What is a good Hindi typing speed?

A good Hindi typing speed is about 30 words per minute, counted as correct words only. That is the Hindi criterion in the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) typing test ¹. Other Hindi requirements we could read fall between 25 and 35 words per minute, so 30 sits in the middle of the published range. Treat it as a target, not a verdict on your skill. It is a merit criterion in that exam, and we found no survey of what most Hindi typists actually reach.

The published Hindi benchmarks sit between 25 and 35 words per minute

Two High Court of Jharkhand advertisements for stenographers, both numbered for 2013, set different Hindi typing speeds. The 2013 notice asked for 35 words per minute in Hindi typing, with 10 percent permissible mistakes ². The later notice, numbered 03 and closing on 22 February 2014, asked for 25 words per minute ³. Each sets the requirement for one set of posts at one time.

Both are eligibility rules for stenographer jobs. They show what an employer required, not what the average person can type, so use them as a range rather than a norm.

Speed only counts if the words are correct

CBSE scores speed as net words, which are the correct words typed, so incorrect words earn nothing in the net score ⁴. A fast typist who makes many mistakes can score below a slower, accurate one. This is why the figure in this answer means net speed. Gross speed, which counts every word typed, is always the higher number. Our guide to how typing speed is measured explains the difference, and the glossary entry on words per minute defines the unit.

The layout matters too. The Staff Selection Commission's 2016 stenography instructions say the Hindi test is conducted in Mangal font on a Remington or Inscript keyboard ⁵. A speed you reach on one layout does not carry over to another, so practise on the layout your test or your work uses.

Hindi typing is not measured against the English average

A widely cited average comes from an online English typing test. In a study of 136 million keystrokes, the average participant typed 51.56 words per minute ⁶. That figure measures English sentences typed by people who chose to take the test, so it is not a Hindi benchmark. Do not hold a Hindi typist to it.

The same study shows how wide the spread is. The slowest tenth of typists typed below about 26 words per minute ⁷, and the fastest tenth typed faster than about 78 words per minute ⁸. A Hindi speed of 30 is a sensible target because it sits above the slowest English tenth, but that comparison is loose, since the two studies used different text and different people.

We could not find a survey that measures the typing speed of Hindi typists in general. Until one exists, the official Hindi figures are the best guide to what to aim for, and your own timed test is the best guide to where you are now.

It depends on what you type and how

• An exam or job test: Aim for the figure that test publishes, and practise on the keyboard layout it uses. The CBSE figure is a useful default only when no other is given.
• Messages, reports and drafts: The useful number is your net speed on text you would really write. Thirty is a reasonable target for most writing, and a speed below 25 is a sign that accuracy or layout needs work before speed.
• Mixed Hindi and English: If you write Hindi with English words in it, time yourself on mixed text. A passage in one script will not show the switching you do between them.
• Dictation instead of typing: Typing speed does not measure how fast you can speak Hindi into a tool, and dictated Hindi needs checking whatever the speed. Our Hindi voice typing guide covers accuracy, and the question on Hindi voice typing on a computer covers the options.

What to do: time yourself and compare with 30

1. Choose a passage of about 300 words that you would really write, in Hindi, on the keyboard you use for work.
2. Type it for ten minutes without stopping to fix mistakes, then stop.
3. Count the correct words you typed. Divide by ten. That is your net speed in words per minute.
4. Compare the result with 30. At 30 or above, you meet the CBSE criterion and can focus on the work itself. Between 25 and 30, practise your weakest keys and check the layout. Below 25, start with accuracy before you try to go faster, and read our guide to typing faster.
5. Retest after a few weeks on a new passage, so you compare like with like.

For the same comparison in English, see the question on whether 40 words per minute is a good typing speed. For the wider subject, the languages overview lists every guide on speech and typing across languages.