Information about Words Per Minute

Words per minute, commonly abbreviated wpm, is a measure of input or output speed.

Typing

Words per minute (WPM) is a measure of typing speed, commonly used in recruitment.

Words per minute is also a measure of a telegraph or amateur radio operator's Morse code speed. Since the codes for different letters differ in length, one needs to specify a reference word. A commonly-used reference word is "PARIS".

For the purposes of WPM measurement a word is standardized to five characters or keystrokes. So, "fifth" counts as one word, but "fifteenth" counts as two.

The benefits of a standardized measurement of input speed are that it enables comparison across language and hardware boundaries. The speed of an Afrikaans-speaking operator in Cape Town can be compared with a French-speaking operator in Brussels.

Alphanumeric entry

In one study of average computer users, the average rate for transcription was 33 words per minute, and only 19 words per minute for composition.[1] In the same study, when the group was dividing into "fast", "moderate" and "slow" groups, the average speeds were 40 wpm, 35 wpm, and 23 wpm respectively. Two-finger typists, sometimes also referred to as "Hunt-and-Peck" typists can reach speeds of about 37 wpm for memorized text, and 27wpm when copying text.[2]

An average typist reaches 50 to 70 wpm, while some positions can require 80 to 95 (usually the minimum required for dispatch positions and other typing jobs), and some advanced typists work at speeds above 120.

Using a personalized interface, quadriplegic physicist Stephen Hawking managed to type 15 wpm with a switch and adapted software created by Walt Woltosz. Due to a slowdown of his motor skills, his interface was upgraded with an infrared camera that detects eye blinks. Actual wpm are unknown.

A less common form of finding the speed of a typist, the acronym CPM is used to identify the number of characters typed per minute. This measurement is not a common measurement of speed considering the difference between typing in different languages. 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. Also used occasionally for associating the speed of a reader with the amount they have read.

This is also a measurement that can be associated with older models of printers, but this is often not the case. The most common term associated with the speed of printers today is PPM (pages per minute).

Numeric entry

The Numeric Entry or 10 key speed is a measure of one's ability to manipulate the numeric keypad found on most keyboards. It is used to measure speed for jobs such as data entry of number information on items such as bills and checks. It is measured in 'Keystrokes per hour', or KPH.

Handwriting

People handwrite at about 31 words per minute for memorized text, and 22 words per minute while copying.[2]

Using stenography methods, handwriting speed goes above 100 wpm up to 250 wpm.

Reading and comprehension

Words per minute is a common metric for assessing reading speed. It is often used in the context of remedial skills evaluation. It is also used in the context of speed reading, 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, and with use of Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP), the speeds can quickly exceed 400wpm and reach 800wpm after an hour of practice.[4]

While proofreading materials, people are able to read at 200wpm on paper, and 180wpm on a monitor.[5]

Comprehension speeds have been assessed at 400 wpm for full comprehension, and research has shown that speed reading at 600 wpm can achieve about 70% comprehension, and 50% comprehension at 1000 wpm.

Speech and listening

Books on tape are recommended to be 150–160 words per minute, which is the range that people comfortably hear words.[6] Slide presentations tend to be closer to 100 wpm. Policy debaters often speak 350 to 400 words per minute, while Conversations are maintained at around 200 wpm, and although research by Ronald Carver has demonstrated that adults can listen with full comprehension at 300 wpm, even auctioneers can only speak at about 250 wpm. Another study demonstrated that full comprehension is only maintained in people at 210 wpm when speech is compressed.[7]

The speed of rapping is usually measured in syllables per second or minute. The fastest rapper in the world is MC Ricky Brown, whose record of 723 syllables in 51.27 seconds (14.1 syllables per second) is in the Guinness Book of Records called the "Rip-Rap-Rippety-Roo"

References

1. ^ Karat, C.M., Halverson, C., Horn, D. and Karat, J. (1999), Patterns of entry and correction in large vocabulary continuous speech recognition systems, CHI 99 Conference Proceedings, 568–575.
2. ^ Brown, C. M. (1988). Human-computer interface design guidelines. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing.
3. ^ Brown, C. M. (1988). Human-computer interface design guidelines. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing.
4. ^ Bailey, R.W. and Bailey, L.M. (1999), Reading speeds using RSVP, User Interface Update - 1999. [1]
5. ^ Ziefle, M. (1998), Effects of display resolution on visual performance, Human Factors, 40(4), 555-568.
6. ^ Williams, J. R. (1998). Guidelines for the use of multimedia in instruction, Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 42nd Annual Meeting, 1447–1451
7. ^ Omoigui, N., He, L., Gupta A., Grudin, J. and Sanocki, E. (1999), Time-compression: Systems concerns, usage, and benefits, CHI 99 Conference Proceedings, 136–143.

See also

External links

Typing is the process of inputting text into a device, such as a typewriter, computer, or a calculator, by pressing keys on a keyboard. It can be distinguished from other means of input, such as the use of pointing devices like the computer mouse, and text input via speech
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See also, Recruiter and Recruiting (athletics)
Recruitment refers to the process of finding right people for the right job or function, usually undertaken by recruiters.
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Telegraphy (from the Greek words (τηλη) = far and (γραφειν) = write) is the long-distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally by changing something that could
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Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a service that uses various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation and self-training.
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Morse code is a method for transmitting telegraphic information, using standardized sequences of short and long elements to represent the letters, numerals, punctuation and special characters of a message.
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Afrikaans}}} 
Official status
Official language of:
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'''The template is deprecated. Please use instead.
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Cape Town
Kaapstad, iKapa

Panorama of the Cape Town city bowl from the Waterfront to Table Mountain

Flag
Nickname: The mother city, or The Tavern of the Seas
Motto:
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French (français, pronounced [fʁɑ̃ˈsɛ]) is a Romance language originally spoken in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, and today by about 300 million people around the world as either
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Brussels
Bruxelles / Brussel

Grand Place / Grote Markt

Flag
Seal
Nickname: European Union capital, Comic City
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A data entry clerk is a member of staff who reads hand-written or printed records and types them into a computer. They are sometimes employed on a temporary basis, but most large companies which have large amounts of data will hire on a near-permanent basis.
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Interface may refer to:

In computer science:
  • Interface (computer science), an abstraction of a software component
  • Interface (Java), an abstract type which is used to specify an interface that classes must implement

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MeSH D011782 Quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, is a symptom in which a human experiences paralysis affecting all four limbs, although not necessarily total paralysis or loss of function.
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Physics is the science of matter[1] and its motion[2][3], as well as space and time[4][5] —the science that deals with concepts such as force, energy, mass, and charge.
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Stephen Hawking

Stephen William Hawking
Born January 8 1942 (1942--) (age 65)
Oxford, England
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Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than that of visible light, but shorter than that of radio waves. The name means "below red" (from the Latin infra, "below"), red being the color of visible light with the longest wavelength.
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Data processing is any computer process that converts data into information or knowledge. The processing is usually assumed to be automated and running on a computer. Because data are most useful when well-presented and actually informative
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Reading is an active skill-based process of constructing meaning and/or gaining knowledge from oral, visual, and written text (including Braille).

It is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas.
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Speed reading is a collection of reading methods which attempt to increase rates of reading without greatly reducing comprehension or retention. Such methods include using various psychological techniques such as chunking and eliminating subvocalization.
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Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) is a method of displaying information (generally text) using a limited space in which each piece of information is displayed briefly in sequential order.
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Proofreading traditionally means reading a proof copy of a text in order to detect and correct any errors. Modern proofreading often requires reading copy at earlier stages as well.
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audiobook is a recording of the contents of a book read aloud.

In 1933, anthropologist J.P. Harrington, drove the length of North America to record oral histories of Native American tribes on aluminum discs using a car battery-powered turntable.
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Slideshow is a modern concatenation of "Slide Show". A slideshow is a display of a series of chosen images, which is done for artistic or instructional purposes.
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Conversation is the verbalization of concepts involving abstractions and concrete objects which make up the world we live in.

A conversation is communication by two or more people, or sometimes with one's self, often on a particular topic.
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An auction is the process of buying and selling goods by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the winning bidder. In economic theory, an auction is a method for determining the value of a commodity that has an undetermined or variable price.
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A syllable (Ancient Greek: συλλαβή) is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds.
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No Clue (Ricky Brown) (born January 28, 1985)[1], based in Seattle, is the Guinness Book record holder for Fastest Rap MC.[2] He broke the record previously held by Chicago rapper Rebel XD (held for 13 years) who broke another Chicago native
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A world record is the best performance in a certain discipline, usually a sports event. In the United States the form world's record was formerly more common.
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second (SI symbol: s), sometimes abbreviated sec., is the name of a unit of time, and is the International System of Units (SI) base unit of time.

SI prefixes are frequently combined with the word second to denote subdivisions of the second, e.g.
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Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U.S. editions The Guinness Book of World Records
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Touch typing is typing without using the sense of sight to find the keys. Specifically, a touch typist will know their location through muscle memory. Touch typing usually places the eight fingers in a horizontal row along the middle of the keyboard (the home row) and has them
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