Guide

Touch typing: which finger goes where

Touch typing means typing without looking at the keyboard, using all ten fingers. Each finger is responsible for its own column of keys, so your hands barely move and your eyes stay on the screen. It feels slow for the first few days, then it becomes the fastest way you have ever typed.

Finger placement chart

Each colour is one finger. Rest your fingers on the middle row and reach up or down from there.

• Left little
• Left ring
• Left middle
• Left index
• Right index
• Right middle
• Right ring
• Right little

The home row

Your fingers start and return to the home row: left hand on A S D F, right hand on J K L ;. Feel for the small bumps on F and J; they are there so your index fingers can find home without looking. Your index fingers also cover the keys next to them (G and H, plus T, Y, B and N), which is why they have the most work to do.

Posture

• Sit up with your feet flat and your forearms roughly level with the desk.
• Let your wrists float above the keyboard rather than resting them while you type.
• Curve your fingers slightly, and strike keys with your fingertips, not the pads.
• Keep your shoulders loose. If your hands feel tense, slow down.

A simple practice routine

1. Days 1–3: home row only. Type short nonsense like "fjdk slal" slowly, never looking down.
2. Days 4–6: add the top row, then the bottom row. Always return to the home row after each reach.
3. Week 2: type real words and short sentences at a steady rhythm. Aim for 95% accuracy before speed.
4. After that: short daily sessions. Check your progress with the typing speed test once a week.

Practice sticks when it is fun. Clackshot turns it into a game: every correct letter fires at an incoming ship, so you build speed and accuracy without it feeling like a drill. For a fuller plan, see how to type faster, and for what counts as a good speed, the average typing speed guide.

Common questions