How to Improve Your Typing Speed: A Practical 4 Week Plan

Typing faster saves time every day, whether you write assignments, emails or reports, and many jobs such as data entry ask for a minimum speed. The skill is not about talent. With the right habits, most people improve noticeably within a month.

What WPM means

WPM stands for words per minute. In typing tests, a word is counted as five characters, including spaces. If you type 300 correct characters in one minute, your speed is 60 WPM. Mistakes lower the score, so accuracy and speed grow together.

What is a good speed?

The average person types about 40 WPM. Around 50 to 60 WPM is good for office work, and 70 or more is considered fast. Start by checking your current level with our free Typing Speed Test, and write the result down as your starting point.

Learn touch typing

Touch typing means typing without looking at the keys. Place your fingers on the home row: A, S, D and F on the left hand and J, K, L and the semicolon key on the right. Each finger has its own keys. It feels slow for the first week, but it is the biggest step toward high speed.

A simple 4 week plan

• Week 1: Learn the home row and practise for 10 minutes a day. Do not look at the keyboard.
• Week 2: Add the top and bottom rows. Aim for 95 percent accuracy, even if you are slow.
• Week 3: Type full sentences. Take one 1 minute test every day and note your WPM.
• Week 4: Push speed a little while keeping accuracy above 95 percent. Try the 2 minute test for stamina.

Habits that help

• Sit upright with relaxed shoulders, and keep your wrists level.
• Look at the screen, not at your hands.
• Do not stop to fix every small mistake. Keep a steady rhythm.
• Practise a little every day instead of one long session a week.
• Read a few words ahead of the one you are typing.

Common mistakes

Many people chase speed too early and build bad habits. Slow down until your accuracy is high, because errors waste more time than slow typing. Another mistake is using only a few fingers, which limits your top speed.

Test your progress every week with the free Typing Speed Test.