How WPM Is Calculated
The standard formula divides total characters typed by five (to normalize word length) and then by elapsed time in minutes. Gross WPM counts every character regardless of errors, while Net WPM subtracts the number of errors per minute from the gross figure. For example, 250 characters typed in one minute with five words' worth of errors gives a gross WPM of 50 and a net WPM of 45. Gross WPM flatters error-heavy typing, so Net WPM is the figure to use when you want a realistic gauge of your level.
Typical WPM Ranges
A 2018 study of 168,000 online typing test takers and 136 million keystrokes (Aalto University and collaborators) measured an average of 51.56 WPM with a standard deviation of 20.2, in a distribution with a long tail toward the fast end. The fastest participants reached 120 WPM or more, and the average uncorrected error rate was 1.167%. The same study found that participants with formal typing training averaged only about 5 WPM more than those without, which suggests that how you practice has more influence on speed than whether you were formally taught. Touch typing, meaning typing with all fingers without looking at the keyboard, is the usual starting point for anyone aiming at the fast end of that range.
Improving Your Typing Speed
Short daily sessions of 15 to 30 minutes tend to settle the finger movements better than an occasional long one. Put accuracy first: if you push speed while making frequent errors, you drill the wrong finger movements into muscle memory and have to unlearn them later. Pick out the letter combinations you stumble on and practice those on purpose, rather than typing general text for the same amount of time. Keeping a record of your results shows where you are stalling, which is usually the signal to change what you practice rather than how much.