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How to Type 40 WPM — The Average Adult Speed

How to Type 40 WPM — The Average Adult Speed

· 3 min read · by Robin Érsek-Obádovics

40 WPM is the average adult typing speed worldwide. Reaching it means you've matched the typical desk-worker baseline. For a typist already at 25-30 WPM, 3 weeks of daily 15-minute practice is enough to get to 40 WPM with high accuracy.

Where 40 WPM sits

Per WPM benchmarks:

At 40 WPM you can:

  • Write a 300-word email in 7.5 minutes
  • Keep up with most chat/IM conversations
  • Take typed notes at a moderate lecture pace
  • Feel like typing isn't really a friction for casual tasks

The 3-week plan to reach 40 WPM

Week 1: Accuracy lock-in (target: 30 WPM at 98% accuracy)

If your current accuracy is below 95%, you're constantly backspacing. Slow down:

  • Practice at a speed where you sustain 98% accuracy
  • This may feel slow (25-30 WPM range) but it locks in clean muscle memory
  • Goal by day 7: 30 WPM at 98% accuracy

Week 2: Weak-key drills (target: 33-37 WPM)

Identify 3-5 weakest keys. Common culprits:

  • Left/right pinky letters (q a z and p ;)
  • Less common letters (Z, X, Q)
  • Punctuation marks

Drill each for 5 min/day + 10 min normal practice.

  • Goal by day 14: 35 WPM at 96%+ accuracy

Week 3: Real-world text (target: 40 WPM)

Switch from typing-test text to real material (news articles, emails). The proper nouns, capitalization, and punctuation build real-world WPM.

  • Daily 15 min real-text practice
  • Goal by day 21: 40 WPM at 95%+ accuracy on real text

The common 30-WPM plateau

Many learners get stuck around 28-32 WPM. The cause is usually wrong finger habits built from hunt-and-peck — they touch type for some keys but revert to hunt-and-peck for others.

The fix: do the 10-finger method drills for one week, consciously using the correct finger for every key. Speed drops temporarily, then climbs past the plateau.

What 40 WPM unlocks

  • Average professional level for most office work
  • Comfortable for typing emails, documents, notes
  • No longer "the slow person" in chat conversations
  • Foundation for pushing to 60+ WPM (the next major threshold)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 40 WPM fast?

40 WPM is average — not fast. It's the typical untrained adult speed. Above 40 you're above average; below 40 you're below average. The "fast" threshold starts around 60 WPM.

Can I reach 40 WPM in 1 week?

Unlikely from a true beginner. From 30 WPM: maybe, with intensive daily practice. From 35 WPM: yes, 1-2 weeks of focused work.

What's the next goal after 40 WPM?

50 WPM (how to type 50 WPM) is the next meaningful milestone. Then 60 WPM is the fluent touch typist threshold.

Why am I stuck at 35 WPM?

Almost always accuracy or finger habits. Slow down for 1 week to 30 WPM at 99% accuracy, then push back up. See How to improve typing accuracy.

Does layout matter at this level?

No — the difference between QWERTY and Dvorak doesn't matter below 60 WPM. Focus on skill, not layout. See Should you switch from QWERTY?.

How often should I take typing tests?

Once a day during learning is enough. More frequent testing doesn't speed up improvement and can become a distraction.

Continue your journey

Practice on Typing Hero App — daily 15-minute sessions get you from 30 to 40 WPM in 3 weeks.

For the full milestone roadmap: How to type faster, WPM benchmarks, How to type 50 WPM.