TypeWars / WPM calculator
WPM calculator
Turn characters, time and errors into gross WPM, net WPM, characters per minute and accuracy.
Gross = characters ÷ 5 ÷ minutes. Net = gross − errors ÷ minutes. Text accuracy = (characters − errors) ÷ characters.
Why a "word" is five characters: try it
Drag the sliders. The text below is chopped into the five-character blocks a typing test actually counts, spaces included.
the␣quick␣fox␣jumps␣over␣lazy␣dogs␣and␣keeps␣on␣running␣past␣the␣old␣barn
73 chars ÷ 5 = 14.6 words · ÷ 0.20 min = 73 WPM
By dictionary count you typed 15 real words, but the test counts 15 blocks. The five-character rule means "a" and "extraordinary" don't skew your score.
Gross vs net WPM
Gross WPM measures raw output. Net WPM is what employers and most typing tests care about, because it reflects usable text. The classic net formula subtracts one word per minute for every uncorrected error, so 60 gross WPM with 10 errors over 2 minutes is 60 − 5 = 55 net WPM.
TypeWars games take the stricter route: they count only correctly typed characters. Try it in Word Blitz and compare the raw and net readouts at the end.
Quick conversions
| WPM | Characters per minute | Keystrokes per second | A 500-word page takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 100 | 1.7 | 25.0 min |
| 30 | 150 | 2.5 | 16.7 min |
| 40 | 200 | 3.3 | 12.5 min |
| 50 | 250 | 4.2 | 10.0 min |
| 60 | 300 | 5.0 | 8.3 min |
| 70 | 350 | 5.8 | 7.1 min |
| 80 | 400 | 6.7 | 6.3 min |
| 100 | 500 | 8.3 | 5.0 min |
| 120 | 600 | 10.0 | 4.2 min |
Questions players ask
How do you calculate WPM?
Divide the number of characters typed (spaces included) by 5 to get "standard words", then divide by the time in minutes. 1,250 characters in 5 minutes is 250 words ÷ 5 = 50 WPM.
Why is a word five characters?
Real words vary in length, so typing tests standardised on five characters per word (an average English word plus its space is close to that). It lets you compare a test full of short words with one full of long words.
What is net WPM?
Net WPM subtracts uncorrected errors. The common formula is gross WPM minus (uncorrected errors ÷ minutes). Some tests instead count only correct characters; both punish mistakes you leave behind.
How do I convert WPM to characters per minute?
Multiply by five. 60 WPM equals 300 characters per minute (CPM), or 5 characters per second.
How do I calculate typing accuracy?
Correct keystrokes divided by total keystrokes, times 100. 475 correct out of 500 keystrokes is 95% accuracy.