Learn how to type faster and improve your WPM with these proven tips.
1. Establish a baseline and set goals
The first step in improving your typing speed is to determine your current typing speed. There are plenty of free typing speed tests online, but they don't all work the same way. Some tests force you to correct mistakes before moving forward; others simply count them into your WPM.
Additionally, some tests use logical sentences ("the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy fox"), some use random words ("valley, coffee, mask, stenography"), and some use nonsense strings ("les, est, ense, tes”). The style of the test will affect your vocabulary per minute. Find a list of typing speed tests in the resources section below.
Once you've identified your current typing speed or baseline, set goals for improvement. It's good to focus on incremental goals rather than end goals. For example, if you currently type 40 words per minute and set a goal of 100 wpm, start at 50 wpm. Many people find motivation when planning small rewards to reach incremental milestones.
Take multiple typing speed tests to establish a baseline
Set incremental goals (5 to 10 wpm)
Reward WPM milestones
2. Use correct hand placement
Proper hand placement improves typing speed by minimizing the distance your fingers must travel each time you press a key. Put your finger on the home row of a traditional QWERTY keyboard.
Move your finger up and down from the main row to access other keys, using your pinky as the shift key and your thumb as the space bar. This hand position may seem unfamiliar to someone used to pecking with two fingers, but once mastered, it can significantly speed up typing.
Note that some typists prefer alternative keyboard layouts, such as Colemak and Dvorak, which are optimized for speed. However, for those who are used to QWERTY, these layouts may not be practical. Learn more about the differences between QWERTY, Dvorak, and Colemak keyboard layouts.
3. Practice proper ergonomics
Proper desk ergonomics can improve typing speed by improving accuracy, emphasizing the use of your strongest muscles, and reducing fatigue. Ergonomics also reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome and other repeated use injuries.
Tips for good desk ergonomics include:
Sit or stand up straight with your arms at a 90-degree angle
Keep your feet flat on the floor or on a footrest and your thighs parallel to the floor
Position the monitor at least 20 inches away, just below eye level
Set the keyboard under your elbows to keep your wrists straight while typing
Avoid using the wrist rest when typing
Learn more about desk ergonomics to improve posture and typing speed.
4. Familiarize yourself with the keyboard
Familiarity with the keyboard is essential for fast typing, so be aware of where each key is relative to the main row and the correct finger placement. Some people find it helpful to enable the on-screen keyboard so they can understand key locations without looking down at the keyboard.
5. Train to touch type
Touch typing, the practice of knowing how to type without looking at the keyboard, is one of the most effective ways to speed up your typing. Touch typists can keep their minds flowing, unconstrained by the need to pause and find the next key. Learning to touch typing can increase your typing speed by up to 300%.
Getting familiar with the keyboard is the first step in touch typing; then, it comes down to muscle memory gained through repetition. Some people find it helpful to say characters out loud while typing. Others put towels on their hands so they can't see the keyboard, and others install blank keycaps to force them to learn touch typing. Either way, it's best to practice fast, light keystrokes that allow your fingertips to move nimbly from key to key.
Touch typing can be 300% faster
Practice typing without looking at the keyboard
Install blank keycaps to improve touch typing accuracy
6. Focus on accuracy first
A focus on accuracy and speed will follow. Accuracy comes with repetition, which builds the muscle memory needed to type at over 100 words per minute. Typing 50 words per minute with only one or two errors (96% to 98% accuracy) is much better than typing 100 words per minute and typing 20 errors (80% accuracy).
Words per minute are calculated by subtracting errors from the total number of words entered. For example, if you typed 80 words and made 10 mistakes, your WPM would be 70. This underscores the need to focus on accuracy in the first place: it is impossible to significantly improve typing speed without it.
Improve accuracy through repetition
Build muscle memory and increase speed
Reduce errors to improve WPM
7. Scan forward while typing
Scan forward to the next word as you practice typing, a technique employed by the world's fastest typists. Many people can scan a few words ahead of time and rely on muscle memory to type words they've already read.
Furthermore, competitive typists are good at flipping: pressing a series of keys quickly in a fraction of a second. Flip is ideal for suffix and other common key combinations, including "ing", "tion", "ness" and "ment". The technique takes practice, but rewards the effort by drastically increasing typing speed.
Scan forward one (or two) words as you type
Practice flipping of common key sequences
Improve muscle memory and easily increase speed
8. Learn keyboard shortcuts
Keyboard shortcuts can save valuable time and increase typing speed. They can also help improve WPM speed during typing tests.
For example, many people repeatedly hit the backspace key when they make a mistake on a typing test. However, deleting entire words (CTRL+Backspace) is usually faster than identifying where the error occurred and backspaced letter by letter.
Keyboard shortcuts to increase typing speed include:
Delete the last word: CTRL + Backspace
Delete the next word: CTRL + Delete
Move the cursor word by word: CTRL + arrow keys
9. Invest in a mechanical keyboard
Competitive typists rely on mechanical keyboards to achieve incredible speeds of over 200 words per minute. That's because mechanical keyboards are designed for performance, accuracy, and speed. They have mechanical switches that require less pressure to engage, and they activate the keys before bottoming out, allowing them to return faster for fast typing.
Many mechanical keyboard switches offer a tactile bump or an audible click, and the feedback lets typists know when keystrokes are recorded so they can type with confidence. For example, the world-renowned Cherry MX switch family includes Cherry MX Blue (click switches), Cherry MX Brown (tactile switches) and Cherry MX Red (smooth linear switches). Cherry MX Speed Silver switches are designed with minimal travel distance for greater responsiveness and speed.
Additionally, most mechanical keyboards feature n-key rollover (NKRO), allowing typists to record multiple keystrokes in a fraction of a second without wasting time or effort. Mechanical keyboards also enable typists to choose their preferred keycap profile, which improves typing speed and accuracy.
Mechanical keyboards improve typing speed by:
Requires less force to activate
Register keystrokes before keycaps bottom out
Minimize key travel distance
Provides tactile and auditory feedback
Learn more about mechanical keyboards and how they work.
10. Practice, measure and repeat
Practice makes perfect, so schedule daily lessons and try to become a faster typist. Many websites offer free typing practice and fun typing games (see Resources below). If typing a document seems boring, consider typing while typing a podcast, audiobook, or YouTube video. Or, make it interesting by typing in the next great American novel or your manifesto.
Consistency is important, but so is avoiding burnout. Practicing for 20 minutes once or twice a day is better than practicing for two hours once a week. Make a commitment to regularly schedule and retake your favorite typing speed test every week to measure your progress. If you're not progressing as fast as you'd like, consider taking an online typing course.
Practice once or twice a day for up to 20 minutes
Make practice fun with typing games and other exciting typing exercises
Typing speed depends on a variety of factors, so understanding how each factor plays a role in becoming a faster typist is critical. Take a speed test to establish a baseline, use the right hand Department position and ergonomics, learn how to touch typing, focus on accuracy first, invest in a mechanical keyboard and commit to daily practice. You'll soon start typing faster, improving your WPM and enjoying benefits such as time savings, increased productivity, more career opportunities, and improved focus.
