Typing is a skill that is useful for many people regardless of their line of work. Increasing typing speed is therefore necessary to be proficient in the job and even in your studies if you are a student.

Here are few facts you need to know about typing speed:

1. Typing speed is measured in Words per Minute (wpm).

2. For measuring typing speed, words are standardized to five keystrokes or characters long. This will include the spaces as well as the punctuations. For Example, the words Rhinoceros and “Lets walk” count as two words while the phrase “I run” counts as a single word.

3. The record of the fastest typing is held and was set in 1946 by Stella Pajunas. She used an IBM electric typewriter and recorded a superb speed of 216 wpm. Currently however the fastest typewriter has a speed of 212wpm.

4. The average word per minute speed is a mere 41.4 wpm, which is far below the records that have been set. It is however, considered to be good typing speed. Boys however, are recorded to be faster typist than girls having a speed of 44wpm as opposed to that of the girls of 37wpm. This is odd however, bearing in mind that girls love practicing their typing skill more than boys do. For the sake of those who may wonder how we are getting these values, let us look at how to determine typing speed. It is an easy task when you have the resources. For the most part and the easiest for many is to go online to sites that provide this service. On these sites, you will find out if you are better than the average typist is. If you are, do not stop there keep on practicing. If however, you find yourself below average, there are some typing tips at Ratatype that can help you increase your speed over time. These tips can also help you if you are just beginning to learn this skill.