Touch typing basics: the home row and finger chart
Touch typing means each key always gets the same finger, so your hands can find it without your eyes. It starts from the home row: left fingers on ASDF, right fingers on JKL;, thumbs over the space bar.
Finding the home row without looking
The F and J keys have a small raised bump. Rest your index fingers on those two bumps and the other fingers fall onto the keys beside them. After every key press, the finger comes back to its home key. That return trip is what lets you find the next key by feel.
Which finger takes which key
Each finger covers its home key and the keys directly above and below it. The two index fingers also cover one extra column toward the middle of the keyboard.
| Finger | Keys |
|---|---|
| Left little finger | Q A Z |
| Left ring finger | W S X |
| Left middle finger | E D C |
| Left index finger | R T F G V B |
| Right index finger | Y U H J N M |
| Right middle finger | I K , |
| Right ring finger | O L . |
| Right little finger | P ; / |
Either thumb presses the space bar. For a capital letter or a symbol that needs Shift, hold Shift with the little finger of the other hand: right Shift for a capital A, left Shift for a capital L.
Two keys cause most early mix-ups. B belongs to the left index finger and Y to the right index finger, even though each sits near the middle where either hand could reach.
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The order to learn it in
- Home row. A S D F and J K L ; then G and H, which the index fingers reach inward for. Words like "glass", "salad" and "flash" use this row only.
- Top row. Q W E R T and Y U I O P. Reach up, press, return.
- Bottom row. Z X C V B and N M, plus the comma and period. Curl the finger down rather than moving the whole hand.
- Shift. Capitals and marks such as ? ! : and quotation marks.
- Everything together. Short sentences.
Typing Practice follows exactly this order. Each step only gives you keys you have already met, and the on-screen keyboard lights the next key and names the finger for it.
Three habits that matter more than speed
- Use the assigned finger even when another is closer. A shortcut that works at slow speed becomes the thing that trips you later.
- Accuracy first. Todok's practice suggests the next step once you pass 95% accuracy. Speed follows once the reach is automatic.
- Hide the on-screen keyboard when a step feels easy. If your accuracy holds with the keyboard hidden, that row is learned.
Seeing which keys hold you back
When a round ends, the keys you missed are painted on a picture of the keyboard, and the ones you were slow on are outlined. If the same key keeps showing up, check the chart above for its finger. On the typing test, "Practice missed keys" builds a short drill from words that contain them.
For how the score itself is worked out, see How WPM is calculated.