How to Type

Guide Note

Learning how to type will not only save you tons of time and aggravation, but may help you finish tasks at work more efficiently. It will certainly help you write that novel a lot more quickly.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Step 1: Learning the Basics
• Step 2: Picking Up Speed
• Step 3: Advanced Keystrokes
• Conclusion

Typing Tips

1. Start by learning the "home row": asdf jkl;.
2. Start practicing which fingers are responsible for moving to which keys from the home row.
3. Pick up speed by using free online typing games and tests. Competing against your previous words per minute scores will help keep you motivated.
4. Don't exert too much force on the keys. "Grazing" will keep fingers mobile between keys, moving over them as opposed to tapping out each letter.
5. Impress colleagues and friends with your usage of advanced keystrokes such as accents, symbols or keystrokes used only in foreign languages.
6. And learn to type faster on your iPhone or BlackBerry, too.

• by Tracy C.

Introduction

• Whether you're learning how to type for the first time or would like to brush up on your touch-typing to increase your words per minute or your accuracy, learning to type—quickly and well—is a crucial skill for almost any job and in life, too. There are a host of online tutorials that can help teach you to type and improve your speed, so keep reading to determine how best to proceed according to your current skill level.

Step 1: Learning the Basics

(Creative Commons photo by Dan Foy)

• Understanding the map of the keyboard is your first step.

1. Your first step is understanding the keyboard, starting with the "home row" (asdf jkl;).
2. So, place your left index finger on the "f" key and your right index finger on the "j" key, allowing the three fingers aside your index fingers to rest on the adjoining keys (so left pinky on "a", ring finger on "s", middle finger on "d", etc.).¹
3. Then spend some time understanding which fingers type which keys, moving from the "home row" (e.g., your left index finger will move to "t", "r", "g", "v", etc.).¹
4. See what fingers easily type which keys and then practice such classic learn-to-type sentences as, "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog," a sentence that forces your fingers to cover most of the keyboard. Or try, "The five boxing wizards jump quickly."²
5. A site like TypingWeb will help you learn proper technique and even has a free tutor for more advanced questions. Plus, they use news headlines to generate exercises, keeping it perhaps more interesting than "The quick brown fox..." and sentences like it.³
6. Though it's technically a typing site for kids, the BBC Schools Typing site is a terrific resource for beginners and provides twelve levels of instruction as well as games to teach you type. And who doesn't like enthusiastic cartoon animals teaching you to type in their British accents?⁴

Setting Up Your Workstation

1. While you're busy learning to type, you'll also want to be sure to set up an ergonomic keyboard to avoid wrist pain and discomfort.
2. Make sure that while typing, your arms form a 90 degree angle at the elbow, with wrists and keyboard at the same horizontal level.⁵
3. Make sure your screen is at eye level; adjust your chair accordingly, or place books underneath your monitor to achieve the proper height.

Step 2: Picking Up Speed

(Creative Commons photo by Joel Bombardier)

• Once you understand the basics, you'll want to practice increasing your words per minute.

1. Try taking this typing test to get a better sense of your words per minute and accuracy.⁶
2. Then try a few typing games to start boosting your skills in a fun yet challenging way. Competing against your previous scores will keep you motivated, too!⁷
3. Mashable's roundup of online typing sites will also lead you to helpful online resources for typing faster.⁸
4. Games like Qwerty Warriors will have you typing like mad to avoid being gunned down by words. Choose your level of difficulty and then see how you stack up against the competition!⁹
5. In terms of technique, fast typists let their fingers "graze" over the keyboard so they move quickly between keys and only exert enough force on each key for it to register on screen.⁵

Step 3: Advanced Keystrokes

(Creative Commons photo by Dmitry Dzhus)

• If you're a master of the board, you may be interested to learn special keystrokes that will help with foreign languages or conveying other symbols.

1. Particular foreign languages will require keystrokes that aren't readily apparent on your keyboard. To learn how to type accents or other symbols, use this helpful reference from Lifehacker.¹⁰
2. Penn State has a particularly good reference page on typing symbols or foreign scripts and accents whether you're using Microsoft Windows or a Mac.¹¹
3. There's even a way of typing accents on your iPhone and iPod Touch.¹²
4. And if you're typing like crazy on your BlackBerry, try these tips for AutoText to save time and thumb power.¹³

Conclusion

• Learning to type is an important professional and personal skill, and once you master it, it's something you won't soon forget. It's possible your next job interview will ask you how many words per minute (WPM) you can type, and even if your job is less administrative, the faster you can respond to all those email messages in your inbox, the better. Who wants to waste time searching the keyboard for TGIF? Good luck learning to type and type faster!

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References for How To Type

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} WikiHow: How to Type
2. ↑ Wikipedia: The Quick Brown Fox
3. ↑ TypingWeb: Free Online Typing Tutor
4. ↑ BBC Schools Typing: Dance Mat Typing
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} GeekSugar: How to Type Faster
6. ↑ TypingTest.com: Test Your Typing Skills
7. ↑ TypingTest.com: TypingMaster Typing Games
8. ↑ Mashable.com: Learn How to Type Faster With These 8 Sites
9. ↑ Crazy Monkey Games: Qwerty Warriors
10. ↑ Lifehacker: How to Type Those Special Characters
11. ↑ Penn State University: Computing with Accents, Symbols and Foreign Scripts
12. ↑ MacTips.org: Typing Accents on the iPhone and iPod Touch
13. ↑ BNET: Use Autotext for Faster Blackberry Typing

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