Fact · Typing and writing speed
3 to 7characters
Salthouse's 1986 review puts the eye-hand span of average to excellent typists at three to seven characters, meaning how far the eyes run ahead of the key being pressed.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“ranges between three and seven characters for average to excellent typists”
Perceptual, cognitive, and motoric aspects of transcription typing, Timothy A. Salthouse, Psychological Bulletin, 1986, Page 1 of the eye-hand span discussion.
Open the original- What it measures
- The eye-hand span is the amount of text between the character the eyes are on and the character whose key is being pressed.
- What it does not show
- The span depends on how it was measured, and the figures come from small laboratory samples of older studies.