Is 60 WPM a Good Typing Speed?
Is 60 WPM a good typing speed? Yes — solidly above average and professionally workable for most careers. Good for casual work, sufficient for most office jobs, room to grow for typing-heavy professions. Here's where 60 WPM thrives and where you might want more.
What 60 WPM means
Compared to benchmarks
- Average adult: 40-50 WPM
- You at 60 WPM: 25-50% above average
- Average touch typist: 60-80 WPM
- You at 60 WPM: bottom of touch typist range
Indicates
- Trained touch typist (probably)
- Comfortable with full keyboard
- Multiple years experience
- Above-average skill
Where 60 WPM thrives
Office work
- Email management comfortable
- Document creation efficient
- Meeting notes keep up
- Career-supporting speed
Light content creation
- Bloggers: 60 WPM workable
- Personal writers: comfortable
- Documentation: efficient
Most professional roles
- Project management typing
- Sales / CRM updates
- Marketing copy
- Customer-facing communication
Programming
- Adequate for coding
- Auto-complete helps
- Code quality > typing speed for most
Where 60 WPM is just OK
Heavy content creation
- Daily blogging: could be faster
- Novel writing: workable but slow
- Multiple articles/day: aim for 70-80
Customer support live chat
- Customers wait at 60 WPM
- 75+ WPM ideal
Data entry
- Below 80 WPM industry standard
- Pay tiers above your level
Where 60 WPM falls short
Court reporting / stenography
- Stenotype 225+ WPM required
- Different skill entirely
Live captioning
- Real-time pressure
- Need 80+ minimum
Top-tier journalism
- Deadline writing
- Aim for 90+ WPM
Elite competition
- Online typing leaderboards
- 180+ WPM range
Should you improve from 60 WPM?
Yes, push higher if
- Type 4+ hrs/day
- Speed matters in career
- Want competitive edge
- Approaching plateau frustration
Maybe push if
- Type 2-4 hrs/day
- Mild speed interest
Stay at 60 WPM if
- Light daily typing
- Speed adequate for needs
- Other priorities
ROI from 60 → 80 WPM
Math
- 60 WPM: 1000 words in 17 min
- 80 WPM: 1000 words in 13 min
- Savings: 4 min per 1000 words
For daily 3000-word output: ~12 min/day saved.
Effort
- 8-12 weeks focused practice
- 30 min daily
- Diminishing returns above 80 WPM
Worth it for daily writers, not casual users.
What's holding 60 WPM users back
Common patterns at 60 WPM plateau
- Weak letters not addressed
- Number row hesitation
- Symbol fumbling
- Burst speed only (sustained drops)
Solutions
- Keybr finds weak letters
- Number row drill (How to master number row)
- Symbol practice for programmers
- Sustained sessions for endurance
The 60 → 80 WPM path
Step 1: Accuracy first
- Confirm 95%+ accuracy at current speed
- If lower: drop speed, raise accuracy first
Step 2: Weak-key targeting
- Identify 5-10 weakest letters (Keybr)
- Drill 10 min daily
- 2-3 weeks for substantial improvement
Step 3: Increase intensity
- Push to 110% comfortable speed
- Tolerate slight error increase
- Push for 4-week intensive
Step 4: Real-world application
- Type all work at new speed target
- Don't fall back to comfortable pace
- Build new normal
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 60 WPM impressive?
Above average, not impressive. 80+ is impressive.
Career impact of 60 WPM?
Workable for most. Not stellar for typing-heavy roles.
Will 60 WPM ever feel slow?
For light typists: no. For heavy typists: yes.
Hard to go from 60 to 80?
Doable in 2-3 months focused practice.
Best to push speed or accuracy at 60?
Accuracy at 95%+ first, then speed.
Plateau at 60 WPM common?
Very common. Many stop here without external push.
Push higher if you want
60 WPM is good. 80 WPM is better. Typing Hero App — free, no signup. Push your speed if it matters.
For more: What is a good typing speed, How to type 80 WPM, Typing plateau breakthrough.