Monkeytype Raw, Burst and WPM: What Each Means

The Short Answer

I read the definitions on Monkeytype's about page, and then I checked them against the site's open source code on GitHub. Every formula in this guide comes from Monkeytype itself, not from guesswork.

Here's what each number on the result screen means, how it's worked out, and which one to watch when you practice.

Where You See These Numbers

Finish a test and the result screen fills up fast.

The two big numbers are WPM and accuracy. Below them sit raw, characters, consistency and the test length. Monkeytype's about page says you can hover over some values to see them with decimals.

The chart is where burst shows up. Its legend includes wpm, raw, burst and errors.

There's a second kind of burst too, for single words. You can see it after the test in your word history, and Monkeytype can also show it live while you type.

That makes five numbers worth knowing, plus one word that means two slightly different things. We'll take them one at a time.

How Monkeytype Calculates WPM

Monkeytype's about page gives the formula. WPM is the "total number of characters in the correctly typed words (including spaces), divided by 5 and normalised to 60 seconds."

Three parts of that matter.

First, a word is five characters, whatever its real length. That's the standard used across typing tests, so a short word like "the" and a long one like "keyboard" both count by letters, not by word.

Second, spaces count. Every space you type after a correct word adds to your score.

Third, only correct words count. One wrong letter, and that whole word adds nothing to your WPM, even if the other letters were right. That's why a single slip can cost more than you'd think.

What Raw Means

Raw is your speed before mistakes are taken out.

Monkeytype says raw is "calculated just like wpm, but also includes incorrect words." It uses the same five character words, the same spaces and the same scaling to a minute, and the only difference is that a word with a typo still counts.

So raw tells you how fast your fingers moved. WPM tells you how much of that movement produced correct text.

Other tests call these gross and net speed, although they don't always work them out the same way. Our guide to gross vs net WPM compares the common methods.

Raw can't be lower than WPM. If every word is right, the two numbers match.

A Worked Example

Numbers make this easier. Say you take a 30 second test.

You type 250 characters in total, spaces included. Of those, 20 characters belong to words with at least one mistake.

Raw counts all 250. That's 250 divided by 5, which is 50 words in 30 seconds, or 100 raw.

WPM only counts the 230 characters in correct words. That's 46 words in 30 seconds, or 92 WPM.

The gap of 8 comes entirely from those few broken words. Fix them and your WPM climbs straight to 100, without your fingers moving any faster.

Why Raw Is Higher Than Your WPM

The gap between raw and WPM is a direct measure of what mistakes cost you.

A gap of 2 or 3 means only a few words broke. A gap of 10 or more means you're typing plenty of characters that never reach your score.

That's useful, because the fix is different in each case. A small gap says you can push your speed. A big gap says your fingers are already fast enough, and accuracy is the cheaper win.

Most people who stall at one speed have a big gap. Our post on how accuracy affects your real WPM has drills for closing it.

What Burst Means on the Result Chart

On the result chart, burst is your speed in each one second slice of the test.

Monkeytype's code counts the characters you typed in each second, then turns that count into a WPM number. Mistakes aren't removed, so it's a raw style speed.

That's why the burst line jumps around while the wpm line stays smooth, since the wpm line is an average of everything you typed so far. Burst only looks at the last second.

A tall spike usually means an easy run of short words. A deep dip often marks a hard word, a hesitation or a correction.

What Word Burst Means

The other burst is about single words.

Monkeytype times each word from your first key on it to your last, counting the space that ends it. Then it turns that into a WPM figure for that word alone. Its own settings describe this as "your raw for a single word."

After a test, hover over a word in your word history to see its burst. A setting called word burst heatmap colors the history by speed, so slow words stand out at a glance.

This is the most useful number for practice. It shows exactly which words drag your average down.

Live Burst While You Type

You don't have to wait for the result screen to see burst.

Monkeytype has a setting called live word burst style. It has three choices: off, text and mini. The last two show the speed in different sizes during the test.

With it on, you see the speed of each word right after you finish it, and some people find that helpful for keeping a steady pace.

Others find it distracting, since one slow word can make you rush the next one. If you're chasing accuracy, try a few tests with it hidden. Our list of Monkeytype settings that raise your WPM covers the rest of the display options.

The Min Word Burst Setting

Burst also powers one of Monkeytype's harder practice options.

The setting is called min word burst. In Monkeytype's words, it "automatically fails a test if your raw for a single word falls below this threshold."

There's a flex choice as well. Monkeytype says it lets the threshold drop automatically for longer words, so a long word doesn't fail you just for being long.

Set it a little under your normal speed and every hesitation ends the test. It's harsh. But it trains you out of stopping mid word. Turn it off again for normal tests, or most of your results will end early.

What Accuracy Measures

Accuracy on Monkeytype is the "percentage of correctly pressed keys."

Read that closely. It counts key presses, not finished words. A wrong key you fix with backspace still counts as a wrong key press.

So you can end a test with every word correct and still see accuracy in the 90s. Your WPM won't suffer from fixed mistakes, but your accuracy will.

The characters stat sits next to it. Monkeytype describes it as correct characters and incorrect characters, worked out after the test ends.

Watch accuracy over many tests, not one. A steady 97 is better than a jumpy 99 and 92.

What Consistency Means

Consistency is the number most people skip, and it's the hardest to read.

Monkeytype says it's based on the variance of your raw speed, worked out with the coefficient of variation and mapped onto a scale from 0 to 100. Closer to 100 is better.

In the code, the raw speeds it uses are the one second burst values from the chart. I ran Monkeytype's mapping formula on a few sample values. A variation of 10 percent gives about 90, 20 percent gives about 80, and 30 percent gives about 70.

So consistency is roughly 100 minus how much your speed swings, in percent. Our guide on typing rhythm explains why steady beats fast and jerky.

Which Number Should You Track?

Each number answers a different question.

1. 1WPM tells you how fast you produce correct text, so it's your main score.
2. 2The gap between raw and WPM tells you how much mistakes cost.
3. 3Accuracy tells you how clean your key presses are, fixed slips included.
4. 4Consistency tells you how steady your pace is.
5. 5Word burst tells you which words slow you down.

Track WPM over weeks, not single tests. Use the other four to decide what to practice next.

Compare Your Numbers Elsewhere

Monkeytype's rules aren't universal. Other typing tests count mistakes and words in their own ways, so the same typist can score differently on two sites.

That's no reason to distrust either site, but it does mean you should compare like with like and track one site over time.

If you'd like a second reading, you can race on TypingFastest and see where your speed lands there.

Just remember the five character word. Almost every test uses it, so most of the difference comes from how mistakes are handled.