Typing Test Methodology

We believe your score should be transparent. Here is exactly how every number on this site is calculated.

What counts as a word

Like the rest of the typing world, we define one word as 5 characters, including spaces. This makes results comparable regardless of how long the actual words are.

Gross WPM vs Net WPM

• Gross WPM = total characters typed ÷ 5 ÷ elapsed minutes.
• Net WPM = correctly typed characters ÷ 5 ÷ elapsed minutes.

Net WPM is our headline number because it reflects your speed after accounting for mistakes. The gap between Gross and Net WPM is a direct measure of your accuracy. By default, spaces and punctuation are included in the character count.

Raw WPM and Peak WPM

During the test we sample your speed about once per second. Raw WPM is your unfiltered speed without an accuracy penalty. To avoid a single fast burst inflating your peak, Raw WPM is smoothed with a trailing average (about the last five seconds), and Peak WPM is the highest smoothed value.

Accuracy

Keystroke accuracy = correct keystrokes ÷ total keystrokes × 100. This counts a mistake even if you later fix it. We also compute final-text accuracy (how much of your final text matches the target) and separate corrected from uncorrected errors.

Consistency

Consistency measures how steady your speed is, independent of how fast you are. We take the coefficient of variation (standard deviation ÷ mean) of your per-second raw speeds and map it to a 0–100 score: consistency = clamp(100 × (1 − CV), 0, 100). A perfectly even pace scores 100. On very short tests there are too few samples to trust, so we flag those results as rough estimates.

Errors and backspaces

We compare your input to the target character by character (treating multi-byte Unicode characters as single characters). Extra characters (typed past the end), missed characters (never typed), and mismatches are all tracked separately. Backspaces are counted but do not directly penalize your score beyond their effect on time and keystroke accuracy.

How time is measured

Time is measured from a real clock (performance.now()) starting on your first keystroke, not by counting animation frames. This keeps timing accurate even if your tab is throttled, your device is slow, or frames are dropped. For standard timed tests, time spent with the tab inactive still counts as elapsed time.

Why other sites give different numbers

Tests differ in whether they count spaces, how harshly they penalize errors, and how difficult their text is. A test that ignores spaces or uses easy words will report a higher number. The most useful comparison is your own trend on one consistent test.

Mobile vs physical keyboards

On-screen keyboards, autocorrect, and predictive text can change both speed and accuracy. For the most reliable measurement, use a physical keyboard.