How to type faster: touch typing, accuracy and a 10-minute daily plan

What words per minute means

Typing speed is measured in words per minute (WPM). A "word" is counted as five characters, including spaces, so long and short words even out. Most tests show two numbers: WPM, which counts only correct characters, and raw WPM, which counts everything you typed including mistakes. A big gap between them means errors are slowing you down.

Figures vary by test and text: quotes with punctuation are slower than lists of common words, so compare yourself on the same kind of test each time.

Step 1: learn touch typing

Touch typing means typing without looking, with each finger responsible for its own keys. It feels slower for the first week or two, then overtakes hunt-and-peck for good.

1. Find the home row. Left fingers on A S D F, right fingers on J K L ;, thumbs on the space bar. The F and J keys have small bumps so you can find them without looking.
2. Learn the finger zones. Each finger moves straight up and down from its home key. Left index covers F, G, R, T, V and B; right index covers J, H, U, Y, M and N. The little fingers take the outer keys, including Shift and Enter.
3. Add rows gradually. Master the home row, then the top row, then the bottom row, rather than everything at once.
4. Return to home after every key. This is what makes the positions automatic.
5. Cover your hands if you keep glancing down. A tea towel over the keyboard works surprisingly well.

Step 2: accuracy before speed

Every mistake costs you the wrong key, a backspace and the right key again. Pushing for speed before your fingers know the way just trains errors. A good rule:

• Below 95% accuracy: slow down until you're consistently above it.
• Above 97% accuracy: it's time to push the pace a little.
• Type in rhythm. An even beat, even a slow one, is faster overall than bursts and pauses.
• Fix the keys you miss most. Most people have a few problem keys; drilling them pays off quickly.

Step 3: a 10-minute daily practice plan

Short and daily works better than long and occasional, because skills like typing consolidate between sessions. Expect a dip in speed when you first switch to touch typing; most people get back to their old speed within a few weeks and keep climbing after that.

Practising in Key Race

Key Race is a free, minimal typing test that covers each step:

• Typing lessons. Open the lessons for 17 steps from F and J, through the whole home row, the top row and the bottom row, to every letter, with word drills in between. The lessons are built for a physical keyboard.
• Tests. Choose time (15, 30, 60 or 120 seconds), words (10, 25, 50 or 100), quote, zen mode with no target, or custom text you paste in. There's also a daily 30-second test with the same words for everyone.
• Results. See WPM, raw WPM, accuracy and consistency after each test, with a chart, personal bests and a history.
• Weak keys. Stats shows your key accuracy and which keys you miss most, with a button to practise them.
• Ghost races. Tap Challenge a friend after a test to make a link with your exact words and a replay of your typing. Your friend races your ghost caret. You can also race Pip, a built-in 62 WPM ghost.

Press Tab then Enter to restart quickly. Results, personal bests and settings stay in your browser, with no account, and you can back them up from settings. Key Race is completely free, with 25+ themes and keyboard sounds.

Common mistakes

• Looking at the keyboard "just for the hard keys". That's exactly where the habit needs building.
• Using two or three fingers because it's faster today. It caps your speed later.
• Only taking tests. Tests measure; lessons and weak-key drills improve.
• Chasing a personal best every session. Speed comes from accurate repetition.
• Tensing up. Keep wrists level and relaxed, and take breaks if your hands ache.