Is 70 WPM Good?
70 WPM is approximately the 82nd percentile — above average — comfortably past the 51.6 WPM study mean.
70 WPM ≈ 82nd percentile (study mean: 51.56 WPM).
- Speed70 WPM
- Approx. percentile82nd
- Study mean / SD51.56 / 20.2
- Professional range55–90 WPM
Normal approximation of the Aalto/Cambridge 136M-keystroke study distribution — labeled estimate, not a lookup table.
70 WPM in context
Approximating the Aalto 136-million-keystroke distribution (mean 51.56, SD 20.2) as normal, 70 WPM lands near the 82nd percentile — above average — comfortably past the 51.6 WPM study mean. Reference points: hunt-and-peck typists average ~27, typing-test users ~41, touch typists 50+, professional standards 55–90, elite 120+. Accuracy is half the game: at 92% accuracy, one keystroke in twelve costs you correction time that raw speed can’t buy back.
Nearby: 60 WPM · 80 WPM · full benchmarks.
Frequently asked questions
Is 70 WPM good?
70 WPM is approximately the 82nd percentile against the largest typing study's distribution (mean 51.6, SD 20.2) — above average — comfortably past the 51.6 WPM study mean.
What jobs need 70 WPM?
Data entry and transcription roles commonly ask 60-80+; general office standards run ~40; personal-assistant listings often say 60+.
How do I get faster?
Touch typing with all ten fingers, then rollover technique (pressing the next key before releasing the last) — the study's fastest cluster used rollover on nearly half of keystrokes.
Sources & methodology
Sources: Dhakal et al., CHI 2018.
Percentile is a normal approximation from the study's published mean and SD; the study skews younger, which likely flatters high speeds slightly.