How fast can you type?

Elliot here — I work on Datawrapper’s visualization code. For my chart this week I’m racing my coworkers. Ready, set… 🏁

Last year I began working from a shared office again after a long break. I had forgotten what it's like to hear the rapid-fire clickety-clack of my neighbors typing on their keyboards at a furious pace.

I wondered if I, too, might be able to get my thoughts out faster if I upgraded from my clumsy four-fingered technique to full touch typing. So I asked my coworkers here at Datawrapper to test their top typing speed and share how they would describe their typing style.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t a clear distinction in speed between those who used touch typing and those who didn't. Our co-CEOs David and Elana top the leaderboard (draw your own conclusions there!) but we’re overall quite a speedy bunch compared to the general public. A 2018 study found that the average typist clocked in at 52 words per minute:

This average is quite a bit lower than the professionally trained typists of the mid–20th century, who averaged about 75 wpm. And that's despite the fact that modern keyboards have some time-saving advantages over mechanical typewriters, like the ability to press the next key before the previous one is released.

For better or worse, despite a (niche) resurgence in speed typing competitions, touch typing is a fading skill among young people who are growing up mostly using touchscreens. But as I can attest, it’s never too late!

A fun fact I learned while researching this article: there is a French period rom-com about speed typing contests. Come back next week for a chart by Jonathan M!