10 word typing test
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The 10 word typing test is a burst: ten common English words, timed from your first keystroke to your last. There's no countdown and you can't be cut off mid-word, so the result is pure finger speed over a few seconds. You see net WPM, raw WPM, accuracy and the speed of each word. It's the quickest way to compare two keyboards, try a new layout or check you've warmed up.
How a words test is timed
The timer starts on your first keypress, not when the page loads. Any time you spend reading the words before you start is logged as start latency and doesn't count against you. The timer stops on the keystroke that completes the tenth word.
If you stop for more than five seconds partway through, the result is marked as paused. You still see every number, but a paused result isn't ranked. That way an interrupted run never lands on a public board.
Why ten words swings so much
Ten words is a very small sample. Counted as standard five-character words it's about 50 characters; on our English list, where the average word has 5.08 letters, it's closer to 60 keystrokes including spaces. At 60 WPM you'll finish in about 12 seconds.
That means tiny events move the result:
| What happens | Effect on a 60 WPM run |
|---|---|
| A half-second hesitation on one word | drops to about 58 WPM |
| One word left with a typo | net loses about a tenth of its characters, roughly 6 WPM |
| A draw of very short words | can push the score up by several WPM |
None of these say much about your typing. They're noise. So a single ten-word score isn't a number to quote; take five or six runs and look at the middle of them. Tab gives you a fresh set of words instantly.
When ten words is the right test
It earns its place in a few specific situations:
- Comparing two keyboards or switch types back to back, where you want many quick runs on each. Our post on mechanical keyboards and typing speed covers what to expect.
- Learning a new layout, when anything longer is discouraging. The Colemak test and the other layout tests emulate the layout in the browser.
- Warming up before a 1-minute test or a race.
For a number that represents you, use 50 or 100 words, or a timed test.
Scoring, briefly
Net WPM counts the characters in words typed exactly right, including the space after each word, divided by five and by the minutes from first to last keystroke. Raw WPM counts every character typed. Accuracy is correct character keypresses over all character keypresses, with backspace ignored and fixed errors still counted. The metrics page has worked examples.
Very fast bursts are common on ten-word tests, and every result is recomputed on our server from the keystroke log. Results whose keystroke timing looks machine-made stay off the public boards.
What's a good 10 word score?
Expect it to be your highest number on the site. The 2018 Aalto University and Cambridge study of about 168,000 volunteers put the average at 52 WPM, with most people between 30 and 60, and short tests tend to read above that kind of average. If your ten-word bursts are 20 or more WPM above your 1-minute score, your hands are fast and your pacing or accuracy over longer text is what to work on.
Frequently asked questions
Does the time I spend reading before I start count?
No. Everything before your first keypress is start latency and is excluded from the timing.
Why isn't my 10 word result on the leaderboard?
A gap of more than five seconds marks the result as paused, which keeps it off the rankings. Results below 90% accuracy, typed on a phone or saved without signing in aren't ranked either.
Is a 10 word test good for practice?
It's fine for warming up and for feeling a difference between setups. For steady improvement, the drills in practice mode target your slow keys more directly.
Can I change the language of the ten words?
Yes, the Language setting switches the word list. The site has tests in 49 languages.