Typing Speed Calculator
If you know how many characters you typed, this calculator converts them into characters per minute (CPM) and words per minute (WPM). Errors are subtracted to give your net speed.
What this tool gives you
CPM and WPM together
See character-based and word-based speed at the same time.
Error-adjusted net WPM
Incorrect keystrokes are deducted so you see usable speed, not just raw output.
Accuracy percentage
Correct characters as a proportion of everything you typed.
Works for any duration
Enter seconds, minutes or both for very short and very long sessions alike.
Characters per minute (CPM)
CPM is the simplest measure: the number of characters typed divided by the time in minutes. It avoids the ambiguity of what counts as a "word".
Converting CPM to WPM
A standard word is counted as five characters, including spaces. Divide CPM by five to get WPM. This is the same convention used by the typing tests on this site.
Net speed subtracts errors
Net WPM removes your incorrect keystrokes from the character total before converting to words. It is usually the fairest single number to track over time.
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Start the typing testTyping Speed Calculator FAQs
For typing speed measurement a word is standardised as five characters, spaces included. A 500-character passage therefore counts as roughly 100 words.
CPM is more precise because it does not depend on where word boundaries fall. WPM is more familiar and easier to compare with typical benchmarks.
Track net speed for progress, because it accounts for errors. Gross speed is useful for comparing raw output on a clean run.
Character-based measurement is common for data entry roles. Enter your total keystrokes and duration to get a CPM figure you can track.