Fact · Typing and writing speed
KSPC is the average number of keystrokes needed to produce each character of text with a given text entry technique.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“KSPC is the number of keystrokes, on average, to generate each character of text in a given language using a given text entry technique.”
KSPC (Keystrokes per Character) as a Characteristic of Text Entry Techniques, I. Scott MacKenzie, Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Human Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices (Mobile HCI 2002), LNCS 2411, Springer, 2002, Abstract.
Open the original (DOI 10.1007/3-540-45756-9_16)- What it measures
- KSPC is a measure of how efficient a technique is, and it is used beside speed and error measures in text entry research.
- What it does not show
- KSPC describes a technique's efficiency for a language. It does not measure how fast a particular person types.