Words per minute
Encyclopedia
Words per minute, commonly abbreviated wpm, is a measure of input
Input/output
In computing, input/output, or I/O, refers to the communication between an information processing system , and the outside world, possibly a human, or another information processing system. Inputs are the signals or data received by the system, and outputs are the signals or data sent from it...

 or output
Output
Output is the term denoting either an exit or changes which exit a system and which activate/modify a process. It is an abstract concept, used in the modeling, system design and system exploitation.-In control theory:...

 speed.

For the purposes of WPM measurement a word
Word
In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own...

 is standardized to five characters or keystrokes. For instance, "I run" counts as one word, but "rhinoceros" counts as two. "Let's talk" would also be considered two words because the space key counts as a keystroke.

One benefit of a standardized measurement of input speed is that it enables comparison across language and hardware boundaries.

Alphanumeric entry

In one study of average computer users, transcription was 33 words per minute, and only 19 words per minute for composition. In the same study, when the group was divided into "fast", "moderate" and "slow" groups, the average speeds were 40 wpm, 35 wpm, and 23 wpm respectively.

An average professional typist types usually in speeds of 50 to 80 wpm, while some positions can require 80 to 95 (usually the minimum required for dispatch positions and other time-sensitive typing jobs), and some advanced typists work at speeds above 120. Two-finger typists, sometimes also referred to as "hunt and peck" typists, commonly reach sustained speeds of about 37 wpm for memorized text and 27 wpm when copying text, but in bursts may be able to reach speeds of 60 to 70 wpm.

A less common measure of the speed of a typist, CPM is used to identify the number of characters typed per minute. This is a common measurement for typing programs, or typing tutors, as it can give a more accurate measure of a person's typing speed without having to type for a prolonged period of time. The common conversion factor between WPM and CPM is 5. It is also used occasionally for associating the speed of a reader with the amount they have read. CPM has also been applied to 20th century printers, but modern faster printers more commonly use PPM (pages per minute).

The fastest typing speed ever, 216 words per minute, was achieved by Stella Pajunas-Garnand from Chicago in 1946 in one minute on an IBM electric
IBM Electric typewriter
The IBM Electric typewriters were a series of electric typewriters that IBM manufactured, starting in the mid-1930s. They used the conventional moving carriage and typebar mechanism, as opposed to the fixed carriage and type ball used in the IBM Selectric, introduced in 1961...

. However, recent emergence of several typing websites has made headway for several fast typists on normal computer keyboards to emerge along with new records, though unverifiable for the most part. Two of the most notable (and considered genuine) among these are the all-time records of speed set on typingzone.com, a famous offline typing website, by a Brazilian, Guilherme Sandrini Kukkains, who typed a 241.82 wpm on an english text in one of the monthly masters of the site, where 6 characters is equated to 1 word, which when calculated in terms of the general custom (5 characters = 1 word) yields 290.184 wpm and 256 wpm (a record caught on video) by American, Sean Wrona, renowned for winning the Ultimate Typing Championship
Ultimate Typing Championship
The Ultimate Typing Championship is a typing competition designed to identify and award the fastest typists around.-History:The Ultimate Typing Championship was created in order to promote typing and find the fastest typists in USA. Players compete against each other in typing races. Typing races...

, on a famous online typing competition site TypeRacer
TypeRacer
TypeRacer is a multiplayer online browser-based typing game.TypeRacer was launched in March 2008, and claims to be the first multiplayer typing game on the web. Site users compete by racing miniature cars that advance as the users type short passages of 20 to 100 words. Accuracy is required; any...

, in what is considered the highest ever legitimate score ever set on the site. . Both of these records are basically sprint speeds on short text selections lasting far lesser than 1 minute and were achieved on Qwerty keyboard.

Numeric entry

The Numeric Entry or 10 key speed is a measure of one's ability to manipulate the numeric keypad
Numeric keypad
A numeric keypad, numpad or tenkey for short, is the small, palm-sized, seventeen key section of a computer keyboard, usually on the very far right. The numeric keypad features digits 0 to 9, addition , subtraction , multiplication and division symbols, a decimal point and Num Lock and Enter keys...

 found on most keyboards. It is used to measure speed for jobs such as data entry of number information on items such as remittance advice
Remittance advice
A remittance advice is a letter sent by a customer to a supplier, to inform the supplier that their invoice has been paid. If the customer is paying by cheque, the remittance advice often accompanies the cheque...

, bills, or checks. It is measured in "Keystrokes per hour", or KPH. Many jobs will require a certain KPH, often 8,000 or 10,000.

Handwriting

The average human being hand-writes
Penmanship
Penmanship is the technique of writing with the hand using a writing instrument. The various generic and formal historical styles of writing are called hands, whilst an individual personal style of penmanship is referred to as handwriting....

 at 31 words per minute for memorized
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....

 text and 22 words per minute while copying.

Using stenography (shorthand) methods, this rate increases greatly. Handwriting speeds of up to 282 wpm have been achieved in shorthand competitions.

Reading and comprehension

Words per minute is a common metric for assessing reading speed and is often used in the context of remedial skills evaluation, as well as in the context of speed reading
Speed reading
Speed reading is a collection of reading methods which attempt to increase rates of reading without greatly reducing comprehension or retention. Methods include chunking and eliminating subvocalization...

, where it is a controversial measure of reading performance.

A word in this context is the same as in the context of speech.

The average American adult reads prose text at 250 to 300 words per minute.
While proofreading
Proofreading
Proofreading is the reading of a galley proof or computer monitor to detect and correct production-errors of text or art. Proofreaders are expected to be consistently accurate by default because they occupy the last stage of typographic production before publication.-Traditional method:A proof is...

 materials, people are able to read at 200 wpm on paper, and 180 wpm on a monitor.

Speech and listening

Audiobooks
Audio book
An audiobook or audio book is a recording of a text being read. It is not necessarily an exact audio version of a book or magazine.Spoken audio has been available in schools and public libraries and to a lesser extent in music shops since the 1930s. Many spoken word albums were made prior to the...

 are recommended to be 150–160 words per minute, which is the range that people comfortably hear and vocalize words. Research has demonstrated that adults can listen with full comprehension at 300 wpm.

Slide presentations
Slideshow
A slide show is a display of a series of chosen information or pictures, done for artistic or instructional purposes. Slide shows are conducted by a presenter using an apparatus, such as a carousel slide projector, an overhead projector or in more recent years, a computer running presentation...

 tend to be closer to 100 wpm, auctioneers can speak at about 250 wpm, and the fastest speaking policy debaters speak from 350 to over 500 words per minute. Internet speech calculators show that various things influence words per minute including nervousness.

John Moschitta, Jr.
John Moschitta, Jr.
John Moschitta Jr. is a spokesperson and performer best known for his rapid speech delivery. He appeared in over 100 commercials as "The Micro Machines Man" as well as an award winning 1981 ad for FedEx....

 was listed in Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...

, for a time, as the world's fastest speaker, being able to talk at 586 wpm. He has since been surpassed by Steve Woodmore, who has achieved a rate of 637 wpm.

Morse Code -- CW (continuous wave)

It is common to hear twenty wpm among experienced ham radio operators sending Morse Code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...

 using a one-hand "key". There are several CW organizations that routinely send at sixty wpm. The newest keys are designed for speed and minimum damage to the operator's hand. The fastest CW operator was Ted McElroy copying at 75.6 wpm at the 1939 world championship. Here is a realistic high-speed CW exchange.

See also

  • Touch typing
    Touch typing
    Touch typing is typing without using the sense of sight to find the keys. Specifically, a touch typist will know their location on the keyboard through muscle memory. Touch typing typically involves placing the eight fingers in a horizontal row along the middle of the keyboard and having them...

  • Colemak
  • Dvorak Simplified Keyboard
    Dvorak Simplified Keyboard
    The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard is a keyboard layout patented in 1936 by Dr. August Dvorak and his brother-in-law, Dr. William Dealey. Over the years several slight variations were designed by the team led by Dvorak or by ANSI...

  • QWERTY
    QWERTY
    QWERTY is the most common modern-day keyboard layout. The name comes from the first six letters appearing in the topleft letter row of the keyboard, read left to right: Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The QWERTY design is based on a layout created for the Sholes and Glidden typewriter and sold to Remington in the...

  • Speed reading
    Speed reading
    Speed reading is a collection of reading methods which attempt to increase rates of reading without greatly reducing comprehension or retention. Methods include chunking and eliminating subvocalization...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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