How typing speed is measured: WPM, raw WPM, accuracy and consistency
Updated October 22, 2026 · 2 min read
Every typing test reports words per minute, but not every test counts the same way. Here is the common definition, exactly how Monkeytype and a few other sites calculate their numbers, and why your score moves when you switch sites.
A word is five characters
For measuring typing, a word is not a word: it is any five characters, spaces and punctuation included. "I run" is one word by this count, and "let's talk" is two. That way a test full of short words and a test full of long ones can be compared fairly.
How Monkeytype counts
These definitions come from Monkeytype's own About page, which explains each number on its result screen.
- WPM: the characters in the words you typed correctly, spaces included, divided by five and scaled to one minute. A word with a mistake left in it does not count.
- Raw WPM: the same calculation, but counting every word you typed, right or wrong.
- Accuracy: the percentage of key presses that were correct.
- Consistency: how steady your raw speed was through the test, from 0 to 100, where closer to 100 means steadier.
- The graph: the WPM line is a running average, while the raw line shows your speed moment by moment.
Gross, net and keystroke counts elsewhere
Other sites use other rules. SpeedTypingOnline reports gross WPM, every character you typed divided by five per minute, and net WPM, which subtracts one word per minute for each error you left uncorrected; fixing a mistake is not penalised twice because it already cost you time. 10FastFingers counts keystrokes, so a capital or an accented letter adds extra strokes, and it asks for an anti-cheat check above 120 WPM. TypeTest.io counts correct characters, much like Monkeytype.
Publishes its formulas in full, a good read if you want to know exactly where your number comes from.
Counts keystrokes rather than characters, so text with capitals and accents can raise your score there.
What is a normal speed?
A 2018 study by researchers at Aalto University analysed 136 million keystrokes from 168,000 volunteers and found an average of about 52 WPM, with the fastest above 120. Short tests of common words, like Monkeytype's default 30 seconds of the 200 most frequent English words, usually produce higher numbers than typing ordinary text, so compare yourself on the same test each time.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between WPM and raw WPM on Monkeytype?
WPM counts only the words you typed correctly; raw WPM counts everything you typed, so it is always the same or higher. A big gap between them means mistakes are costing you speed.
Why does my speed drop on longer tests?
Fatigue and harder stretches of text add up over time, and a single slow patch matters less in a 15-second test. That is one reason to compare your scores only on tests of the same length.
More from Games Like Monkeytype
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Games where typing is the controller: free shooters and races in the browser and paid adventures on Steam, with prices checked on October 22, 2026.