Typing guides
Plain-English guides to measuring and improving your typing, and what research says about how people type.
Guides
How WPM is calculatedThe exact formulas behind words per minute, raw WPM, accuracy and consistency, with worked examples. Learn why a word counts as five characters.What is a good typing speed?What counts as a good typing speed, how accuracy changes the picture, and the six Keystride speed levels from Building to Elite. Find out where you stand.Touch typing guide for beginnersLearn to touch type: home row position, which finger presses which key, posture and a simple plan to stop looking at the keyboard.How to type faster: 9 tips that workPractical ways to increase your typing speed: accuracy first, short daily practice, fixing weak keys, rhythm, and how to use your stats to improve faster.Why your WPM is different on every typing siteTyping tests give different WPM scores because of word lists, test length, error rules and the formula used. Here is what changes your score and how to compare fairly.
Research and history
What is the average typing speed?The average typing speed is about 52 WPM on a keyboard and 36 WPM on a phone, according to two large studies. See the full range and where you stand.What makes fast typists fast? Lessons from 136 million keystrokesResearch on 136 million keystrokes shows fast typists overlap keypresses, make fewer errors and use more fingers. Typing courses matter less than you think.Typing posture: how to set up your desk to protect your wristsA simple, evidence-based guide to typing posture: keyboard and screen position, wrist angle, elbow height, breaks, and when wrist or arm pain needs a doctor.Why is the keyboard QWERTY? The real historyWas QWERTY designed to slow typists down? The real story of the layout, from Sholes and the Remington typewriter to telegraph operators and the myths.QWERTY vs Dvorak vs Colemak: is switching worth it?An honest comparison of QWERTY, Dvorak and Colemak: who designed them, home row use, what the evidence on speed says and whether you should switch.