How typing speed is measured: WPM, net, gross and accuracy

Typing speed is reported as words per minute, WPM, and a word means five characters, spaces included. Gross WPM counts every character you type. Net WPM counts only the characters that match the text when the clock stops. Accuracy shows how many of your keystrokes were right. This test shows net WPM as its main figure, with gross speed and accuracy beside it, so its numbers can differ from another test you have taken.

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Why five characters make a word

Real words vary in length, so counting them would make a result depend on which text was used. A fixed convention of five characters, with spaces and punctuation included, makes results comparable from one test to the next. The five is a convention, not a measured average of English words, and the same count applies whatever the words are.

Because spaces count, a passage is counted the same way whatever it says. The word counter counts real words instead, so its total is a different measure and should not be compared with a WPM figure.

Gross, net and accuracy

This test works out its three figures in a specific way, and the formulas are worth knowing:

• Gross WPM is every character you typed, divided by five, divided by the minutes elapsed.
• Net WPM is the characters in the box that match the text when the clock stops, divided by five, divided by the minutes.
• Accuracy is the keystrokes that matched the text when you typed them, divided by all keystrokes.

Take a one-minute test with 300 keystrokes. Of those, 288 matched the text when typed, so 12 were mistakes. At the end, 285 characters in the box match the text, because three wrong characters were never fixed. The figures are:

• Gross: 300 ÷ 5 ÷ 1 = 60 WPM.
• Net: 285 ÷ 5 ÷ 1 = 57 WPM.
• Accuracy: 288 ÷ 300 = 96.0%.
• Result panel: 285 of 300 correct characters.

Net is below gross because it leaves out characters that are still wrong. Accuracy also counts a mistake you fixed, because the wrong keystroke was still typed.

Why two tests give different results

Length matters first. Net and gross are divided by the test length, so a 30-second test gives each keystroke twice the weight it has in a one-minute test. One slip moves a short result more, so compare results from the same length only.

Text matters too. Punctuation, numbers, capital letters and unfamiliar names are harder to type, and a passage full of them gives a lower figure. This test uses a shuffle of everyday sentences written for it. Other tests use other passages, so the same typist can score differently on each.

Error handling differs as well. Some tests count only the words that were finished. Some take a penalty for each error. This test counts net characters and accuracy, as described above, which is why its FAQ says it can read lower than a test that shows gross speed.

Start time matters. Here the clock starts on your first character, so the time spent reading the passage is not counted.

How this test scores a missed letter

This is the part that surprises people. The test compares each character you type with the character in the same position of the passage. If you skip a letter, every later keystroke sits one place out of line, and each one counts as a mistake until you go back.

Backspace removes wrong characters from the box, but it does not take them out of the mistake count. In a browser check, one skipped letter followed by seven more keystrokes gave seven mistakes. Backspacing to the gap and retyping the rest correctly left those seven in the count, and accuracy settled at 58.8%, which is 10 correct keystrokes out of 17.

The practical rule is to fix a skipped or wrong letter as soon as you notice it. Every keystroke after it is scored against the wrong place until you do.

How to practise without losing accuracy

1. Pick the length first. A 30-second test suits short bursts of practice. A 2-minute test averages over more keystrokes, so one bad stretch moves it less.
2. Aim for accuracy before speed. Slow down until the mistakes count stops climbing, then raise the pace a little. A higher speed with rising mistakes is practice in the wrong thing.
3. Watch accuracy as well as the net figure. Accuracy records every error you made, including the ones you fixed, so it shows where the trouble is.
4. Fix each error when you see it, as described above.
5. Check the keyboard. A key that does not respond looks like a typing error. Test the keyboard lights each key as you press it. For keys that never reach the page, see keyboard keys that do not work, and for combinations of keys, ghosting and rollover.

Edge cases

• Phones and tablets. Autocorrect is turned off for the test box, but some phone keyboards still change words, and those changes show up as mistakes. Use a physical keyboard when you want a clean figure.
• What the box accepts. The box holds one line. Enter is ignored, paste and drop are blocked, and Escape restarts the test.
• Short results. A result from 30 seconds moves more with each slip than one from 2 minutes, so set the same test length when you compare.
• Privacy. The test runs in the page. Nothing you type is recorded or sent.