_url":"https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/hiat/resources/handwriting_speeds.pdf","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Ruan et al. 2018, English speech","value":153,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"153","unit":"words per minute","method":"Speech recognition","population":"Lab participants, short messages","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Yes","language":"English","n":null,"year":2016,"conversion":null,"claim":"In a controlled study on an iPhone, English text entered by speech reached 153 words per minute, against 52 words per minute on the built-in keyboard, 2.93 times faster.","quote":"the English input rate was 2.93 times faster (153 vs. 52 WPM)","where_in_source":"Abstract","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/speech-input-153-wpm-english-phone","source_title":"Comparing Speech and Keyboard Text Entry for Short Messages in Two Languages on Touchscreen Phones","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies (IMWUT)","source_year":"2018","source_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/1608.07323","source_doi":"10.1145/3161187","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Ruan et al. 2018, Mandarin speech","value":123,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"123","unit":"words per minute","method":"Speech recognition","population":"Lab participants, short messages","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":"Mandarin Chinese","n":null,"year":2016,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the same study, Mandarin Chinese entered by speech reached 123 words per minute, against 43 words per minute with the Pinyin keyboard, 2.87 times faster.","quote":"the Mandarin Chinese input rate was 2.87 times faster (123 vs. 43 WPM) than the keyboard for short message transcription","where_in_source":"Abstract","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/speech-input-123-wpm-mandarin-phone","source_title":"Comparing Speech and Keyboard Text Entry for Short Messages in Two Languages on Touchscreen Phones","source_publisher":"Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies (IMWUT)","source_year":"2018","source_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/1608.07323","source_doi":"10.1145/3161187","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Kislingbury, realtime record","value":360,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"360","unit":"words per minute","method":"Stenography","population":"One person, record attempt","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":1,"year":2004,"conversion":null,"claim":"Guinness World Records lists Mark Kislingbury of Houston at 360 words per minute with 97.23 percent accuracy, set at the NCRA's 2004 summer convention.","quote":"achieving 360 words per minute with 97.23% accuracy, at the NCRA 2004 summer convention on 30 July 2004","where_in_source":"Record summary","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/guinness-2004-kislingbury-360-wpm","source_title":"Fastest realtime court reporter (stenotype writing)","source_publisher":"Guinness World Records","source_year":"n.d.","source_url":"https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-realtime-court-reporter-stenotype-writing","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Behrin 1922, Pitman record","value":350,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"350","unit":"words per minute","method":"Stenography","population":"Nathan Behrin, record holder","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":1922,"conversion":null,"claim":"The record for fast writing in Pitman shorthand is 350 words per minute, set in a two-minute test by Nathan Behrin in 1922.","quote":"The record for fast writing with Pitman shorthand is 350 wpm during a two-minute test by Nathan Behrin in 1922","where_in_source":"Pitman section","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/pitman-record-350-wpm-1922","source_title":"Shorthand","source_publisher":"Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia","source_year":"n.d.","source_url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorthand","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Silent speech neuroprosthesis 2023","value":78,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"78","unit":"words per minute","method":"Brain-computer interface","population":"One participant, attempted silent speech","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":1,"year":2023,"conversion":null,"claim":"A second brain-computer interface study decoded attempted silent speech into text at a median of 78 words per minute with a median word error rate of 25 percent.","quote":"we demonstrate accurate and rapid large-vocabulary decoding with a median rate of 78 words per minute and median word error rate of 25%","where_in_source":"Abstract","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/metzger-2023-bci-78-wpm-25-wer","source_title":"A high-performance neuroprosthesis for speech decoding and avatar control","source_publisher":"Nature","source_year":"2023","source_url":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06443-4","source_doi":"10.1038/s41586-023-06443-4","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Speech neuroprosthesis 2023","value":62,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"62","unit":"words per minute","method":"Brain-computer interface","population":"One participant with ALS","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":1,"year":2023,"conversion":null,"claim":"A brain-computer interface decoded one participant's attempted speech into text at 62 words per minute, with a 23.8 percent word error rate on a 125,000-word vocabulary.","quote":"Our participant’s attempted speech was decoded at 62 words per minute, which is 3.4 times as fast as the previous record","where_in_source":"Abstract","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/willett-2023-bci-62-wpm","source_title":"A high-performance speech neuroprosthesis","source_publisher":"Nature","source_year":"2023","source_url":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06377-x","source_doi":"10.1038/s41586-023-06377-x","checked":"2026-10-16"},{"row":"Card et al. 2026, home use","value":56,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"56","unit":"words per minute","method":"Brain-computer interface","population":"One participant with ALS, at home","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":1,"year":2026,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the 2026 Nature Medicine study, the participant communicated with the speech BCI at home at an average rate of 56 words per minute over almost two years of use.","quote":"at an average rate of 56 words per minute","where_in_source":"Abstract","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/card-2026-bci-56-wpm-home","source_title":"Long-term independent use of an intracortical brain-computer interface for speech and cursor control","source_publisher":"Nature Medicine","source_year":"2026","source_url":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04414-6","source_doi":"10.1038/s41591-026-04414-6","checked":"2026-10-17"},{"row":"Card et al. 2026, silent speech","value":49.7,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"49.7","unit":"words per minute","method":"Brain-computer interface","population":"One participant, silent speech","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":1,"year":2026,"conversion":null,"claim":"In a 2026 copy task, the participant's silent speech was decoded at an average of 49.7 words per minute, with accuracy of 96.5 percent.","quote":"with silent speech, accuracy reached 96.5% at 49.7 WPM average","where_in_source":"Results, copy task comparing silent and vocalized speech","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/card-2026-silent-speech-49-7-wpm","source_title":"Long-term independent use of an intracortical brain-computer interface for speech and cursor control","source_publisher":"Nature Medicine","source_year":"2026","source_url":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04414-6","source_doi":"10.1038/s41591-026-04414-6","checked":"2026-10-17"},{"row":"Card et al. 2024, speech copy","value":31.6,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"31.6","unit":"words per minute","method":"Brain-computer interface","population":"One BrainGate participant","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":1,"year":2024,"conversion":null,"claim":"In a 2024 BrainGate study, one participant's copy task was decoded at his self-paced speaking rate of 31.6 words per minute.","quote":"at the participant’s self-paced speaking rate of 31.6 words per minute","where_in_source":"Results, copy task in the final five evaluation sessions","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/card-2024-copy-task-31-6-wpm","source_title":"An accurate and rapidly calibrating speech neuroprosthesis","source_publisher":"medRxiv preprint, deposited in PubMed Central (later published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 2024)","source_year":"2024","source_url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11030484/","source_doi":"10.1101/2023.12.26.23300110","checked":"2026-10-17"},{"row":"Card et al. 2026, vocalized speech","value":30.6,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"30.6","unit":"words per minute","method":"Brain-computer interface","population":"One participant, vocalized speech","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":1,"year":2026,"conversion":null,"claim":"In the same 2026 copy task, the participant's vocalized speech was decoded at an average of 30.6 words per minute, with accuracy above 99 percent.","quote":"During vocalized speech, accuracy exceeded 99% at 30.6 WPM average","where_in_source":"Results, copy task comparing silent and vocalized speech","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/card-2026-vocalized-speech-30-6-wpm","source_title":"Long-term independent use of an intracortical brain-computer interface for speech and cursor control","source_publisher":"Nature Medicine","source_year":"2026","source_url":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04414-6","source_doi":"10.1038/s41591-026-04414-6","checked":"2026-10-17"},{"row":"Japanese students, cellphone","value":17,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"17","unit":"words per minute","method":"Other","population":"Japanese university students","task":"Copying text","corrections":"Not stated","language":"Japanese","n":24,"year":null,"conversion":"The quote does not say whether the cellphone had a keypad or a touchscreen, so the method is Other.","claim":"In the same two-minute tasks, Japanese university students typed Japanese at 17 words per minute on cellphones, against 10 on onscreen QWERTY keyboards.","quote":"In 2-minute transcription tasks, 24 Japanese university students typed Japanese:English at 8:7 wpm on miniature QWERTY thumb keyboards, 10:9 on onscreen QWERTY keyboards, 17:5 on cellphones, 23:14 on desktop PCs, and 31:30 with pencil and paper.","where_in_source":"Abstract","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/houser-japanese-cellphone-17-wpm","source_title":"Japanese college students' typing speed on mobile devices","source_publisher":"Kinjo Gakuin University (conference paper, copy hosted by Universidade Federal de Pernambuco)","source_year":"n.d.","source_url":"https://www.cin.ufpe.br/~mlearning/intranet/m-learning/Japanese%20college%20students'%20typing%20speed%20on%20mobile%20devices.pdf","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-17"},{"row":"Castellucci et al. 2007, 5 h practice","value":14.9,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"14.9","unit":"words per minute","method":"Other","population":"Participants after five hours of practice","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":null,"year":2007,"conversion":"Joystick controller text entry (TwoStick), not a console keyboard. The figure is the rate after five hours of practice.","claim":"In a user study of the TwoStick joystick text entry method, entry rates started at 4.3 words per minute and reached 14.9 words per minute after five hours of practice, as reported by Castellucci and MacKenzie in 2008.","quote":"A user study yielded text entry rates of 4.3 wpm initially, increasing to 14.9 wpm after five hours of practice","where_in_source":"Related work, paragraph on joystick text entry","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/castellucci-2008-joystick-text-entry-4-3-to-14-9-wpm","source_title":"UniGest: Text-entry using three degrees of motion","source_publisher":"Extended Abstracts of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2008)","source_year":"2008","source_url":"https://www.yorku.ca/mack/chi2008-castellucci.html","source_doi":null,"checked":"2026-10-17"},{"row":"Card et al. 2024, head mouse","value":6.3,"low":null,"high":null,"as_written":"6.3","unit":"words per minute","method":"Other","population":"One BrainGate participant","task":"Mixed or unspecified","corrections":"Not stated","language":null,"n":1,"year":2024,"conversion":"Head mouse typing, counted as correct words per minute.","claim":"In the 2024 BrainGate study, the participant typed with a gyroscopic head mouse at 6.3 correct words per minute, with a standard deviation of 1.3.","quote":"His typing speed using his gyroscopic headmouse (Zono 2, Quha, Nokia, Finland) is 6.3 ± 1.3 correct words per minute","where_in_source":"Results, participant background and typing speed","fact_url":"https://yapapp.cc/facts/card-2024-head-mouse-typing-6-3-wpm","source_title":"An accurate and rapidly calibrating speech neuroprosthesis","source_publisher":"medRxiv preprint, deposited in PubMed Central (later published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 2024)","source_year":"2024","source_url":"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11030484/","source_doi":"10.1101/2023.12.26.23300110","checked":"2026-10-17"}]}