Fact · Typing and writing speed
1.5times the average
The 78 WPM threshold for the top tenth of typists is about 1.5 times the online average of 51.56 WPM.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
- What it measures
- Both inputs come from the same online dataset of about 168,000 volunteers, so the ratio compares like with like.
- How it is calculated
- 78 / 51.56 = 1.51, rounded to 1.5
Calculated from
- In a study of 136 million keystrokes from an online typing test, typists faster than 90 percent of participants were those above about 78 words per minute.
- 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.