Typing fast

By alma - updated: 2 years, 4 months ago - 7 messages

I started learning typing on keyboard now for two months and this month I I don't advance from30 wpm I feel that I am not progressing even though I practice daily for six hours, any tips to increase the speed my typing and how long did it take you to reach 100 wpm.
By jcas092 - posted: 2 years, 5 months ago

Use the typing lessons. Go slow. Don't worry about typing fast with the lessons. Don't look at your fingers when you press the key. If you need to look to find the key, fine, but do not look at the key when you actually type it. Start with the first lesson and keep doing it until you're more comfortable.

I've seen people say that you should never TRY to type fast, but that slow is smooth and smooth is fast. This is true, but it's also incredibly boring. Try and go as fast as you can every once in a while. Don't make it a habit, and don't do it too much. It'll be frustrating because you're going to mess up a lot more, but you'll slowly start making fewer errors the more you do it.

I'm not at 100wpm yet, but I have gone from 35wpm to 75wpm in 4 months, practicing about 45 minutes throughout the day.
Updated 2 years, 5 months ago
By poop - posted: 2 years, 5 months ago

I achieved 100 WPM around two years ago. Learn to touch type, maintain a consistent speed and accuracy, and start building that up when you're comfortable and you'll eventually reach 100.
By rob482 - posted: 2 years, 5 months ago

I completely agree with jcas092.

I think it's incredibly helpful to never look at the keyboard and only use the "correct" finger to type a key.

When I started out, I immediately switched to dvorak after the first lesson, because I thought: Why are 'f' and 'j' in the best positions. There's got to be something better. This had the additional benefit that there was no point in looking at the keyboard, since the printed letters are a completely different layout. I kept a colored image of a keyboard layout on the screen and referenced that when looking for a key. I barely can find a key when directly looking at the keyboard. I just know which finger has to move where.

I found 100WPM tough to reach. I plateaued a long time around 80. Even that took quite some time and now, years later, I only can get an average of 90 with only a few peaks above 100. But maybe I'm just old...

I was never in it for the speed, but for the comfort of not needing to look at the keyboard. Dvorak was also never about speed for me, but it's so much more comfortable to type.
By drsmoothrod - posted: 2 years, 5 months ago

I suggest learning the proper finger positions first, and try typing without looking at the keyboard. You will be very slow at first until you get used to it. Accuracy is more important than speed at this point. Get used to the feel of the raised notches of the keys f and j on your index fingers.

As you get used to the positions of the keys and you no longer have to look at the keyboard to type, you will notice that the most commonly used vowel and consonant combinations (-ion, -tion, -sion, -th-, -ng-, -ve-, etc.) have a pattern. Train your fingers to get used to those patterns; they will up your speed drastically. Muscle memory is a huge factor in typing fast.

Finally, learn to read ahead of what you're about to type, so your fingers can be at their proper places to type the next word/s.

How fast people progress will differ. In my case, it took me a few years to get to the level of 100+ WPM.

Try out some other free typing websites like typingclub. That website really helped me out in the beginning. Keep it smooth, baby!
Updated 2 years, 5 months ago
By user89206 - posted: 2 years, 4 months ago

Dunno how sure you are about finding your keys without looking. I was completely useless for touch typing, still not good but I'm actually making progress now. I started out with keybr.com which really helps you off the ground since you just focus at learning a few keys at at time. Start there and come back here when you are comfortable with the basic letters since this tool has actual typing.
By typist_mike - posted: 2 years, 4 months ago

Same boat, but I am learning currently with Dvorak. I've been typing QWERTY for 25 years so my WPM is around 90 - 120 in QWERTY. I am learning Dvorak just for fun. After learning the basic letter placements, I put in 5 - 10 minutes a day over the course of several months. At the time of this writing, I am at 40 WPM.

I remember learning QWERTY though. I struggled through it the same way (but I practiced it much more). All of a sudden I picked up speed and it just clicked. Don't go for speed the first year, go for accuracy and typing comfort.
Updated 2 years, 4 months ago
By benedeksimo - posted: 2 years, 4 months ago

I think you shouldn't do that much of practice in one day. Do it for just about an hour a day, so that your fingers aren't getting tired, but make it regular. Consistency is the key.