How to Calculate Word Per Minute

Curious how communicative you are? Words per minute (WPM for short) is a measure that defines how quickly you can create and recognize words in your communication with others. No matter how fast you try to figure out how to type, speak, or read, the basic formula for finding your WPM is the same.

Finding Words Typed Per Minute

1.For quick results, use the online typing tester. Today, the easiest way to find out how many words you can type per minute is to use an online test program. Dozens of these programs are easy to find with search engine terms like "Word per minute test". While there are many types of programs available, most all work the same way: you type a list of words over a specific period, and the program uses your performance to calculate your WPM.

An excellent program for this is available at Word per minute test. The test on this page is simple: type each word on the screen until the minute timer is low and keep a space between each.

In addition to learning your WPM, this typing test will also tell you how many mistakes you made and what percentage of you took the test.

2.Alternatively, open the word processor and set the timer. You can also manually determine your typed WPM - for this, you'll need a typed computer program (like a word processor or notepad program), a timer or a stopwatch, and a source of text you can copy.

Set a timer for any period (in general, the longer you test yourself, the weaker you will be.)

Your text should be so long that you will not be able to reach the end before your timer expires.

If you do not have a word processor installed on your device, you can access one for free with Google Account.

3.Now start the timer and start typing. When you're all ready to go, start the timer, then start copying the text. Try to be as accurate as you can - if you notice a mistake while typing a word, correct it, but you don't have to finish the word already. Keep copying text until the timer stops, then pause immediately.

4.Here divide the number of words by the number of minutes. Now, getting your WPM is easy. Divide the number of words you typed for which you originally set your timer. Finally, you get your WPM.

Note that almost all modern word processors have a "word count" feature, so you do not need to count your words manually.

For example, suppose we type 102 words in 1 minute and 30 seconds. To find our WPM we need 102 words to get 68 WPM.

Finding Words Read Per Minute

1.Use the online test. If you are trying to figure out how many words you can read per minute, then again, one of the best for you is usually to use an online speed reading test program. These are a bit more common than typing speed tests but are still much better with search engine queries like "reading words per minute".

An excellent program is available on search engines. In this program, you give yourself time when you read text by default length. Once you finish, the program calculates your WPM of how quickly you reached the end.

2.Alternatively, take a stopwatch and copy a long strip of text into a word processor. As above, it is also possible to find the WPM you read manually. To do this, you need to open the word processor, paste a page or two of text into it (possibly something you haven't read before), then get ready to start the stopwatch.

Use your word processor's "word count" feature to determine how many words are in your text selection before you begin. Record this number - you will eventually need it.

Great place to find long text choices that haven't been read before on your favorite news website. You don't have to wait long to find something you haven't read, as the news is constantly updated.

3. Start stopwatch and start reading. When you are ready, start giving yourself time and start reading the text at the speed of your normal reading. You shouldn’t rush yourself unless you try to see your maximum reading speed - it won’t give you an accurate picture of how fast you will be reading in everyday life.

4.Divide the number of words by the time it takes you to read the text. Stop the stopwatch as soon as you read the last word in the text. Now, you can use the same formula as above to find your WPM: # words / # minutes.

For example, if it took us three minutes to read a 1,100-word story, we would find our WPM by dividing 1,100 / 3 = 366.7 WPM.

Finding Words Spoken Per Minute

1.Take a stopwatch and find a speech with a known number of words. It is a little harder to find your WPM than the above two methods. Most notably, there are no good online programs that can do the math for you. However, with a little effort, you can still find your speaking WPM manually. Start by copying a speech into your word processor (possibly a short word you haven't read before), then find the number of words in it with the processor's "Word Count" feature. You also need a stopwatch for this test.

A list of key historical speeches is available at the place of history. Many of these speeches (for example, George Graham Vest's "Tribute to the dog") are not familiar to the general public and have been excellent for this test.

2.Give yourself time as you give speeches. Start the stopwatch and start reading the text aloud. Speak at your normal speaking rate - again, there is no point in going fast unless you try to find your maximum speaking rate. Speak with moderate, conversational speed, pause whenever it feels natural.

3.Divide the number of words in a speech by the number of minutes it takes to deliver. As soon as you finish the speech, stop the stopwatch. Again, your WPM divides the number of words in a speech to estimate how many minutes it took you to speak it.

For example, if it takes us five minutes to give a 1000-word speech, we find our WPM by dividing 1,000 / 5 = 200 WPM.

4.Use natural conversation recordings for more accurate WPM. The above test is fine for determining your WPM, but it is not exactly accurate. When we speak in our daily lives, there is something different than the way we speak - for example, many people read aloud and speak more slowly and clearly on purpose. In addition, since you are reading the written text, the test is a partial test of your reading speed, not your natural speaking speed.

To get the most accurate results you need to record someone speaking to yourself for a long, continuous period in a semi-contextual setting, counting the words manually and dividing the number of words by the number of minutes. It's hard work, but it's the most accurate measure of your actual speaking speed.

A great way to talk to yourself for a long time is to gather a group of friends and tell them a long, detailed story that you know well and have told before. That way, you don't have to pause to remember how the story unfolds - you're just limited by your natural speaking speed.