How We Calculate WPM, Raw WPM and Accuracy
Last updated · by the FastTypings team
Every FastTypings result shows three numbers: WPM, raw WPM, and accuracy. This page explains exactly how each one is calculated — the same formulas the typing engine runs in your browser — so you know what your score means and how it compares with other sites.
WPM (net words per minute)
Your headline score counts only the characters you typed correctly, converts them to standard 5-character words, and divides by the time taken:
- Correct characters are the characters of the text you typed correctly, including the spaces between words. Mistakes you leave in are not counted.
- ÷ 5 converts characters to standard words, the convention used by nearly every typing test.
- Minutes run from your first keystroke to the end of the test: when the timer runs out in a timed test, or when you type the last character in a word-count test.
Raw WPM
Raw WPM counts everything you typed, right or wrong, including extra characters typed past the end of a word:
It shows how fast your fingers moved. The gap between raw WPM and WPM is the speed you lost to mistakes.
Accuracy
An extra characteris one typed after a word is already complete, before the space — for example typing “thee” instead of “the”. These never match the text, so they always count as errors, but they stay inside the current word and can't spill into the next one.
Backspace and corrections
Backspace removes the last thing you typed, including its error. A mistake you fix doesn't count against your WPM or accuracy — but the time spent fixing it does, which is why accuracy and speed go together.
Races: block on error
In bot races and multiplayer, a wrong key is simply ignored: you can only move forward by typing the correct character. That stops anyone mashing keys to the finish line, and it means race WPM is effectively 100% accurate — mistakes cost time rather than points.
Worked example
A 60-second test where you typed 270 characters of the text and left 6 mistakes in, plus 4 extra characters:
| Score | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| WPM | (270 − 6) ÷ 5 ÷ 1 | 52.8 → 53 |
| Raw WPM | (270 + 4) ÷ 5 ÷ 1 | 54.8 → 55 |
| Accuracy | 1 − (6 + 4) ÷ 274 | 96.4% → 96% |
All three numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number on the result screen.
Comparing with other sites
Most typing tests use the same ÷ 5 convention, so differences usually come from the text (common lowercase words vs. quotes with capitals and punctuation) and from whether the site reports net or raw speed. To compare fairly, use similar text and duration, and compare our WPM with the other site's net WPM. To see how your score ranks, read average typing speed or pick a target on typing speed goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why divide by 5?
A “word” in typing tests is a standard 5 characters, including spaces and punctuation, not an actual dictionary word. This makes scores comparable whatever the text: typing “a” and typing “antidisestablishmentarianism” are not treated as one word each.
Do corrected mistakes lower my score?
Not directly. If you backspace and fix a mistake, the error is removed and the corrected character counts as correct. Fixing mistakes still costs time, though, so it lowers your WPM indirectly.
Why is my WPM lower than my raw WPM?
Raw WPM counts every character you typed; WPM counts only correct ones. The gap between them is the speed you lost to uncorrected mistakes.
Why does my race WPM differ from my test WPM?
Races block on error: a wrong key is ignored until you type the right one, so mistakes cost time instead of being subtracted from the score. Most people's race WPM reads a little lower than their test WPM.