Guide 03
How WPM and Accuracy Are Calculated
About a 5-minute read
"What's your WPM?" is a familiar question, but what exactly does the number count? This guide explains how words per minute is calculated, the difference between gross and net speed, and how accuracy works.
A "word" is 5 characters
Real words have very different lengths, so typing tests use a standard word: 5 characters, including spaces and punctuation. That makes results comparable no matter which text you type.
WPM = (characters typed ÷ 5) ÷ minutes
Example
Say you type "Practice makes perfect." correctly in 6 seconds.
- The sentence has 23 characters (letters, two spaces and the period).
- 23 ÷ 5 = 4.6 standard words.
- 6 seconds is 0.1 minutes, so 4.6 ÷ 0.1 = 46 WPM.
Gross speed vs. net speed
Gross WPM counts everything you typed, mistakes included. Net WPM only counts what you typed correctly. BattleTyping's typing test reports net speed: incorrect characters don't count toward your score, so many typos lower your WPM. This is why typing accurately beats typing fast and sloppy.
How is accuracy calculated?
Accuracy is the share of characters you typed correctly. If you type a 50-character sentence and get 2 characters wrong, your accuracy is 96%.
Sentence Race works a little differently: you must fix typos before moving to the next sentence, and accuracy is based on how many wrong keystrokes you made along the way.
Why do different sites give different results?
- Gross or net: some sites count mistakes, some subtract them, some apply a penalty.
- When the timer starts: some start when the page loads, others at your first keystroke. BattleTyping starts at your first keystroke.
- Text difficulty: long words, capitals, numbers and symbols all lower speed at the same skill level.
- Test length: short tests tend to produce higher numbers than long ones because there's less time to tire.
That's why WPM means the most when you compare your own results on the same site under the same conditions.
Summary
- WPM counts 5 characters as one word.
- Net WPM only counts correct characters, so typos lower your speed.
- Accuracy is the share of correctly typed characters.