How to Type Faster with Better Accuracy and Daily Drills
Most people try to type faster by moving their fingers faster. It rarely works. Rushing leads to mistakes, mistakes lead to the backspace key, and the result is often slower than before.
Real typing speed comes from something calmer: accurate fingers, a steady rhythm and keys you can find without looking. This guide explains how to type faster step by step, with drills that work for students and adults alike.
Before you start, take the free typing speed test so you have a starting score. It is much more motivating to watch a number go up.
Step 1. Put accuracy first
Every mistake costs you more than one keystroke. You press the wrong key, reach for backspace, delete it and type the right key. Then you have to find your place again. That breaks your rhythm and slows the words that follow.
So the first rule of typing faster is to slow down until you make very few mistakes. Aim for 95 percent accuracy or better. It feels slow at first, but speed builds on top of accuracy, not the other way around.
A good sign you are rushing is when you hit backspace several times in a single line. When that happens, drop your pace for a few minutes and let your fingers settle.
If you are not sure how your score is worked out, our typing speed test guide explains gross speed, net speed and accuracy.
Step 2. Stop looking at the keys
Looking down at the keyboard is the biggest thing holding most typists back. Your eyes keep jumping between the screen and your hands, and every jump costs time.
The fix is touch typing, which means finding keys by feel. It takes some practice, but once your fingers know the way, you can keep your eyes on the words and type much more smoothly.
If you have never learned to type without looking, start with our guide to touch typing. It walks through which finger presses each key.
A simple trick helps break the habit. Lay a light cloth or a sheet of paper over your hands while you practice. You cannot peek, so your fingers have to learn where the keys are.
Step 3. Use the home row
Look at the F and J keys on your keyboard. Each one has a small bump. Those bumps are there so you can find your starting position without looking.
Rest your left index finger on F and your right index finger on J. Your other fingers settle next to them: A, S and D for the left hand, and K, L and the semicolon for the right. This is the home row.
The key habit is to return to the home row after every reach. If your finger goes up to the E key, it comes straight back down to D. That way your hands never drift, and you can always find the next key by feel.
Our guide to home row typing covers hand position in more detail.
Step 4. Read a few words ahead
Beginners look at one letter, type it, then look for the next. That makes typing choppy.
Faster typists read a couple of words ahead of where their fingers are. While they type one word, their eyes are already on the next. Their fingers flow from one word to the next without stopping at every space.
The best way to build this habit is to practice with full sentences rather than lists of single words. Our typing practice paragraphs are written for exactly this.
Step 5. Relax your hands
Tense hands are slow hands. If your shoulders are up near your ears or you are pounding the keys, you will tire quickly and make more mistakes.
Check your posture.
- Sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor.
- Relax your shoulders and keep your elbows close to your sides.
- Keep your wrists straight and lifted slightly above the desk.
- Press keys lightly. Keys only need a gentle tap.
Take a short break every twenty minutes or so. Shake out your hands and roll your shoulders before you start again.
Step 6. Practice common letter groups
Some letter combinations appear again and again in English, such as th, he, in, er and an. Common short words like the, and, that and with show up constantly too.
When your fingers can type these groups as one smooth movement, your overall speed rises. Instead of typing t, then h, then e, your hand rolls through “the” in one go.
A good way to practice is to type short lists of common words over and over until they feel automatic, then move on to sentences that use them.
A daily practice plan
You do not need hours. Fifteen focused minutes a day is enough to see steady progress.
- Warm up (3 minutes). Type home row drills slowly and accurately.
- Letter groups (4 minutes). Practice common letter pairs and short words.
- Paragraphs (5 minutes). Type a full paragraph while reading ahead.
- Game or test (3 minutes). Finish with a typing game or a quick speed test.
Keep a note of your speed and accuracy once a week. Progress usually comes in steps, with flat weeks followed by sudden jumps.
Typing games that build speed
Games are a great way to keep practice fun, especially for younger typists. The typing games turn speed and accuracy into races and challenges.
For children who are just starting out, Key Hunt helps them learn where each letter is on the keyboard.
Our guide to typing games for kids explains which games suit each stage, from first key finding to faster typing.
Tips for kids learning to type
Children can learn to type well, and the habits they build early last a long time.
- Start with correct finger placement. It is much easier to learn it right than to fix a habit later.
- Keep sessions short. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty.
- Celebrate accuracy. A clean line of typing is worth praising.
- Make it fun. Mix games with drills so practice never feels like a chore.
For a full course that starts from the very first keys, try our typing lessons for kids.
When you stop getting faster
Almost every typist hits a plateau, a point where their speed stops rising for a while. It is normal.
When it happens, try going back to accuracy for a few days. Slow down, type carefully and aim for no mistakes at all. Then gently push your speed again. Often the next jump comes soon after.
It also helps to change what you type. If you always practice the same drills, your fingers can get comfortable without getting faster. Try new paragraphs, different topics or a longer test to give your hands something new to learn.