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Fact · Typing and writing speed

0.08standard deviations

In the online typing study, 50 words per minute is about 0.08 standard deviations below the average typist.

Checked against its source on October 17, 2026

How it is calculated: (51.56 - 50) / 20.2 = 0.077, rounded to 0.08. At this distance, 50 WPM is almost exactly the online average.

Calculated from

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.
In the online study, typing speed varied widely, with a standard deviation of 20.2 words per minute around the 51.56 mean.

Cited on

Is 50 words per minute a good typing speed?Question

50 WPM sits 0.08 standard deviations below the online average | Yap