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Touch Typing Lessons
Learn to type without looking, one row at a time. Pick a lesson, click the text and start typing. Pass with 90% accuracy.
Learn touch typing in 11 lessons
Touch typing means typing without looking at the keys, with each finger responsible for its own keys. These free lessons start with the home row and add one group of keys at a time. Every lesson shows you the next key and which finger to use. Pass a lesson with 90% accuracy to unlock the habit of moving on only when you are ready.
The 11 lessons
- Home row (A S D F J K L ;). Rest your fingers on the home row and learn to return to it. Index fingers feel the bumps on F and J.
- Home row + G H (A S D F G H J K L ;). Add the two keys your index fingers reach sideways.
- Top row (Q W E R T Y U I O P). Reach up from the home row and come back. This is where most of your common letters are.
- Bottom row (Z X C V B N M , .). Reach down. The bottom row is the hardest, so go slowly.
- Common words (the, and, you, that...). Type the most common English words to build speed on whole words.
- Numbers (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0). Reach to the number row without looking.
- Capitals & punctuation (Shift . , ? !). Use the Shift key with the opposite hand and learn sentence punctuation.
- Left hand only (Q W E R T A S D F G Z X C V B). Train your weaker hand on its own.
- Right hand only (Y U I O P H J K L ; N M , .). The same for the other hand.
- Common pairs (th, er, in, ing, ion). Letter pairs you type all the time, which speeds up real writing.
- Symbols (! @ # $ % & * ( ) - + = ? ; : /). The symbols used in email, code and spreadsheets.
Which finger types which key
| Finger | Keys |
|---|---|
| Left pinky | 1 Q A Z |
| Left ring | 2 W S X |
| Left middle | 3 E D C |
| Left index | 4 5 R T F G V B |
| Right index | 6 7 Y U H J N M |
| Right middle | 8 I K , |
| Right ring | 9 O L . |
| Right pinky | 0 P ; / |
| Thumbs | Space bar |
Posture and hand position
- Sit upright with your feet flat on the floor.
- Keep your screen at eye level and about an arm’s length away.
- Keep your wrists straight and hovering, not resting on the desk edge.
- Curve your fingers and rest them on the home row. Feel the bumps on F and J with your index fingers.
- Use your thumbs for the space bar and the Shift key with the opposite hand.
After the lessons
When you can finish all 11 lessons at 90% accuracy, move on to typing practice and take a 1 minute typing test to measure your speed. Check your progress on the Progress tab.
More typing tools
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn touch typing?
Most beginners can touch type slowly after one to two weeks of 15 minutes a day, and reach 40 WPM within a month or two. Short daily sessions work better than long weekly ones.
How do I pass a lesson?
Type the whole exercise with at least 90% accuracy. Slow down if you miss it. The lesson is then marked as done in your browser and you can go to the next one.
Should I look at the keyboard?
No. Look at the screen. The on-screen keyboard shows which key and which finger to use next, so you do not need to look down.
Do I need to finish all 11 lessons in order?
It is best to follow the order, because each lesson builds on the one before. You can jump to any lesson with the lesson buttons at the top.