25 word typing test
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This 25 word typing test gives you a fixed run of twenty-five common English words and times how long you take, from your first keystroke to the one that finishes the last word. Because the amount of text never changes, two attempts are directly comparable. At typical speeds it takes between 30 seconds and a minute, and you get net WPM, raw WPM, accuracy and a per-word speed breakdown at the end.
Fixed words, variable time
A timed test hands everyone the same clock and counts what they type. A words test turns that around: everyone gets the same amount of text, and the time is what varies. Neither is better in general, but the words version has two practical advantages.
You're never cut off. The test ends when you finish, not halfway through a word, so there's no partial word to account for. And you're never rushed at the start. The seconds before your first keypress are logged as start latency and left out of the timing, so you can read the first line before you begin.
There's one rule to know. If you stop for more than five seconds at any point, the result is marked as paused. It still appears in full on the results screen, but it isn't ranked.
How long 25 words takes
Twenty-five standard words are 125 characters. Our English list averages 5.08 letters a word, so with spaces the real text is about 150 keystrokes.
| Your speed | Time to finish 25 list words (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 30 WPM | 61 seconds |
| 45 WPM | 41 seconds |
| 60 WPM | 30 seconds |
| 90 WPM | 20 seconds |
At this size, one word left wrong removes about 4% of the characters from your net total, so at 60 WPM a single uncorrected typo costs a little over 2 WPM. That's less volatile than the 10-word test and more volatile than 50 or 100 words. Three runs and a median give a fair figure.
When to pick 25 words
Twenty-five words is a good daily check-in. It's short enough that you'll actually do it, long enough that one hesitation doesn't wreck the number, and because the text length is fixed, a week of results lines up neatly. Use it:
- as a two-minute routine before work: three runs, note the median;
- to test a change, such as a new keyboard or wrist position, with several runs each way;
- to practise a weakness, since the per-word breakdown shows the burst speed of every word.
When you want a result that represents sustained typing, move up to the 50-word test or a timed 1-minute test.
How the score is worked out
Net WPM takes the characters of each word you typed correctly, with its following space, divides by five and then by the elapsed minutes between your first and last keystroke. Raw WPM counts all characters typed. Accuracy is correct character keypresses divided by all character keypresses; backspace isn't counted, and an error you fixed still counts once. More detail is on the metrics page.
As for what counts as good: in a 2018 study by Aalto University and the University of Cambridge, about 168,000 volunteers averaged 52 WPM, and most fell between 30 and 60. Short tests like this one tend to read higher than long ones, so judge a 25-word score against the upper end of that range and expect your longer tests to come in a bit lower.
Frequently asked questions
When does the 25 word test start timing?
On your first accepted keypress. Time spent reading the words beforehand is start latency and isn't included.
What happens if I stop in the middle?
Nothing breaks. Pause for more than five seconds and the result is labelled paused, shown in full and left off the rankings. Keep typing and it finishes normally.
Can I add punctuation and numbers?
Both toggles are in the ribbon above the test. They make the words harder, so compare those results only with other punctuated runs.
Why is my 25 word score higher than my 5 minute score?
It's a short sprint with no time to tire, and every result on a short test is more sensitive to a good run. A longer test includes fatigue and more chances for errors.