Typing speed test
Type Vietnamese words with diacritics for 1 or 3 minutes. The clock only starts on your first keystroke, so take your time. When time runs out, you'll see your words per minute and your accuracy.
What WPM and accuracy mean
WPM is the number of words you type in one minute. To keep long and short words fair, a "word" is counted as five characters, spaces included. Typing 200 characters in a minute is 40 WPM, whether that means lots of short words or a few long ones.
Accuracy is the share of finished words you typed correctly. The two numbers go together: typing 70 words a minute with ten or so mistakes usually costs more time than a clean 50, because fixing things is what really eats the clock. The total score at the end is WPM multiplied by accuracy, so you have a single number to track.
A note specific to Vietnamese: letters with diacritics take more keystrokes than they have characters, so the same person's Vietnamese WPM is usually lower than their English WPM. The benchmarks below already account for that.
How the 1-minute and 3-minute tests differ
The 1-minute test gives a quick result, is easy to repeat many times, and is the length most reference tables are based on. The downside is that the number swings a lot, since a few hard words or one lapse in focus is enough to pull it around.
The 3-minute test is closer to real typing, where you have to keep your rhythm across many sentences in a row. It shows whether your speed holds up, and results tend to be steadier from one attempt to the next. If you practice touch typing week by week, the 3-minute test is a better yardstick for comparing this week with last week.
Benchmarks
The ranges below are rough estimates to check yourself against, based on the 1-minute test with Vietnamese words with diacritics. They aren't any organization's standard, and the lines between groups are soft.
| Group | Words per minute | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | about 20 to 30 | Just switched to touch typing, or still typing with two fingers and looking at the keys |
| Office | about 40 | Common among everyday computer users for email and documents |
| Fast | over 60 | Fluent touch typist, keeps up with slow speech or takes notes in meetings |
| Professional | over 80 | Data entry, secretaries, editors; usually people who type for a living |
How to read your result
Do three runs and take the average
Words are drawn at random, so each run is a little harder or easier than the last. A single run says more about that day's set of words than about you.
Look at accuracy first, speed second
If your accuracy is below about 90%, the WPM number doesn't mean much yet, because in real life you'd have to go back and fix most of those mistakes. Slow down a little until the mistakes clearly drop, then speed back up.
Compare yourself with last week
Benchmarks only tell you roughly where you stand. What's worth tracking is whether your number climbs steadily week by week or has stalled, because a stall means there's a bad habit to fix.
Try the 3-minute test once the 1-minute one is solid
If your 3-minute result is clearly lower than your 1-minute one, your hands are tiring early or you're losing focus after the first minute. Both improve with better posture and regular practice.
How to type faster
If you type with two fingers and look at the keyboard, no small trick will help much. What makes the biggest difference is switching fully to ten-finger typing and dropping the habit of looking down. Expect one to two uncomfortable weeks, and after that you won't go back.
The touch typing page has a path that goes row by row, a Telex and VNI tone-mark chart, and a 15-minute daily plan to take you from today's number to the next group.
Frequently asked questions
- What is WPM?
- WPM is the number of words typed in one minute. By common convention, a "word" counts as five characters, so the measure is fair across words of different lengths. The test here uses the same convention.
- What is the average typing speed?
- Everyday computer users usually sit around 40 words a minute. People just learning touch typing are often around 20 to 30, while professional data-entry typists can go past 80. These are reference points, not fixed standards.
- Why is Vietnamese WPM usually lower than English?
- Because a letter with diacritics takes more than one keystroke. "ường" is four characters but takes about seven keystrokes in Telex. WPM counts characters, not keystrokes, so the same person usually scores lower typing Vietnamese than typing English. Don't compare those two numbers.
- Should I take the 1-minute or the 3-minute test?
- The 1-minute test is for quick checks you can repeat many times, and it's the length most reference tables use. The 3-minute test is closer to real work and shows whether your speed holds up after the first minute. Start with 1 minute, and once you're comfortable, add one 3-minute test each week.
- How is accuracy calculated?
- Words typed correctly divided by words finished. A word with one wrong character counts as entirely wrong, just as in real life you'd have to go back and fix it. The total score is WPM multiplied by accuracy.
- Are my results saved?
- Yes, right in your browser, with no account needed. If you switch devices or clear your browser data, your old results are gone.
- How can I type faster?
- Type with all ten fingers and quit looking at the keyboard for good. That one change makes the biggest difference, bigger than every other trick combined.
Next step
Once your number is steady, put that speed to work on something harder than single words: listen to a clip of English and write it down word for word. English dictation practice trains your ears and hands in the same exercise.