How to Increase Typing Speed: Complete Guide to Typing Faster & More Accurately

Typing is something we all do every single day — emails, messages, reports, school work, social posts. If you type slowly, simple tasks take longer than they should. If you type faster and more accurately, your whole day feels easier.

Right now, the average person types around 40 words per minute. That’s normal. But many professionals aim for 60–70 WPM or more — not to show off, but to save time and get more done without stress.

The good thing is that typing speed is not a talent. It’s a skill. And like any skill, you can improve it with the right method and a little daily practice.

Understand Typing Speed and Accuracy

Typing speed is more than just how fast your fingers move. To truly improve, you need both speed and accuracy:

• Typing speed: how fast you type, usually measured in words per minute (WPM) or characters per minute (CPM)
• Accuracy: how many mistakes you make. Even if you type fast, frequent errors slow you down

Example: typing 60 words in one minute with 10 mistakes is much slower than typing 50 words with zero mistakes.

Recommended Typing Targets

Age Range	Beginner	Intermediate	Expert
6–11 years	15 WPM, 80% accuracy	25 WPM, 85% accuracy	35 WPM, 90% accuracy
12–16 years	30 WPM, 85% accuracy	40 WPM, 90% accuracy	50 WPM, 95% accuracy
17+ years	45 WPM, 90% accuracy	55 WPM, 95% accuracy	65 WPM, 100% accuracy

WPM vs CPM

• WPM (Words Per Minute): counts words you type per minute. A standard word = 5 characters including spaces.
• CPM (Characters Per Minute): total characters typed including letters, numbers, punctuation and spaces.

WPM gives a general idea; CPM is more precise — especially when typing code or technical content.

7 Tips to Increase Typing Speed

1. Optimize Your Ergonomics

Before you press a single key, address your physical environment.

• The 90-degree rule — chair and desk adjusted so elbows and knees are at 90 degrees. Feet flat on the floor.
• Monitor placement — exactly an arm’s length away, top third of screen at eye level.
• The “floating” wrist technique — wrists hover slightly above the keyboard, parallel to the ground. Use a wrist rest only for breaks, not for active typing.

2. Master Proper Finger Placement and the Home Row

The foundation of typing fast.

• Left hand: A, S, D, F
• Right hand: J, K, L, ;
• Thumbs: rest lightly on the space bar

Each finger should have specific keys it presses. The left index finger covers F, G, R, T, V and B, for example.

Practice exercise: start by typing the home row repeatedly — asdf jkl; asdf jkl;. Then gradually include top and bottom rows.

3. Practice Touch Typing (Without Looking at the Keyboard)

Touch typing relies on muscle memory rather than sight, allowing faster typing with fewer mistakes.

• Start slowly — accuracy matters more than speed initially
• Use drills like asdf jkl;, then form words and sentences
• Cover your hands with a keyboard cover or cloth to prevent looking at keys

4. Practice Daily With Typing Exercises

Short, focused exercises every day are more effective than occasional long sessions.

• 5 minutes of warm-up letter drills
• Slow down to type accurately first
• Type longer sentences and paragraphs for flow
• Add numbers, punctuation and symbols as you progress

Recommended tools: Typing.com, Keybr.com, Ratatype.

5. The 30-Day Training Schedule

Period	Focus	Daily Action	Goal
All 30 days	Consistency over intensity	15 minutes daily, not 5 hours weekly	Build steady improvement
Days 1–7	Master the home row	Slow drills on A, S, D, F – J, K, L, ;. Cover your hands	Build correct finger placement
Days 8–14	Fix weak keys	Use Keybr to find difficult letters; spend 10 min daily on weak keys	Improve accuracy, remove problem keys
Days 15–21	Scan-ahead technique	While typing one word, read the next with your eyes	Improve flow and rhythm
Days 22–30	Speed under pressure	Try TypeRacer; type with competition while keeping accuracy high	Increase speed while maintaining control

6. Learn Keyboard Shortcuts and Productivity Tricks

Typing faster isn’t only about hitting letters quickly — reducing unnecessary hand movements matters too.

• Common shortcuts: Ctrl+C (copy), Ctrl+V (paste), Ctrl+Z (undo), Ctrl+S (save)
• App-specific shortcuts in Word, Excel, Google Docs, your CRM
• Text expansion tools like Slashit to type repetitive phrases with a few keystrokes

7. Track Your Progress and Focus on Accuracy First

• Track WPM weekly with online typing tests
• Accuracy first — focus on typing correctly; speed will improve over time
• Set goals — aim for a 5–10 word improvement every few weeks
• Identify weak spots — practice specific letters or words that slow you down

Type Faster + Type Smarter

Drills improve raw speed. But a tool like Slashit helps reduce repetitive typing in daily work.

Slashit is a smart text expansion and writing productivity tool. Instead of typing the same sentences again and again, you create short commands that instantly expand into full text. For example, typing /thanks can turn into a complete email reply.

Especially useful for writers, customer support agents, freelancers, marketers and remote teams. It also includes AI-powered writing support to rewrite, improve or polish text quickly without switching apps.

Why it complements typing practice:

• Saves time daily by turning short codes into full messages
• Reduces repetitive typing
• Improves consistency
• AI writing support
• Easy to use
• Boosts productivity
• Helpful for teams sharing standardized responses

How Faster Typing Changes Your Daily Life

1. You get your free time back — finish tasks in half the time. Extra hour daily for relaxation.
2. No more “brain traffic jams” — words go from brain to screen instantly.
3. It’s better for your body — touch typists keep their heads up, saving you from a sore neck and tired hands.
4. You look (and feel) like a pro — flying across a keyboard at 80 WPM is impressive.
5. You actually make fewer mistakes — eyes on screen catch mistakes the second they happen.

Last Note

Increasing typing speed is a combination of proper technique, consistent practice and smart strategies. Master finger placement, maintain good posture, practice touch typing daily, learn shortcuts and track progress.

Even small daily improvements add up. Start slow, focus on accuracy, and gradually increase speed.

Try Slashit free → — and stop retyping the same things.