Typing tips, how to make type faster and master the keyboard

1) Accuracy

I had been trying to improve my speed for months and I was not seeing much improvement. Once I slowed down and started being more accurate instead of trying to type faster I started seeing an increase in my typing speed. I feel more in control as well. I still have a way to go for my personal goal but am pleased to see that I am now improving and relaxing more.
Learn to be accurate first then improve speed. Because if you make mistakes all the time the longer it will take you to type. Every time you backspace takes longer than if you slow down just a tad so you can type accurately. I still makes a lot of mistakes but I realize when I slow down to be accurate I actually tend to type slightly faster.

2) Practice

For new typists: Practice. Get used to the home keys work to the point where you do not need to look at both what you are typing, or your fingers on the keyboard.

For advanced typists: Practice. Develop muscle memory for typing certain types of commonly used letter parings. Identify the combinations of letters for certain words that give you trouble and practice typing them in particular to the point where you no longer need to think when doing so.
My tip to improve your typing speed is to not only practice often, but practice correctly. Try to get rid of bad typing habits and replace them with good ones. For example, you should use every single finger when typing instead of relying on the use of fingers with which you're most comfortable. Full utilization of both hands is necessary to achieve your highest typing potential.

3) Stretching

When my wrists get stiff from typing, I grab my fingers with one hand and stretch out my arm to full length and pull on my fingers back slowly. I then, stretch my fingers by opening and closing them, bend my hands back and forth, and rotate my wrists.
if you feel a little sore on the fingers or knuckles, just put your arms up high, and wriggle your fingers (only do this if your fingers feel sore. ) and if your knuckles hurt just put your left hand into a fist and do the same with the right. With the bottom of your left fist, tap the knuckles on your right hand and vice versa.

4) Know your keyboard

My tip to improve your typing speed is to feel for the "F" and the "J". As most know, those are the letters you feel for first on the keyboard. As time goes by, and you learn how to type without looking, you will not even really have to "feel" for the "F" and the "J" you will just learn the keyboard.
It is also important to familiarize yourself with the keyboard you are using. - This is essential as, if you can map the keyboard out in your mind, you wont need to look away from the screen to locate the key you need. This would also minimize time spent between getting your many thoughts onto the screen before loosing them (again).
If you are typing 60 wpm or higher, and want to get better, and not get carpal tunnel: buy a mechanical keyboard. I use red switch that I bought for both gaming/typing, and after an hour of typing, my fingers still feel fine. I wouldn't recommend red for most typists--It doesn't have the feedback that other switch types have, and takes a while to get used to not bottoming out the keys all the time.

5) Rhythm

What is important is developing a rhythm, not to hurry, but to be accurate, first-priority. Speed comes naturally with practice and time. Further, one must push one's self to perform better, but acknowledging that efficiency only is established, along with effectiveness. In closing, one must learn to type only what one sees/reads; never change the words, unless, of course, it is an editing ... exercise/test. One only types what one sees or reads!

Start training

Touch typing

Touch typing is typing without looking at the keyboard. The idea is to teach your fingers the location of each keys. The F and J keys have a raised bar or a dot allowing your finger to identify them. Once you have placed your two indexes on those keys, the other fingers are placed on the keys next to them.

In order to type fast you have to be careful about which finger to use to press a key. Take a look at the drawing below. Each color match a finger. For example the left index is light green and has to type only the light green keys.

typing test tips

Certain keys are special. ASDF and JKL; are the base positions for your fingers.Your fingers go from the base position to the key that you want to press.

A good first thing to do when your learn touch typing is to memorize the keyboard and create a mental map of the associated fingers. You have to be able to press any key without even thinking. For example if I say C you have to think move the middle finger down and press C instantly. You can only achieve this through practice. You have to build up the muscle memory of each fingers.

Key ideas

* Place your indexes on F and J
* A key has to pressed by the same finger all the time
* Don't look at the keyboard, your eyes should always look at the screen
* Go practice!

Take a typing test

User tips



empeterson113 1 year, 9 months ago
What really helped me improve my typing speed is... using typing test pages. I find it helpful when I can just continuously practice typing instead of stopping in between each test. Especially on this specific page.

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empeterson113 1 year, 9 months ago
When my fingers hurt after too much time on the keyboard, I... stretch all my fingers. Then, I use a technique I learned from my physical therapist to strengthen my hands and wrist.

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lildarkie 1 year, 9 months ago
If you want to type faster I would say to take it slow at first, build muscle memory and only do a couple lessons a day, don't over work it.

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dankdave69 1 year, 10 months ago
When my fingers hurt after too much time on the keyboard, I put both my hands inside my butt for 30 minutes and then take it out and continue practicing my typing after proper disinfection.

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kitaura 1 year, 10 months ago
My typing accuracy isn't great since I don't use the home row, but I just type the best I can and will hopefully get better overtime.

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jogri 1 year, 11 months ago
2022-12-16_ Ugh. More struggles in improving my speed and accuracy. Really feel like I'm going no where, but I'm sure I will break through again soon. Very nearly hit 100WPM today on monkeytype english 60s. But that was my first test of the day and I only went downhill from there.

Recent speed = 70.59
Recent accuracy = 94.46%

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jogri 1 year, 12 months ago
2022-11-24_ Last week's hard work on numbers and this morning on accuracy has paid off. Today my fingers were possessed and I got not only a new high score, 97.46 (on a long Vonnegut quote); but also achieved my goal in the sidebar, 80+ WPM with >97.50% accuracy. Once I hit those Monkeytype sidegoals I'll have to set new ones. Perhaps 100WPM at >97.50%?

Recent speed = 86.05
Recent accuracy = 97.76%

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dabob123 1 year, 12 months ago
When my fingers hurt after too much time on the keyboard, I take them and stuff them into a fridge. That way I can't feel them, and they can't hurt.

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jogri 2 years ago
2022-11-18_ Working hard this week on improving my touch typing of numbers. I find that focus also works well to warm up my fingers so I have been drilling more speed and accuracy too. We'll get to those goals SOON!

I also reached a new PB on this website too. 97.33 - and for a long ass quote, too.

Recent speed = 78.85
Recent accuracy = 97.20%

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jogri 2 years, 1 month ago
2022-10-22_ Just another update, I've tried to pull back my practice a little because otherwise I tend to just type for hours on end rather than get anything useful done. So now I have timers set on most of these sites so I don't spend more than 15 mins on each a day. Getting better at typing is nice, but not so important that I neglect my other responsibilities.

Recent speed = 71.60
Recent accuracy = 96.72%

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cj.blas 2 years, 1 month ago
What really helped me improve my typing speed was consistently logging into this website. Upon making this account, I logged on here almost everyday to try and get my WPM up. Trying to be better than all of my friends. From typing at 50 words per minute, now being able to type 120 words per minute on average. Thank you keyhero.

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jogri 2 years, 1 month ago
2022-10-11_ One week later, after spending too much typing last week. And now with a new keyboard under my fingers (Bakeneko65 with Coffee Chip Ice Cream switches), let's see how my progress updates.

Well it would seem my accuracy has taken a hit. Time to slow down again.

Recent speed = 67.35
Recent accuracy = 95.31%

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jogri 2 years, 1 month ago
2022-10-04_ Same day. Wow, 10 minutes of training on Monkeytype on Master difficulty - 10 Word - Capitalize Every Word; and then 10 more minutes of focused typing tests here. And my accuracy has jumped almost 2%, above my target! Now I need to maintain it for another practice session tomorrow of deliberate accuracy. And then I can start training speed again.

Recent speed = 63.80
Recent accuracy = 98.47%

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jogri 2 years, 1 month ago
2022-10-04_ I intend to work on my accuracy. My goal is to hit an average of 97.5% (with proper striking form), and hold above that for a day of typing before I can progress to more speed training.

Recent speed = 60.37
Recent accuracy = 96.51%

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jogri 2 years, 1 month ago
2022-09-28_ Just more progress, though it feels somewhat slower these days. I need to consciously slow down to be accurate. As soon as I go into autopilot (answering messages), or try to type as quickly as I can (typing games), I immediately regress to poor form. And that is not the learning I want to be reinforcing.

Recent speed = 57.43
Recent accuracy = 95.41%

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joyleavitt25 2 years, 1 month ago
When my fingers hurt after too much time on the keyboard, this typing practice helps me a lot. From 35 WPM to 45WPM in just few months

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