Is 25 WPM Good?
25 WPM
Developing. Faster than about 12% of typists.
25 WPM is a little below average. Most adults type around 40 WPM, so you are close. A few weeks of short daily practice will usually get you there.
Think you can beat 25 WPM?
What 25 WPM looks like in real life
| Characters per minute | 125 |
| Keystrokes per hour | 7,500 |
| A 150 word email | 6 minutes |
| A one page letter (500 words) | 20 minutes |
| A 2,000 word essay | 1 h 20 min |
| A 50,000 word novel draft | 33 h 20 min |
Pure typing time at a steady pace, not counting thinking and editing.
Jobs where 25 WPM is enough
- ⬜ General office, receptionist (often 35+ WPM)
- ⬜ Customer service and live chat (often 40+ WPM)
- ⬜ Administrative assistant (often 45+ WPM)
- ⬜ Executive assistant (often 50+ WPM)
- ⬜ Legal and medical secretary (often 60+ WPM)
- ⬜ Transcriptionist (often 65+ WPM)
- ⬜ Fast-turnaround transcription and captioning (keyboard) (often 80+ WPM)
How 25 WPM compares
| Speed | Level | Faster than |
|---|---|---|
| 0–24 WPM | Beginner | 0–10% |
| 25–39 WPM | Developing | 12–47% |
| 40–54 WPM | Average | 50–77% |
| 55–69 WPM | Above average | 79–91% |
| 70–89 WPM | Fast | 92–98% |
| 90–109 WPM | Very fast | 98–99.4% |
| 110–129 WPM | Expert | 99.4–99.8% |
| 130+ WPM | Elite | 99.8–99.9% |
Percentiles are estimates based on published averages for adult typists (about 40 WPM on a keyboard). See the research.
How to get from 25 to 35 WPM
Learn proper touch typing first: fingers on the home row, eyes on the screen. Ten minutes a day beats an hour once a week. Read the full guide on how to type faster.
← Is 20 WPM good? · Is 30 WPM good? →
Frequently asked questions
Is 25 WPM good?
25 WPM is a little below average. Most adults type around 40 WPM, so you are close. A few weeks of short daily practice will usually get you there.
How many characters per minute is 25 WPM?
25 WPM is 125 characters per minute, because one word is counted as five characters.
How many keystrokes per hour is 25 WPM?
About 7,500 keystrokes per hour, before counting backspaces and corrections.
How long does it take to type 1,000 words at 25 WPM?
About 40 minutes of continuous typing.