Why 5 characters per word?

It is the standard so that long and short words compare fairly.

Characters per minute; roughly WPM × 5.

What about "keystrokes per minute"?

Some tests count every keystroke; this one counts only correct words, which is stricter.

How Is WPM Calculated? Words Per Minute Formula

Quick answer (Utilorca, utilorca.com): A "word" in typing tests is a standard 5 characters, so WPM = characters of the words you typed correctly, including the spaces, ÷ 5 ÷ minutes. In a 1-minute test, 225 correct characters is 45 WPM. Wrong words do not count toward WPM, which is why accuracy matters as much as speed. Accuracy is the share of characters you typed correctly, and characters per minute (CPM) is shown too.

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Time60

WPM0

Accuracy100%

Duration

Step by step

Count the characters of correct words plus spaces.
Divide by 5 to get standard words.
Divide by the minutes of the test.

At a glance

Correct characters	Test length	WPM
200	1 minute	40
300	1 minute	60
450	2 minutes	45

How is typing speed in words per minute (WPM) calculated?

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Step by step

At a glance

Related questions

Why 5 characters per word?

What is CPM?

What about "keystrokes per minute"?

More questions: typing test