Start typing

Learn to type on keys you'd want

A free touch-typing tutor on a real pastel keyboard. The next key lights up in the colour of the finger that should press it. Pick a lesson and start typing; no sign-up.

What's under the keys

Keep scrolling and the keyboard comes apart. Four layers turn a key press into a letter on your screen.

  1. KeycapsWhat your fingers touch. Shape and texture change the feel more than you'd think.
  2. Switches on a plateOne switch per key. The spring and stem decide how heavy and how loud each press is.
  3. Circuit boardEach switch closes a contact here, and the chip sends the letter to your computer.
  4. CaseHolds it all together. Weight and material shape the sound.

How touch typing works

Each finger looks after its own column of keys, so you never have to look down. The glow on the tutor uses that finger's colour.

Two hands resting on the home row of a pastel keyboard

Home row first

Rest your fingers on A S D F and J K L ;. Your thumbs sit on the space bar. Every key is a short reach from there.

Close-up of the small raised bump on the F key

Feel for the bumps

F and J have a small ridge, so your index fingers find the home row without looking down.

A pastel keyboard on a tidy desk by a window

Ten minutes a day

Short daily practice beats one long session a week. Go for accuracy first; speed follows.

Typing questions

How is words per minute calculated?

By convention, every five characters you type, spaces and punctuation included, count as one word. The tutor counts correct characters only, divided by the minutes since your first key press.

What is the home row?

The middle row of letters. Your left fingers rest on A, S, D and F, your right fingers on J, K, L and the semicolon, and your thumbs on the space bar.

Why are there bumps on F and J?

So your index fingers can find the home row by touch. Most keyboards have them.

Can I use the tutor on a phone?

It works with any keyboard, but it's made for learning on a physical one. Connect a Bluetooth keyboard to practise on a tablet.