
Ask HN: What's the best way to improve typing speed? - tejasm
I&#x27;m not a developer and notebook and pen extensively for notes apart from my macbook pro. My typing speed isn&#x27;t great and I would really love to improve it. What&#x27;s the best method&#x2F;tool&#x2F;product&#x2F;site to do it? Thanks!
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kraftman
If you can't already touch type: cover the letters on the keys or get a board
with no letters, switch to colemak/dvorak if you can be bothered, and practise
on something like [https://www.keybr.com/](https://www.keybr.com/) which gives
you nice stats over time.

I was at about 50-60 with a horrible 2 finger style on qwerty, now im at about
80-100 on colemak, and i can switch back to qwerty no problem.

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KillerRabbitt
While I wouldn't recommend it, I switched to the Dvorak keyboard layout. It
forced me type with good habits, such as not looking at the keyboard and
keeping my fingers on home row. I went from 48 wpm to 90-100 wpm.

That being said, I wouldn't recommend actually switching. It makes me
incompatible with the rest of the world.

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Jtsummers
Covering the keys, like others suggest.

Work on transcribing your notes from your notebook into a digital notebook.
Doesn't matter if you keep them, it's the act of typing that you want to
practice. One of the biggest improvements I saw was when doing something like
this (though transcribing for professors, not for myself). I was already a
decent typist at that point, but having to keep my eyes on the text while
typing (and not on the screen or keyboard) improved my skills significantly.

Don't put the text _behind or beside_ the keyboard. Put it to the side and up.
Get a small stand (like the stands for cookbooks) and set that beside your
computer, next to the monitor. Your keyboard will still be in sight, but keep
your eyes focused on the text instead.

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cimmanom
First, learn the fundamentals. Use a typing course (keys covered) until you
can touch type about 10wpm. The point of this is not to become a fast touch
typer but to develop a muscle memory for where each key is so that you're
never hunting for a key.

Then practice. Practice doesn't have to be a typing course; it can be
something you want to do anyway - programming, transcription, writing. For me
it was chat rooms as a kid. The more you practice, the more fluent you'll get.

Again, to be a fluent typist, you don't have to be a perfect touch typist. The
important thing is not to be hunting and pecking. It's ok to develop your own
style that uses different fingers than the recommended ones to hit specific
keys (everyone's hands are different after all) or to look down at the
keyboard now and again to reorient yourself.

But it sounds like what you need to do more of is practice.

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jlgaddis
I can't speak to the best but typeracer [0] and Nitro Type [1] are certainly
not the _worst_ (read: "least fun") methods/tools/products/sites out there.

[0]: [http://play.typeracer.com](http://play.typeracer.com)

[1]: [https://www.nitrotype.com](https://www.nitrotype.com)

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interatx
I stopped looking at my keyboard. I was slow initially but ever so slowly
became faster. I too would recommend typeracer[1] as a fun way to speed things
up.

[1]: [http://play.typeracer.com](http://play.typeracer.com)

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matt_the_bass
Once I switched to using keyboard bindings more, my touch typing improved
measurably. I’m a VIM person, but emacs or any other key binging based
environment should be similar.

I now try to use key bindings everywhere and minimize mouse usage. I’m way
less mouse oriented than before and I’m more productive. I know I have a ways
to go still. And I like that challenge.

I know you mentioned you are not a developer. For those that are/would like to
be, this may be helpful.

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znt
Typing of the dead:
[http://store.steampowered.com/app/246580/The_Typing_of_The_D...](http://store.steampowered.com/app/246580/The_Typing_of_The_Dead_Overkill/)

Cover your hands with a piece of cloth while playing for maximum improvement.

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oldmancoyote
Try slowing down and typing in a very steady rhythm. Then try increasing the
rhythm gradually over the next few weeks.

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guilhas
And how to handle ctrl,shift,alt,enter,backspace with home row typing?

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farnsworthy
[http://zty.pe/](http://zty.pe/)

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Lordarminius
Any recommendations for a good Linux compatible typing tutor ?

~~~
Jtsummers
[https://www.gnu.org/software/gtypist/index.html](https://www.gnu.org/software/gtypist/index.html)

I'm unsure how good it is _now_ , but I used this years ago. Free, ran through
a lot of standard typing exercises. It was very helpful in moving me from
"proficient with Dvorak" to "filling the keyboard buffer with Dvorak". It
should be similarly effective for QWERTY and other layouts. Actually, I think
I used the QWERTY exercises with the Dvorak layout.

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wh4this
Keybr.com is really good

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vysakh007
Practice

