Ready, text, go: typing speeds on mobiles rival keyboard users

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Global test finds those using two-thumb technique can hit a blistering 38 words per minute

Think of it as an upside to spending hours on a smartphone. Thanks to all that dextrous thumb work, people can now type nearly as fast on a screen as they can on a keyboard.

Researchers made the discovery during a study of typing skills in which more than 37,000 volunteers from 160 countries took a speed and accuracy test on their mobile phones.

People who tapped out messages with a single finger managed on average only 29 words per minute (wpm), but those who mastered the two-thumb technique hit a blistering 38wpm, only 25% slower than an average typer on a full-sized Qwerty keyboard.