60 WPM Typing Speed: Is It Good? What the Benchmark Means

Sixty words per minute is the number more typists aim for than any other. It is fast enough for professional work, realistic enough to reach with a few months of practice, and concrete enough to measure. But what does "60 wpm typing speed" actually mean — and is 60 WPM good?

Short answer: yes, 60 WPM is good. It sits at the professional level, above the adult average of around 40 WPM, and it is the range many office and data-entry roles look for. This benchmark guide explains how the number is calculated, what it feels like in real work, and what reaching it takes. For a full week-by-week speed plan, see the speed guide.

What 60 WPM means in real terms

Words per minute counts how many standard words you type in one minute, where one word equals five characters including spaces. At this speed you are producing about 300 characters a minute — roughly a full sentence every ten seconds, or a short email in two to three minutes. That is the speed at which typing stops being the bottleneck and thinking becomes the bottleneck, which is exactly what professional work needs.

For comparison: under 30 WPM is beginner level, 30 to 40 is average for everyday use, 40 to 60 is above average, 60 to 80 is professional, 80 to 100 is advanced, and above 100 is competitive. A "60wpm" result therefore means you type half as fast again as the average adult — a genuine, employable skill, not a party trick.

How WPM is calculated: gross, net and raw

The standard formula is simple: count your correct characters, divide by five to get words, and divide by minutes. That gives gross WPM. Net WPM goes further and subtracts errors, so it reflects usable output rather than raw keystrokes. Raw WPM ignores errors entirely and shows your pure keystroke speed.

Why does this matter? Because a test that reports only raw speed flatters you. If you type 70 raw WPM with 85 percent accuracy, your usable output is far lower than someone typing a clean result at this level at 98 percent accuracy. Monkey Type Test reports WPM, raw WPM and accuracy together so you can see all three — and if your raw speed is much higher than your WPM, accuracy work, not speed work, is your next step.

From 30 words per minute to 60 WPM

The jump from 30 to 60 WPM is mostly about accuracy and rhythm, not finger speed. At 30 WPM most typists look at the keys, use wrong fingers, and correct constantly. Fix those three things and speed follows. Spend two weeks on home-row and accuracy drills until you can type without looking at 95 percent accuracy, even if that means typing slowly.

Then add speed in small steps. Take one 60-second test a day at full effort, and spend the rest of practice at a comfortable pace with punctuation turned on. Increase the effort gradually — never by sacrificing accuracy for a headline number. Most typists who practice fifteen minutes a day reach 60 WPM within two to three months, and the ones who get there fastest are usually the ones who slowed down first.

What reaching the benchmark takes: drills that work

Three drills cover most of the journey. First, the accuracy drill: type easy words slowly until you can complete a full minute above 97 percent accuracy. Second, the burst drill: type for thirty seconds as fast as you can, rest, and repeat — bursts teach your fingers what fast feels like without letting fatigue wreck your form. Third, the real-text drill: type paragraphs with punctuation, capitals and numbers, because clean practice text flatters you and real documents do not.

Measure weekly, not daily. Daily scores jump around with mood, sleep and keyboard; weekly averages at the same test length tell the truth. And when you hit this benchmark, celebrate it properly — then set the next target at 70, because the same routine that got you to 60 will carry you further.

Frequently asked questions

Is 60 WPM typing speed good?

Yes. Sixty WPM is professional level, above the adult average of around 40 WPM, and in the range many office and data-entry roles look for.

How is WPM calculated?

Correct characters are divided by five to get words, then divided by minutes. Net WPM also subtracts errors; raw WPM ignores them.

What is the difference between 60wpm and 60 WPM?

None — "60wpm" is just the same measurement written without a space.

How long does it take to go from 30 to 60 WPM?

With about fifteen minutes of daily practice, most beginners reach 60 WPM within two to three months, with accuracy work first.