Typing Lessons — Learn Touch Typing Step by Step
Free typing lessons to take you from hunt-and-peck to fast, accurate touch typing. Learn proper finger placement and the home row, then put it into practice with a live typing test below.
Touch-typing fundamentals
Lesson 1 — The home row
Touch typing starts at the home row. Rest your left fingers on A, S, D, F and your right fingers on J, K, L, and the semicolon. The F and J keys have small bumps so you can find the home position without looking. Every other key is reached relative to these anchors.
Lesson 2 — One finger per key
Each finger is responsible for specific keys. Keep your wrists relaxed, your eyes on the screen, and return your fingers to the home row after each reach. It feels slow at first, but this is what unlocks high long-term speed.
Lesson 3 — Build speed with practice
Once finger placement feels natural, build speed with daily timed practice. Keep accuracy above 97%, track your WPM, and increase speed gradually. Use the test above to measure your progress after each lesson.
Lesson 4 — Reaching the top and bottom rows
With the home row secure, extend each finger to the keys directly above and below it, then always return to the home position. Your left index finger reaches up to R and down to V; your right index finger covers U and M, and so on. The golden rule is the same for every key: reach, press, and come straight back to the home row so your hands never drift and lose their bearings.
Add these keys one at a time rather than all at once. Drill "frf", "juj", "ded", and "kik" slowly until the reach feels automatic, and only then move on. Building the reaches gradually is what lets you eventually type whole words without a single glance at the keyboard.
Lesson 5 — Capitals, punctuation, and rhythm
Real writing needs capital letters and punctuation, so practice using the correct Shift key with the opposite hand from the letter you are typing — left Shift for right-hand letters and vice versa. This keeps your hands balanced and prevents the awkward, speed-killing habit of using one hand for everything.
Finally, focus on rhythm rather than raw bursts. Smooth, evenly spaced keystrokes are faster and more accurate over a full passage than sprinting and stumbling. Read one or two words ahead of where your fingers are, keep a steady pace, and let speed come from consistency. Take the test above regularly to watch your rhythm and accuracy turn into real WPM gains.