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How I Write 120+ WPM

I'll start with a quick story from my school days. Back in 11th and 12th grade, and even earlier, we used to go to the computer lab. Almost every time, I’d end up sitting on the first bench. Not because I was the class topper or the brightest computer student, but simply because, thanks to two A's in my name, my roll number was always 1 (our school assigned roll numbers alphabetically).

That meant I was always at the teacher’s computer — the one connected to the smart screen everyone could see. Whatever I did was broadcast to the whole lab. Honestly, I used to type embarrassingly slow: sometimes just with my right index finger, or both index fingers, one key at a time.

Sometimes, teachers would joke that I typed so slowly that even if they finished teaching a lesson and then started typing, they’d still be faster. Occasionally, I'd get moved off the teacher’s system so one of their favorite students could take over — and yeah, it hurt. But I’m sharing this because I want you to take inspiration — not to feel bad. Life is like that sometimes: you get an opportunity by fate or luck, but if you’re not quite ready, someone else grabs it. The key is to get ready and be confident for the next shot.

Here’s a screenshot from Monkeytype — my personal best a few days ago.

Screenshot of Monkeytype showing my typing personal best

But before the steps, here’s some quick context. Before I started learning touch typing after school, my speed was about 30-35 WPM (honestly, not bad for a beginner). The global average today is 45-50 WPM, and four years ago, it was closer to 35 WPM when I checked.

My Roadmap: How i went from 35 👉 155 WPM

  1. Start learning touch typing using websites like typing.com. For beginners today, I recommend typingclub.com — it’s more comprehensive, interactive, and beginner-friendly.

  2. Learn the basics: finger placement, home row, which finger types which letter (just the fundamentals, not all lessons at once).

  3. Practice on Monkeytype once you've completed the lessons and practiced the alphabet. Pro tip: when you first switch to touch typing, your speed will drop (mine went from 35 to 12-15 WPM). But don’t quit — this is normal! You’re relearning the right way and building a foundation.

  4. For the first few days or weeks, focus purely on accuracy and building muscle memory — not speed. Accuracy comes first!

  5. Next step: If your goal is standard typing (letters only), keep practicing on Monkeytype to improve weekly. But if you want to be a developer, accountant, or power user, start learning special characters (developers) or number keys (accountants) — tailor the practice according to your needs and wants.

  6. Since my focus was coding, I learned special characters, practiced on Typeracer and Monkeytype until they felt natural, then tackled number keys with the same process.

  7. Once you’ve learned everything you need, it’s all about practice, practice, practice! CONSISTENCY beats everything.

Also, don’t get demotivated when your speed gets stuck at a certain point. There will be days or periods when progress slows — mine stalled at 50-60, 90-100, and 120-130 WPM. Just be patient, practice daily, and focus on accuracy. Remember, your accuracy should be above 98%. If it’s below 98%, focus only on accuracy, not speed.

Here are some cautions from my experience:

  • Never practice typing for long continuous periods. When I started, I used to type for over an hour because I enjoyed it and wanted to improve my speed, but typing continuously can hurt your wrists and cause prolonged pain. Typing consistently for even 10 minutes daily is more effective than a long 1-hour session infrequently.

  • Pay attention to wrist placement. Laptop users usually have better wrist alignment because their wrists stay straight with their fingers. However, if you type on mechanical or external keyboards, make sure your wrists are correctly positioned, or invest in a wrist rest. This helps prevent issues like carpal tunnel syndrome.

Finally, here are some of my personal tips and tricks:

  • Type word by word rather than letter by letter.
  • Always try to read words ahead while typing.
  • Use Ctrl + Backspace to delete entire word instead of repeatedly pressing Backspace.
  • Visualize or mentally write each letter or word before typing it.
  • Break long words into smaller parts for easier typing. For example, "extraordinary" can be split into "extra" + "ordinary".
  • Practice words you often mistype. For me, it's "people" — I still dislike typing that word!

I'll end with a quote I recently heard in the F1 movie that also applies to typing fast: "Type slow, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast."