How to type faster

If you're hunting and pecking, you're probably typing around 25-35 words per minute. A comfortable touch typist does 60-80, and it's a learnable gap. Check where you're starting with the typing speed test, then follow the steps below. For context on the numbers, see what a good typing speed is.

Step 1: Learn the home row

Touch typing starts with your fingers resting on the home row — left hand on A, S, D, F and right hand on J, K, L and the semicolon. The small bumps on F and J let you find that position without looking. Every other key is reached from there and your fingers return home after each press. This one habit — never looking at the keyboard — is the single biggest jump most people ever make. It feels painfully slow for about a week, then it overtakes your old hunt-and-peck speed and keeps climbing.

Step 2: Protect accuracy before speed

This is the step people skip, and it's why they plateau. Every mistake costs you the time to notice it, backspace, and retype — far more than the keystroke saved by rushing. Aim for 97% accuracy or better before you push the pace. On our test, WPM is net of errors precisely because accuracy is what actually makes you fast. Slow down until you're clean, and speed arrives on its own.

Step 3: Use all ten fingers and look ahead

Let each finger own its columns so your hands barely move. Then train your eyes to read a word or two ahead of what you're typing, so your fingers always have a queue to work through. Fluent typists are never reading the letter they're currently pressing — they're already two words down the line.

A realistic four-week plan

• Week 1: home row only, eyes off the keys. Accuracy over everything. 10 minutes a day.
• Week 2: add the top and bottom rows and numbers. Still accuracy-first, still 10 minutes daily.
• Week 3: type real sentences and paragraphs; start timing yourself but don't chase the clock.
• Week 4: short daily speed runs on the typing speed test, keeping accuracy above 97%.

Short daily practice beats occasional marathons every time — muscle memory is built by repetition, not duration.

Warm up your fingers, too

Pure finger speed is a separate ingredient from typing. Loosen up with the key press test (how fast you can hit one key), the alphabet sprint, or the Word Spammer — typing one word on repeat is a great way to feel your hands' true top speed before a real run.

Frequently asked questions