How to play Typing Test
Choose a test length of 30, 60 or 120 seconds from the menu. A passage of common everyday words appears in the box, with the word you need to type highlighted. Click or tap the box to focus the typing field, then start typing. The timer only starts with your first keystroke, so take your time getting ready.
As you type, each letter of the current word turns white when it is right and red when it is wrong. Press Space (or Enter) to finish a word and move to the next one. Backspace works inside the word you are typing, but once a word is submitted it is locked, and a mistyped word is underlined in red. The passage scrolls along as you go and never runs out.
- WPM counts the characters of correctly typed words, including the space after each one, divides by five (a standard word) and then by the minutes of the test.
- Accuracy is the share of your keystrokes that were correct, so errors you fixed with Backspace still count against you.
- Raw WPM counts every character you typed, right or wrong.
When time runs out you see your results, and your best WPM for each test length is saved on your device. Press Esc or Restart for a new passage. If you switch tabs the clock pauses until you type again.
Controls
| Desktop | Click the word box and start typing. Press Space or Enter after each word, Backspace to fix the current word and Esc to restart. |
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| Mobile | Tap the word box or the input field to open your keyboard, then type each word and tap Space to move on. Tap Restart for a new passage. |
Tips and strategy
Accuracy first, speed second
Every wrong word earns you nothing, and fixing mistakes costs time. Most people type faster overall when they slow down slightly and aim for accuracy above 95 percent. Once you are consistently accurate, speed tends to follow on its own.
Use all ten fingers
Touch typing means each finger looks after its own group of keys, starting from the home row. Your left fingers rest on A, S, D and F and your right fingers on J, K, L and the semicolon key; most keyboards have small bumps on F and J so you can find them without looking. Learning this properly feels slow at first but pays off quickly.
- Keep your eyes on the screen, not on your hands. Reading ahead is where real speed comes from.
- Read one word ahead. While your fingers type the current word, your eyes should already be taking in the next one.
- Hit Space with your thumb in a steady rhythm rather than pausing between words.
Find a rhythm
Even, steady keystrokes beat bursts of speed followed by stumbles. If you notice a mistake mid-word, fix it quickly with Backspace rather than submitting a wrong word, because a wrong word adds nothing to your WPM.
Practise short and often
A few 30-second tests every day improve your typing more than one long session a week. Use the 30-second test to warm up and push your speed, the 60-second test as your standard benchmark, and the 120-second test to build stamina and consistency.
Look after your posture
- Sit upright with your feet flat and your wrists level rather than bent upwards.
- Keep your shoulders relaxed and take short breaks to stretch your hands.
- On a phone, try holding it in both hands and typing with two thumbs.
About Typing Test
Typing speed is usually measured in words per minute. Because real words vary in length, typing tests treat every five characters, including spaces, as one standard word. This makes scores from different passages comparable with each other.
Touch typing, where you type without looking at the keys, became widely taught in the age of the typewriter. The QWERTY layout found on most English keyboards dates back to typewriters of the 1870s and is still the standard today. Many people type somewhere around 40 words per minute, while trained typists often reach well beyond that.
This Typing Test is our own version, built for PlayNook. It picks words at random from a list of a couple of hundred common everyday English words, so every passage is different. It runs entirely in your browser, works with phone keyboards, and needs no sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
How is my WPM calculated?
We count the characters of every word you typed correctly, including the space after it, divide by five and then divide by the test length in minutes. Correct letters of a word you were halfway through also count.
Why is my accuracy lower than I expected?
Accuracy counts every keystroke, including mistakes you later fixed with Backspace. Typing a little more carefully is the best way to raise it.
Does the timer start straight away?
No. The clock starts with your first keystroke, so you can read the first few words before you begin. It also pauses if you switch to another tab.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes. Tap the word box to bring up your keyboard and type as normal, tapping Space after each word. Your best score is saved separately for each test length.
