Fact · Typing and writing speed
30 to 40words per minute
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 found word for word on the live source, last checked October 19, 2026
In the source's own words
“According to our test data, the median falls in the range of 30–40 WPM”
What typing speed is considered good? Real data from 506,000 tests, Ratatype, Ratatype, 2026, Section: So what is the average typing speed?.
Open the original- What it measures
- Ratatype analysed the results of 506,024 typing speed tests taken on its website in April 2026 and sorted every test taker into one of seven speed levels. The page does not state how words per minute are calculated.
- What it does not show
- The test takers chose to take a free online typing test, so they are not a random sample of the population. The page does not say whether errors are deducted from the speed. The median is a range on the page, not an exact value.
In the data
A row of Typing Speed Statistics: Average WPM by Group, as Ratatype 2026, median, 506k tests: 30 to 40 words per minute.
- Who
- General adults
- Task
- Online typing test
- Figure
- Median
- People
- 506024
- Year
- 2026
- Note
- The page gives the median as the range 30 to 40 WPM and rounds it to roughly 35 WPM. The number is the midpoint of that range.
A row of Speech vs Typing Speed: Text Entry Rates Compared, as Ratatype 2026 median: 30 to 40 words per minute.
- Method
- Computer keyboard
- Who
- People who took a free typing test on Ratatype's website
- Includes fixing errors
- Not stated
- People
- 506024
- Year
- 2026
- Note
- Midpoint of the 30 to 40 range that Ratatype reports as the median. The quote gives the range, not 35.
Source
Used to calculate
- In the text entry speed by input method dataset, the 19 published figures for “Computer keyboard” have a median of 51.6 words per minute, ranging from 15 to 163.
- The text entry speed by input method dataset holds 57 data points, each a published figure traced to its source.
- The text entry speed by input method dataset draws on 25 distinct sources.
- In the typing speed on computer keyboards dataset, the 5 published figures for “General adults” have a median of 51.6 words per minute, ranging from 26 to 58.9.
- The typing speed on computer keyboards dataset holds 14 data points, each a published figure traced to its source.
- The typing speed on computer keyboards dataset draws on 6 distinct sources.