Paragraphs vs random words
Most people score a little lower on paragraphs because of capitals and punctuation, but the result is closer to how you type emails, essays and reports. Employers' typing tests usually use paragraphs too. Our passages are short, original pieces of everyday English, so you won't be typing the same famous text you've seen elsewhere.
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.
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Frequently asked questions
Does the paragraph test include punctuation?
Yes. Passages include capital letters, commas, apostrophes and periods, like real writing.
Is a paragraph test harder than a word test?
Slightly. Most people lose a few WPM to capitals and punctuation.