Words per minute

Words per minute, commonly abbreviated wpm, is a measure of input or output speed.

For the purposes of WPM measurement a word is standardized to five characters or keystrokes^{[citation needed]}. So, "eliot" counts as one word, but "rhinoceros" counts as two. "Let's talk" would also be considered as two words, because the space key counts as a keystroke.

The benefits of a standardized measurement of input speed are that it enables comparison across language and hardware boundaries. The speed of an Afrikaans-speaking operator in Cape Town can be compared with a French-speaking operator in Paris.

Alphanumeric entry

In one study of average computer users, the average rate for transcription was 33 words per minute, and only 19 words per minute for composition.^[1] In the same study, when the group was divided into "fast", "moderate" and "slow" groups, the average speeds were 40 wpm, 35 wpm, and 23 wpm respectively.

An average professional typist reaches 50 to 70 wpm, while some positions can require 80 to 95 (usually the minimum required for dispatch positions and other typing jobs), and some advanced typists work at speeds above 120.

Two-finger typists, sometimes also referred to as "hunt and peck" typists, commonly reach sustained speeds of about 37 wpm for memorized text, and 27 wpm when copying text but in bursts may be able to reach up to 60 to 70 wpm.^[2]

A less common form of finding the speed of a typist, the initialism CPM is used to identify the number of characters typed per minute. This is a common measurement for typing programs, or typing tutors, as it can give a more accurate measure of a person's typing speed without having to type for a prolonged period of time. Also used occasionally for associating the speed of a reader with the amount they have read. CPM is also a measurement that can be associated with older models of printers, but this is often not the case. Due to the high speed of today's printers this measurement is now defunct and the most common term used today is PPM (pages per minute).

Numeric entry

The Numeric Entry or 10 key speed is a measure of one's ability to manipulate the numeric keypad found on most keyboards. It is used to measure speed for jobs such as data entry of number information on items such as bills and checks. It is measured in 'Keystrokes per hour', or KPH.

Handwriting

Reading and comprehension

Words per minute is a common metric for assessing reading speed. It is often used in the context of remedial skills evaluation. It is also used in the context of speed reading, where it is a controversial measure of reading performance.

A word in this context is the same as in the context of speech.

The average American adult reads prose text at 250 to 300 words per minute, and with use of Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP), the speeds can quickly exceed 400 wpm and reach 800 wpm after an hour of practice.^[3]

While proofreading materials, people are able to read at 200 wpm on paper, and 180 wpm on a monitor.^[4]

Comprehension speeds have been assessed at 400 wpm for full comprehension, and research has shown that speed reading at 600 wpm can achieve about 70% comprehension, and 50% comprehension at 1000 wpm.^{[citation needed]}

Speech and listening

Books on tape are recommended to be 150–160 words per minute, which is the range that people comfortably hear and vocalize words.^[5][6] Another study demonstrated that full comprehension is only maintained in people at 210 wpm when speech is compressed.^[7] Additional research by Ronald Carver has demonstrated that adults can listen with full comprehension at 300 wpm.^{[citation needed]}

Slide presentations tend to be closer to 100 wpm,^{[citation needed]} auctioneers can speak at about 250 wpm,^{[citation needed]} and policy debaters generally speak from 350^[8] up to in excess of 500 words per minute.^[9][10]

John Moschitta was listed in Guinness World Records, for a time, as the world's fastest speaker, being able to talk at 586 wpm.^[11] He has since been surpassed by Steve Woodmore, who has achieved a rate of 595 wpm.^[12]

See also

• Touch typing
• Speed reading

References

External links

• Online typing test (free)
• Baud rates in WPM
• Online typing practice plus free WPM tests