10 Proven Ways to Increase Your Typing Speed This Week
Whether you're aiming for a job that requires 60 WPM or just want to get your emails done faster, these techniques work. Professional typists use all of them — and you can start applying them today.
1. Learn Touch Typing First
Touch typing — using all 10 fingers without looking at the keyboard — is the single biggest improvement most typists can make. Start with the home row (ASDF JKL;) and build outward. It may feel slow at first, but your speed will surpass your old style within weeks. See our 30-day touch typing guide for a full plan.
2. Focus on Accuracy Before Speed
Typing fast with lots of errors is slower than typing accurately at a moderate pace. Every time you backspace, you're losing time. Train yourself to type each word correctly the first time. Your speed will naturally increase once accuracy becomes muscle memory.
Aim for 98%+ accuracy before pushing your WPM. Use TypeMax's accuracy score to track this daily.
3. Practice Daily for 15 Minutes
Consistency beats intensity. 15 minutes of focused typing practice every day will produce better results than occasional hour-long sessions. Schedule it like brushing your teeth — do it every morning before you start work or school.
4. Use a Timer-Based Test
Time-limited tests like the 60-second TypeMax test are better for building speed than unlimited practice because they train you to maintain pace under gentle pressure. Take the test daily and track your WPM trend over time.
5. Improve Your Posture
Sit up straight, keep your wrists level (not bent upward), and position your keyboard so your elbows are at roughly 90 degrees. Your monitor should be at eye level. Poor posture creates micro-tensions that slow your fingers and cause fatigue during long sessions.
6. Learn Common Word Patterns
Words like "the", "and", "that", "with", "have", "this", "from", "they" appear constantly in English text. Drill these high-frequency words until your fingers type them automatically without conscious thought. Many typing trainers have a "common words" mode for exactly this.
7. Stop Looking at the Keyboard
Every time you glance down at the keyboard you lose 0.5–1 second. Over a 60-second test that's many lost WPM. Cover your hands with a cloth, use a blank keyboard, or simply commit to keeping your eyes on the screen. It's uncomfortable at first but essential.
8. Type Real Content, Not Just Drills
Copy-type articles, emails, or stories you enjoy. Real-world content is more engaging than repetitive drills and exposes you to natural sentence patterns, punctuation, and capitalization. Your fingers learn the words that actually appear in your daily work.
9. Strengthen Your Weakest Fingers
Most typists over-rely on their index fingers. Practice specific exercises targeting your ring fingers and pinkies, which handle keys like Q, A, Z, P, semicolon, and others. These fingers are typically 30–50% slower than your index fingers until trained.
10. Track Your Progress Weekly
Take a 60-second typing test on TypeMax every Monday and record your WPM and accuracy. Seeing your score go from 45 to 52 to 60 is highly motivating and keeps you consistent. Progress charts make the invisible visible.
Apply tips 3, 5, and 7 starting today. Within one week you'll notice a measurable difference in both speed and comfort.
How Long Until You See Results?
Most people notice improvement within 3–5 days of consistent practice. Expect a plateau around weeks 3–4 — this is normal and means your brain is consolidating the new patterns. Push through it with steady daily practice and you'll break through to a new level.
Ready to measure where you are right now? Take a free typing test on TypeMax and use your score as your baseline.