How fast do people type on phones?
A large study by researchers at Aalto University and the University of Cambridge, published in 2019 with over 37,000 volunteers, measured an average of about 36 WPM on smartphones, compared with about 52 WPM for a similar group on physical keyboards. Two-thumb typists were faster than one-finger typists, and the fastest phone typists passed 80 WPM.
Tips for a fair phone result
- Turn off autocorrect and predictive text for a true measurement, or leave them on to see your everyday speed.
- Use both thumbs and hold the phone in portrait mode.
- Try landscape on a tablet. The bigger keyboard can add 10 WPM or more.
How we score your test
Every serious typing test uses the same unit: one "word" equals five keystrokes, spaces included. That keeps a test fair whether the text is full of short words or long ones. Here is exactly what each number on your results means:
- WPM counts only the characters in words you typed correctly (plus the spaces after them), divided by 5, divided by minutes. This is the headline number and the hardest one to inflate.
- Gross WPM counts every character you typed, right or wrong. The gap between gross and WPM shows how much speed your mistakes cost you.
- Net WPM is gross WPM minus uncorrected errors per minute, the formula many employers and older typing tests use.
- Accuracy is the share of keystrokes that were correct, including ones you later fixed with backspace.
- CPM is correct characters per minute, and keystrokes per hour (KPH) is the figure data entry employers ask for.
- Consistency shows how steady your pace was from second to second. Higher is smoother.
- Errors are wrong, missing and extra letters left in words when you pressed space. A space that skips unfinished letters counts as a wrong keystroke.
Fair on phones: curly quotes and dashes inserted by iPhone and Android keyboards count the same as the plain keys, the test ignores where you tap inside the text, and leaving the page stops the clock instead of ruining your score. Swipe typing and word suggestions are allowed but labeled, because whole words arriving at once is not comparable with typing key by key. Pasted text is ignored.
More typing tests
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- Number Typing TestNumber typing test for 10-key and data entry practice
- Typing Test for KidsA friendly typing test for kids with short, simple words
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- Coding Typing Test for ProgrammersTyping test for programmers with real JavaScript, Python and SQL snippets
- Customer Service Typing TestTyping test for customer service and live chat agents
Frequently asked questions
What is the average typing speed on a phone?
About 36 WPM according to a large 2019 study, with skilled two-thumb typists reaching 60 to 80 WPM or more.
Does autocorrect affect my score?
Autocorrect can fix or introduce mistakes. Our test reads the final word you typed, so it still works, but turning autocorrect off gives the most accurate result.