Typing lesson 1 of 17
Home row typing practice
The home row is where your fingers rest between keystrokes: A S D F under your left hand and J K L under your right, with your thumbs on the space bar. Lesson 1 uses only those seven keys, so each finger learns its place before any of them has to reach.
Keys and fingers
- Pinky
- Ring finger
- Middle finger
- Index finger
- Thumbs (space bar)
- Outlined: home keys
| Key | Finger | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| A | Left pinky | On its home key |
| S | Left ring finger | On its home key |
| D | Left middle finger | On its home key |
| F | Left index finger | On its home key |
| J | Right index finger | On its home key |
| K | Right middle finger | On its home key |
| L | Right ring finger | On its home key |
How to practice
- Find the bumps. Rest your index fingers on F and J, the two keys with a small raised bar, and let the other fingers fall onto the keys beside them. Your right pinky rests on ;, which this lesson doesn’t use.
- Rest lightly, fingers curved. The fingers only need to touch the keys. Keep your wrists straight and your thumbs over the space bar.
- Go slowly enough to use the right finger every time. The lesson passes on accuracy, not speed, and the right finger is the habit you’re building.
- Keep your eyes on the screen. The keyboard guide under the text shows the next key and the finger for it. Look there, not at your hands.
- Press space with either thumb, and keep the other fingers on their keys while you do.
Practice words
Only 13 words in the word bank are made of these seven letters alone, all of them below.
- a
- as
- all
- ask
- fall
- add
- dad
- sad
- falls
- asks
- adds
- ads
- salad
F, J and K have the fewest words, so the lesson adds short drills of each key with the same finger on the other hand, about one word in ten:
- ff
- fff
- jf
- fj
- jfj
- fjf
- jj
- jjj
- kk
- kkk
- dk
- kd
- dkd
- kdk
A round of this lesson, as the trainer writes it for a new typist. Each round draws new words, most of them with the new keys:
adds ff asks salad as adds ads as dad ask falls kkk dkd salad jf jj add ads ask fall
Common mistakes
- Looking down. It’s the habit these lessons are meant to break. If you lose your place, feel for the bumps on F and J instead of looking.
- One finger doing two jobs. Pressing D with an index finger, or K and L with the same finger, can feel quicker at first, but touch typing only works when each key always has the same finger.
- Hands drifting. After a few words, hands creep sideways and the fingers land on the wrong keys. Check the bumps between words.
- Skipping the pinky. A belongs to your left pinky. Letting the ring finger take it moves the whole hand off the home row.
- Holding a key down. A key held down types its letter again. A short, light tap is enough.
Frequently asked questions
Which finger goes on which home row key?
Left hand: pinky on A, ring finger on S, middle finger on D, index finger on F. Right hand: index finger on J, middle finger on K, ring finger on L and pinky on ;. Both thumbs rest on the space bar.
Why does lesson 1 have so few words?
Only 13 words in the word bank are made of these seven letters alone. So the lesson also mixes in short drills for the keys with the fewest words, each paired with the same finger on the other hand, as typing courses do.
How do I pass lesson 1?
Type a round at 95% accuracy or better in which each of A, S, D, F, J, K and L was typed right at least once. A lesson round is at most 30 words, and you can try again as often as you like: start lesson 1.
What comes after lesson 1?
Lesson 2 adds G and H. Once you pass lesson 1, the next round starts it, and you can go back to any lesson whenever you like.
