89
Can you touch type? (lemmy.world)
submitted 20 hours ago by thehatfox@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

I've recently started trying to improve my typing speed, which has probably been held back by my somewhat unconventional typing style. Formal touch typing was never a part of my education, and while years of computer use eventually led to me being able to type without looking, I'm probably not as efficient as I could be.

Can you touch type - and with proper form? QWERTY, DVORAK or other layout?

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top new old
[-] idunnololz_test@feddit.org 4 points 1 hour ago

No. And I've been programming for the past 20 years.

No. I depress the keys with telekinesis.

[-] Dasus@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

I was like, wait, what's "touch typing"? Oh writing without looking?

Yeah, been doing that a couple of decades prolly. I even do it on my phone most of the time. That's why I typo quite a lot unless I proofread. I do usually use the suggestions and glimpse at the kb from time to time and you can half see it anyway but yeah.

With a computer I don't really ever look at the keyboard. My speed has been measured a couple of times I think but can't recall anything except getting the highest grade. And I think those tests limit my speed as I don't copy things as fast as when I'm heatedly constructing and argument myself. Feels like I've got much better flow then than when reading a word and then having to output it at the same time.

I need to see whether I can measure my own speed sometime when I get into a nice argument and have good flow again.

[-] synapse1278@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

I thought myself to touch type a few years ago. It was also never part of my formal education even though it would have helped a lot ! I was using a mix of AZERTY, QWERTZ ans QWERTY and now I exclusively use International QWERTY, it's a standard layout with accents and special characters with ALT modifier.

[-] chicken@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

Yeah, I took a class in highschool where they just had us play a typing game until we got good enough at it. It really helps to learn the correct form and be using the right fingers for the right keys, once you get it in your muscle memory you don't have to really think about the individual letters anymore and the words just appear when you intend them to.

[-] OmniLotus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 6 hours ago)

Canary (Angle Mod) layout. Form is quite proper with alternating shift however still learning so only hitting 60 WPM with punctuation on.

[-] sefra1@lemmy.zip 1 points 7 hours ago

I can to a basic level, but I type much faster without it.

I learned with a game.

I use touch typing when I'm in the dark and the keyboard has no backlight, then I can type at 10wpm.

[-] AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip 4 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

QWERTY layout. I was never taught teaching in school because I was part of the "you should already know how to type" 2k schooling. I can also type due to muscle memory ( much more easily on a non-flat keyboard ) but it's not an efficient typing compared to someone my age from the past who was formally taught touch typing.

Edit:

It also doesn't help that I usually use just my thumbs, index, and middle fingers to type usually.

[-] kSPvhmTOlwvMd7Y7E@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

My laptops keyboard is completely black, with no letters on it. So even if i look down, its like staring into void lol

I type azerty

[-] Mostly_Gristle@lemmy.world 6 points 14 hours ago

Yup, I can type about 90-100 wpm on a QWERTY keyboard if it's normal conversational English. Probably half that if it's something that contains a lot of long technical words. The thing that got me over the hump with getting good at typing was a game called QWERTY Warriors. It was a Flash-based web game that I was playing like 20 years ago, so I don't know if it's around anymore, but it was a tower defense game where you had to defeat enemies by typing the word underneath them. It was a pretty painless way to practice touch-typing.

[-] hakunawazo@lemmy.world 4 points 13 hours ago
[-] thebestaquaman@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

The people responsible for archiving the gold mine that is old flash games are really doing gods work out there!

[-] CalcProgrammer1@lemmy.today 32 points 20 hours ago

I was never able to touch type up through middle of high school despite typing papers and taking formal typing courses. Once I got into online PC gaming and also programming I got good at touch typing very fast. Is typing a skill you use daily? Natural practice beats forced if you already have the fundamentals down. QWERTY for me.

[-] electrotabby@piefed.social 3 points 14 hours ago

Same. I tried really hard to learn it but gave up in frustration. 5ish years with plenty of computer use later I suddenly found myself typing without looking.

[-] HCSOThrowaway@lemmy.world 4 points 14 hours ago

Yes, but definitely not proper form, as my left hand rests on WASD+CTRL/Shift+Space.

I'm around 100 wpm, so maybe it doesn't matter.

While I completely understand people who can't get to 100 wpm (much like people at 110+ completely understand me), I cannot fathom young adults who cannot touch-type (barring disability, obviously).

[-] remon@ani.social 18 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

Yeah, ever since we learned it in middle school. QWERTZ

[-] myrmidex@belgae.social 13 points 19 hours ago

QWERTZ

How to tell us you're German without telling us you're German 😄

As a Belgian, we have AZERTY as standard, which is so much worse. I wish we could've followed the German instead of the French influence keyboard-wise.

[-] zlatiah@lemmy.world 2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 16 hours ago)

Oh my god the AZERTY... I naively tried it out for like a week or two and quickly gave up on the idea. The numbers and symbols being the reverse of QWERTY was just way too much of a headache, especially for programming. Unfortunately workplace requires all work computers to have AZERTY so

[-] myrmidex@belgae.social 2 points 15 hours ago

especially for programming Indeed! I grew up with azerty and still got tired quickly of pressing shift for most of the most basic symbols. Before learning to code, I don't really remember having issues with azerty.

workplace requires all work computers to have AZERTY

dang that's tough. Usually they ask me what I'm used to, not sure if I could accept a job offer if it came with azerty 😆

load more comments (5 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[-] HowlsSophie@lemmy.world 4 points 14 hours ago

Yes, QWERTY. My dad made my brother and I use Mavis Beacon as kids (SHOUT OUT TO MAVIS BEACON!!!) and I had keyboarding class in middle school. WPM is 70 to 80 depending on what I'm typing.

[-] osanna@thebrainbin.org 12 points 19 hours ago

I can't NOT touch type. I need to see what I'm typing to know if I'm typing without mistakes. When I look at the keyboard, I make so many mistakes.

[-] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago

Ironically, with touch typing I know when I make mistakes even if I'm looking elsewhere. It's just obvious when a finger does a wrong thing.

[-] moakley@lemmy.world 6 points 16 hours ago

I learned to touch-type QWERTY in late 90s chat rooms. By 2006, I was bragging about my 100 WPM speed in my online dating profile. I met one girl who challenged me to a typing contest. She won, then I won, and then we called it a draw. We've been married for 13 years and had our third child last month.

When I was learning to touch type, I found it helpful to practice in my head even when I was away from the keyboard. Like whatever I'm thinking about, I'm picturing a keyboard in my head and where each letter of each word is. It slows my thoughts down a little, but that's not always a bad thing.

[-] _deleted_@aussie.zone 16 points 20 hours ago

Been touch typing Dvorak for about 25 years, qwerty for about 10 years before that. My hands used to feel tired at the end of the day, when I broke my wrist the occupational nurse suggested Dvorak, so when it healed I taught myself to type Dvorak. Probably a few weeks to learn, six months to get speed. (The advantage of a cushy government job). I can type all day now without problems. If you’re going to spend any significant time at a keyboard, I personally think it’s worth investing the time to learn to type properly, whatever layout you choose to use.

[-] qjkxbmwvz@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 19 hours ago

Try typing my username in Dvorak :)

[-] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 1 points 22 minutes ago

Now I’m trying to figure out what you name spells with the same keys on qwerty vs dvorak

[-] RBWells@lemmy.world 4 points 15 hours ago

Yes. My kids would laugh at me when I worked from home because I would not stop typing when I looked up to answer something they were asking me. I suck on the phone keyboard but good with QUERTY big keyboard. My fingers can talk on those

[-] P1nkman@lemmy.world 2 points 14 hours ago

I do the same with my colleagues. Then again, I'm using the Moergo Glove80 tilted at 50° (3D printed stand), so I can't see what I'm clicking lol.

I learned “proper” typing form when I was in elementary school. But what really thought me touch typing was trying to chat in games. Not only do you need to stay looking at what’s happening, but you need to type fast so you can get back to playing.

I’d more or less mastered touch typing by the beginning of middle school. By high school I got to about 100wpm which is where I’ve capped out since then.

[-] 3rdXthecharm@lemmy.ml 2 points 15 hours ago

Playing WoW

See message from QT3.14 Dranei boy

Press numlock, type out 'sup bb LFR BT?'

Left and right mouse click to halt and continue killing. The good old days

[-] slothrop@lemmy.ca 12 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

Yep.
Went to an all-boys Catholic High School and there were no technical programs (shop, auto, woodworking) bc they couldn't afford the programs, nor the space. Barely had a gym.
Anyhoo, 'options' were typing, bookkeeping, and Latin.
Took typing for 2 years, buddy and I would race-type song lyrics out of our heads (lyrics often weren't included in the liner notes).

Elton John - Razor Face - GO!

[-] MutilationWave@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 16 hours ago

I do touch type, but I don't use the standard finger placement. I had typing class in school, which I'm grateful for, but what really got my typing speed up were ICQ and AOL Instant Messenger.

[-] Hossenfeffer@feddit.uk 5 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

I zan tough ty[e thos well.

[-] ccp@lemy.lol 2 points 15 hours ago
[-] village604@adultswim.fan 1 points 13 hours ago

I can touch type in both qwerty and Dvorak. For me I think it was a combo of starting piano when I was in elementary school, AIM chat rooms, and computer lab time at school.

Back when I was still playing I could type 140wpm with qwerty, but since I've stopped it's dropped to the 100 range.

[-] arcine@jlai.lu 2 points 16 hours ago

I can touch type QWERTY, but I struggle on laptop keyboards because it's easy to lose your position.

I have a Glove80 keyboard on my desktop, it's very easy to stay put since the keyboard is made exactly so your hands are on the home row.

[-] starlinguk@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago

Same problem, I have a Cherry keyboard for the same reason. The old Thinkpads used to have proper keyboards, I don't get why laptops all have keyboards you basically can't type on nowadays.

[-] arcine@jlai.lu 1 points 11 hours ago

I wish Framework had an option for a mechanical keyboard in there, although I understand that would mess up the whole rest of the design to accommodate it.

[-] nawa@lemmy.world 1 points 13 hours ago

I never managed proper training with the correct hands positioning so my hands are a bit all over the place. But years of Twitter, Reddit and online gaming (yeah, I was that type for some time) helped a lot so now I can type fairly quickly in both QWERTY and ЙЦУКЕН.

[-] thelsim@sh.itjust.works 2 points 16 hours ago

My parents made me take typing lessons when I was in primary school. I had to learn on an extremely heavy electric typewriter with the keycaps taped off.
It was a lot of work but I’m still enjoying the benefits of it.
Fun little difference was that we used QWERTY, but the ‘;’ was replaced with a ‘ij’

[-] StrawberryPigtails@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 20 hours ago

I can touch type most keys, though probably not with proper form. I have to look at some of the less common keys to find them with my fingers.

My schools did have formal typing classes but I wasn't exactly a star student. I think my typing speed at it's fastest was around 60 wpm, though I more commonly float around 40 wpm

[-] bluGill@fedia.io 4 points 19 hours ago

I took typing in school several times using QWERTY. I learned the IBM typewriters were really nice to type on, and what the "correct" way to type was. It didn't make any difference though at the time because typing speed was never the limit, it was thinking speed. Then in college I got into IRC and most things didn't need deep thinking and so typing speed was the limit so I learned to apply the "correct" way because it was faster which I needed. (I never did meet a worthwhile girl on IRC so it didn't do anything for me even though I now type faster)

[-] dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works 1 points 14 hours ago

Uh yes. If you can't touch type, prioritize it. The speedup alone is worth it.

[-] Otherbarry@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyz 1 points 14 hours ago

Yes, QWERTY. But I'm just old enough to actually have typing class as an elective in high school, not sure if that's still a thing in 2026. It was useful and being into tech I knew it was something I'd need to learn.

I'll add that the keyboard you're using is important for touch typing. Some keyboards don't have good bumps/notches on the keys which makes it harder to do any real touch typing without looking down at the keyboard.

[-] SlurpingPus@lemmy.world 1 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

I recommend learning proper touch typing with the 'correct' finger position. Its benefit is that there's proper movement for every finger for every key, which is mostly symmetric and very regular, and it gets ingrained in muscle memory. Hence typing anything is quick even if it's not fast overall. The fingers 'know' what they must do for any letter, and it's often faster to let them do their thing than to e.g. reach for the mouse. You can actually feel when you press a wrong key.

In case of a mistake, it's faster to delete a few words and retype them than to move the cursor back and forth. And if you get an app like Alfred (for Mac) or Keypirinha (for Windows), you can invoke it with a shortcut and type a few letters faster than you open an app or click on some widget with the mouse — it's often quicker to switch apps via Alfred than via cmd-tab. Likewise, when you use a keyboard-heavy app like Emacs, calling its commands becomes a breeze.

I'd like to use Dvorak or at least Colemak, but I'm concerned that all shortcuts would be messed up. Especially since I'm a user of Vim-style movements and commands.

Also, TIPP10 app is pretty nice for learning. No fluff, no extra stuff. Initially took me about a month to learn with half an hour or so a day, and about a year to fully get used to it and develop the speed.

load more comments
view more: next ›
this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2026
89 points (98.9% liked)

Ask Lemmy

37880 readers
1422 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS