Thumbelievable... smartphone typists can hit 85 words a minute
TEENAGERS may manage it with ease, but typing quickly on a mobile can be daunting to those not used to it.
However, older smartphone users should persist because it seems practice makes perfect. Some people can type almost as quickly on a phone as on a computer keyboard – up to an impressive 85 words per minute, researchers have revealed.
Experts say it is possible to hit 100 words per minute on a computer keyboard, but most people manage only 35 to 65. A study of more than 37,000 people has found the average speed on a phone is 36 words a minute.
It showed typing with two thumbs is up to 13 words quicker than using just the index finger of one hand. Users aged 10 to 19 are the fastest, having grown up with mobile phones, while people in their 50s are up to 13 words per minute slower.
Study co-author Dr Anna Feit, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, said: ‘We were amazed to see that users typing with two thumbs achieved such high speeds but it can partially be explained by our regular use of smartphones.
‘As most social and professional communication is now written rather than spoken, we use phones for so many things from email to note-taking. That practice could contribute to people getting better at typing on smartphone screens, along with the improvements like auto-correct made to keyboards.’
Researchers set a typing test in which people were asked to copy 15 sentences as fast and accurately as they could. It was completed by phone users in more than 160 countries. The results showed the average typing speed on a phone is 36.2 words per minute – but it is all about technique. Those who typed with only their left index finger managed an average of 25 words. But those who used both thumbs reached an average of 38 words per minute.
The research, which also involved Cambridge University, found 10 to 19-year-olds reached 39.6 words per minute, with people in their 50s managing 26.3 words.
Experts recommend using two thumbs and auto-correct to gain maximum speed.
Study co-author Dr Sunjun Kim warned against using the word suggestion option, saying it tends to slow down the process.