[7/14 Update] We didn’t realize the current record had been captured on video — added it below!
Hi TypeRacers!
Today we want to share the history of TypeRacer speed records. Whether you’re a statistics hack, or just a typist looking for some inspiration, the data should give you some food for thought. If you’re up for the challenge, click here to try and beat the current 295wpm record, racing against Kathy’s (florentine) ghost:
Replay of the 295wpm site-wide record — try to beat it in Ghost racing mode!
Here’s a video which includes a keyboard/finger view. Don’t blink – it’s blazing fast and over in a second!
Moving into history mode, this race is one in a history of progressively-astonishing speed records on TypeRacer. The table below shows all of the individual, single race speed records from the first day that TypeRacer began recording users’ race history in 2008, and we’ve illustrated the data with various charts. Various observations, as well as notes on how the data has been collected, are below. If you’re interested in TypeRacer-related data, you might enjoy TypeRacerData.com, a third-party database — hosted by former speed champion Noah (licahfox) — which offers extensive TypeRacer statistics.
Many of the champions below can also be found in the TypeRacer Discord Chat so stop by if you want to discuss or say hi! (Unofficial — sometimes NSFW)
Site-Wide Speed Record Progression
| Date | Speed Record (wpm) | User |
| 7/27/08 | 49.44 | typeracer |
| 7/27/08 | 60.33 | typeracer |
| 7/28/08 | 65.17 | typeracer |
| 7/28/08 | 71.67 | typeracer |
| 7/28/08 | 81.84 | typeracer |
| 8/2/08 | 112.25 | valikor |
| 8/2/08 | 126.79 | valikor |
| 8/2/08 | 134.45 | valikor |
| 8/2/08 | 149.49 | valikor |
| 8/2/08 | 150.85 | valikor |
| 8/2/08 | 156.77 | valikor |
| 8/2/08 | 157.58 | valikor |
| 8/7/08 | 162.48 | valikor |
| 8/8/08 | 167.36 | kakarotto |
| 8/8/08 | 170.87 | licahfox |
| 8/8/08 | 212.67 | licahfox |
| 1/13/10 | 214.82 | tsvuk |
| 2/5/10 | 232.19 | minilek |
| 8/28/10 | 247.17 | arenasnow2 |
| 9/20/10 | 252.12 | arenasnow |
| 8/29/11 | 255.56 | arenasnow2 |
| 4/1/15 | 259.05 | kellysgreens |
| 7/3/15 | 269.94 | chickenquestion |
| 3/4/17 | 276.16 | florentine |
| 5/25/17 | 276.4 | florentine |
| 6/27/17 | 279.55 | deroche1 |
| 6/28/17 | 294.81 | florentine |
The individual site-wide speed records across the history of TypeRacer, excluding early races by staff during testing and the first few days back in 2008 — with a linear trendline.
We’ve excluded staff from the above chart to improve readability, as well as eliminate the unfairness of these early records; some of these records were from internal testing during the days before account creation and race saving were publicly available. If we put these scores back in, the progression of TypeRacer records becomes a bit more messy.
The comprehensive history of TypeRacer speed records, including by staff, with a linear trendline.
An alternative histogram format:
Clicking any of the charts above will take you to the TypeRacer Site Speed Records spreadsheet on Google Drive, where you can download and tinker with the data and charts if you’re so inclined.
Observations
- Sean Wrona (arenasnow2) held the longest record (255.56 wpm) which was unbeaten for 3 years and 7 months.
- Noah’s 212wpm record represented the greatest single increase to the site record — beating the previous record (also held by him) by 42wpm.
- TypeRacer staff Alex (TypeRacer) and myself – David (valikor) – hold the largest number of individual records. Of course, we had an entirely unfair advantage using the site before it was publicly released.
- New features released in the past year – such as the ability to watch replays and ghost race against any user’s races – has given TypeRacers greater control over which texts they’re typing, enabling them to select select any easy quote at will, contributing to an upsurge in record breaking in the past year.
- For 7+ years, TypeRacer all-site records were held exclusively by male typists, but in the past 2 years there’s been a surge of elite female typists — Kelly (kellysgreens) and Kathy (florentine) — who now hold 4 out of the last 6 speed records. Good work ladies!
The Fine Print
A few notes are below, and will help some answer frequently-asked questions from anyone who digs into the data.
- Records from typists who were later banned for cheating are excluded, as are a small number of other records deemed illegitimate for a variety of reasons.
- All data is from typists using keyboards. Records achieved by typists using stenography are excluded for fairness. If we included these, the current champion would be Ted (stedno) who typed 346wpm (replay) using Plover Steno. Good job Ted!
- Replay scores may not perfectly match recorded scores because it takes a fraction of a second for your browser to communicate with TypeRacer servers that you’ve completed the race. The impact is generally negligible but may be larger when extremely fast typists type the short, easier texts designed for beginners–a technique often employed for record breaking. This can be accomplished by joining a private race track hosted by a slower typist, or racing against the ghost of a slower typist. TypeRacer does not encourage this but nonetheless considers all records achieved in this manner to be legitimate.
- Thanks to Sean Wrona (arenasnow), who first compiled the raw data.
We hope these records can inspire everyone on the site to continue improving their typing speed, and hopefully we’ll see more record breaking soon!
David (valikor)
TypeRacer
