The average typing speed is around 40 words per minute (wpm) . However, for admins and executive assistants whose jobs heavily rely on computer skills, the average typing speed is around 60 words per minute. If you want to be very productive, you should aim for a typing speed of 65 to 70 words per minute. The highest typing speed ever recorded was 216 words per minute (wpm), set by Stella Pajunas in 1946, using an IBM electric typewriter. Currently, the fastest English language typist is Barbara Blackburn, who reached a peak typing speed of 212 wpm during a test in 2005, using a Dvorak simplified keyboard.

Typing speed can vary depending on the typing method used. For example, those who type with just two fingers using the "hunt and peck" method have an average speed of just 27 WPM, while the average touch typist using all 10 fingers types over 50 WPM, roughly twice as fast as those using the "hunt and peck" method.

To improve your typing speed, it is recommended to practice touch typing, which is when you use all of your fingers properly placed on the keyboard and type without looking at the keyboard. After ample practice, finding the right key will become second nature and your words per minute will progress and improve quickly.