Quick Answer
The math is simple: divide the word count by your typing speed. At an average 40 words per minute, 1,000 words takes 25 minutes. These numbers describe pure typing, the time it takes to copy or transcribe text you already have. Writing something new is a different question, covered in how long it takes to write 1,000 words.
Time to Type 1,000 Words by Typing Speed
| Typist | WPM | 1,000 words |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 20 | 50 min |
| Slow | 30 | 33.5 min |
| Average | 40 | 25 min |
| Large online test average | 52 | 19 min |
| Fast | 60 | 16.5 min |
| Professional typist | 70 | 14.5 min |
| Very fast | 80 | 12.5 min |
| Expert | 100 | 10 min |
| Competitive | 120 | 8.5 min |
The 52 WPM row comes from a 2018 study of 136 million keystrokes from volunteers who took an online typing test. People who choose to take a typing test are probably faster than average, which is why 40 WPM is still the common figure for everyday typists.
Typing Time for Other Lengths
| Words | 40 WPM | 60 WPM | 80 WPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | 6.5 min | 4 min | 3 min |
| 500 | 12.5 min | 8.5 min | 6.5 min |
| 1,000 | 25 min | 16.5 min | 12.5 min |
| 1,500 | 37.5 min | 25 min | 19 min |
| 2,000 | 50 min | 33.5 min | 25 min |
| 3,000 | 1 hr 15 min | 50 min | 37.5 min |
| 5,000 | 2 hr 5 min | 1 hr 24 min | 1 hr 3 min |
What Changes the Real Time
- Phone vs. keyboard: A 2019 study of 37,000 mobile typists measured about 36 WPM on average, so a phone adds a few minutes per 1,000 words for most people.
- Mistakes: Typing tests often report net speed, which already subtracts errors. In real documents, stopping to fix typos and formatting adds time on top.
- Source material: Copying from paper or audio is slower than copying from a second screen, because you look away from the keyboard and pause the recording.
- Fatigue: Short tests measure peak speed. Over a long session most people settle below their test score.
Find Your Own Number
Type for exactly five minutes from any printed text, then paste the result into the Word Counter. Divide the word count by five to get your words per minute, and divide 1,000 by that number to get your time. For context on what counts as fast, see the average typing speed guide.
Sources
- Dhakal, V., Feit, A.M., Kristensson, P.O., & Oulasvirta, A. (2018). Observations on Typing from 136 Million Keystrokes. Proceedings of CHI 2018.
- Palin, K., Feit, A.M., Kim, S., Kristensson, P.O., & Oulasvirta, A. (2019). How Do People Type on Mobile Devices? Observations from a Study with 37,000 Volunteers. Proceedings of MobileHCI 2019.