How to type faster: 10 proven techniques to boost your WPM
A practical, no-fluff plan for raising your typing speed and accuracy. Follow these techniques daily and most people see a 10–20 WPM improvement within 4–8 weeks.
1. Learn proper finger placement (touch typing)
The single biggest unlock. Place your left fingers on A-S-D-F and right fingers on J-K-L-; — these are your "home row" keys. F and J have small bumps so you can find them without looking. Every other key is reached from this base.
2. Stop looking at the keyboard
Touch typing only works if you trust your fingers. It feels painfully slow at first, but within a week your speed surpasses hunt-and-peck. Cover your hands with a cloth if you have to.
3. Prioritise accuracy before speed
Aim for 98%+ accuracy before pushing speed. Errors cost more time than they save — backspacing, re-typing, and the mental cost of breaking flow add up. Slow down, type correctly, then accelerate.
4. Practise short bursts, daily
15 focused minutes a day beats 2 hours once a week. Take three or four 60-second tests back-to-back. Consistency wires the muscle memory.
5. Use all 10 fingers (no exceptions)
Even competent typists default to 4–6 fingers. Forcing yourself to use the correct finger for every key — including the pinky for shift, return, and edge keys — unlocks the next tier of speed.
6. Improve your posture and keyboard ergonomics
Sit with feet flat, wrists straight, elbows at 90°, screen at eye level. A mechanical keyboard with tactile switches gives crisper feedback and reduces typos at speed.
7. Drill your weak keys
After each test, note which characters you mis-typed most often. Common culprits: Q, Z, P, B. Run targeted drills for these letters until they're automatic.
8. Type real content, not just random words
Once your basics are solid, type real prose — articles, books, emails. Real language has patterns and common letter pairs (TH, ER, IN) your fingers will memorise.
9. Take WPM tests across different durations
Use 15-second tests for sprint training, 60-second tests for benchmark scoring, and 2-minute tests for endurance. Try our free typing speed test in all four modes (15s, 30s, 60s, 120s).
10. Track your progress and compete with yourself
Improvement is invisible without measurement. Our history chart and personal leaderboard show your WPM and accuracy trends over time so you can see compounding gains week over week.
How long until I see results?
Most people who follow this plan add 10–20 WPM in 4–8 weeks. Going from 40 to 70+ WPM typically takes 3–6 months of consistent practice. There's no shortcut — but the gains stick for life.