The formulas, written out
| To get… | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| WPM from words | words ÷ minutes | 500 words in 10 min = 50 WPM |
| WPM from characters | (characters ÷ 5) ÷ minutes | 1,500 chars in 5 min = 60 WPM |
| CPM | WPM × 5 | 50 WPM = 250 CPM |
| KPH | WPM × 300 | 50 WPM = 15,000 KPH (prose) |
| Words from WPM | WPM × minutes | 40 WPM × 30 min = 1,200 words |
What the “word” actually is
Every conversion above rests on one convention: a word is five characters, spaces included. It’s why “the cat sat” and “photosynthesis reaction” score comparably, why WPM transfers across languages and tests, and why character counts are the more honest input when you have them — paste-counted characters ÷ 5 sidesteps the question of what your word processor considers a word. One caution on the KPH row: WPM × 300 gives prose KPH; numeric 10-key KPH is a separate skill with its own benchmarks and its own test.
Common conversions people look up
How long to type 1,000 words at 40 WPM? Twenty-five minutes. A 5,000-word document at 60 WPM? About 83 minutes of pure typing — real drafting takes multiples of that, which is the practical gap between typing speed and writing speed. Speaking pace for comparison runs 130–160 WPM, which is why transcription’s arithmetic is so unforgiving. And if you’re converting because a test result surprised you, calibrate against the main test and the percentile ladder — measured beats computed.