Spacebar Speed Test

About this test

The spacebar is the longest key on the board and also the one with the most definite travel: depending on the model you have to push it two to four millimetres down before the press registers. That's why people hit it noticeably slower than a mouse button. With a single thumb, the spontaneous rate sits around 5 to 7 hits per second; going above that means alternating two fingers or both hands.

Several outside factors change the result. Keyboard type first: a membrane board makes you collapse a rubber dome that has to spring back before the next hit, while a low-travel mechanical switch resets far faster. Then the operating system: some keyboards and configurations don't send more than a hundred or so events per second, which is plenty here but can merge two very close presses. Finally fatigue, which arrives fast over ten seconds: the last third of the test is almost always slower than the first, and that's normal.

What this test does not measure: your actual typing speed. Hammering one key has nothing to do with stringing different letters together, where coordination between hands and keyboard memory are what count. For that, a typing test tells you far more.

How it works

Counting starts on your first spacebar press and runs for ten seconds. Each key-down event the browser reports is counted once; automatic repeats from holding the key down are ignored. Your final score is the number of presses divided by ten.