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



logananderson 12 years, 2 months ago
When my fingers hurt after too much time on the keyboard, I take a break and streach them out. Guitar or paino streches work great.
You can learn them on Youtube.

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nitul88 12 years, 2 months ago
We are living in a internet world where we now need to communicate a lot more than what we did some years back. Be it Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo or Facebook, We have to communicate to share our views. Hence it is very much necessary to improve our typing speed.

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thepianistdy 12 years, 2 months ago
My tip to improve your typing speed is to...type 1 million pages....then....type 1 million more.....repeat that cycle 1 million more times. ;)

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jessicajustice 12 years, 2 months ago
When my fingers hurt after too much time on the keyboard, I stop and take 5-10 (give or take) and flex my fingers for a bit. I also take the time to message each finger for about 5 seconds depending on how bad they hurt. I also message the palms of my hands for a little while as well because I find doing that helps my fingers loosen up and relax.

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karank137 12 years, 2 months ago
It helps me to improve my speed.....
when I thought that I'm typing on keyboard than my speed decreases; but when I think that It's a manual machine than it appears very well.............

- Thanks

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salemco2012 12 years, 2 months ago
My tip to improve your typing speed is to...be cool and typing slowly when your fingers learn the letters they move as needed and your speed become fast means you are on the way to improving the most thing is your mind clear of thinking an other things

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dbschneider14 12 years, 2 months ago
My tip to improve your typing speed is to...know which letters your index fingers are supposed to type. I know I need to work on that.

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baxder 12 years, 2 months ago
What really helped me improve my typing speed is...Lifting my wrists just barely off the desk, and keeping currently unused fingers resting on the home keys.

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maryann.ku 12 years, 2 months ago
Improve hand positioning on keyboard. Try also to look at words letter by letter. Always keep track of which keys were already typed.

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user23436 12 years, 2 months ago
What really helped me improve my typing speed is...practicing everyday. Anything you want to master needs your time and commitment. We don't have to be lazy or lousy. Then we cannot achieve our goal.

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pavfrang 12 years, 2 months ago
When my fingers hurt after too much time on the keyboard, I am dreaming because they never hurt in reality. If you press the keys with the minimum pressure that is needed then your fingers will never hurt.

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amcurtis 12 years, 3 months ago
My tip to improve your typing speed is get a cover for your keyboard so you can't see the keys. Then looking at the keys for what letter you are pressing wont help, you will have to commit to memory where they are, and wont be tempted to look down.

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user23165 12 years, 3 months ago
When my fingers hurt after too much time on the keyboard, I go to the fridge and grab something to eat and chill waiting for my hands to not hurt anymore

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starluxe 12 years, 3 months ago
What really helped me improve my typing speed is... Instant Messaging / Chat online during elementary/high school ;). Before cellphones and text messaging were so popularly in use...

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franz.suemith 12 years, 3 months ago
My tip to improve your typing speed is to... keep on practice typing while not looking on keys so that we should enhance our typing speed.

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mtess11 12 years, 3 months ago
My tip to improve your typing speed is to start out slow and 100% accurate. Then slowly start going faster every game, even if its 0. seconds faster.

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