A free typing course that adapts to the learner

Ankhdase teaches touch typing across 56 lessons in 10 units, starting with the eight home-row keys and ending with symbols, the number pad and code. It is free, runs in the browser, and needs no download.

What makes it different from a typical typing site is that the practice text is generated. Each lesson declares which keys it owns and which it has already met, and fresh key ladders, words and sentences are built from that set every single run — so a lesson cannot be memorized, and repeating one is genuinely more practice rather than the same paragraph again.

Every keystroke is also timed and scored individually. That produces a per-key heat map showing exactly which letters are slow or inaccurate, and those keys are then woven back into later lessons and into a targeted drill built from nothing but a learner’s own weak spots.

What the course covers

  • 🏠 Home Row — Your fingers live here. Everything else is measured from these eight keys. (8 lessons)
  • ⬆️ Top Row — Reach up without looking down. The home keys are still your anchor. (8 lessons)
  • ⬇️ Bottom Row — The trickiest reach. Curl down and come straight back. (7 lessons)
  • ⇧ Shift & Capitals — Always the opposite hand. Never the same-side shift. (4 lessons)
  • ❓ Punctuation — Full stops, question marks, apostrophes and the shift that goes with them. (5 lessons)
  • #️⃣ Number Row — The long reach. Keep your wrists still and let the fingers travel. (6 lessons)
  • ＠ Symbols — Everything above the numbers, plus the brackets and slashes. (5 lessons)
  • 🔢 Number Pad — Ten-key entry for spreadsheets, tills and data work. (5 lessons)
  • 🚀 Speed & Endurance — Longer runs at a steady pace. This is where speed actually comes from. (5 lessons)
  • 💻 Code Typing — Brackets, semicolons and camelCase — the punctuation programrs actually hit. (3 lessons)

Typing tests and certificates

There are 1, 3 and 5-minute timed tests using 8 original passages at four reading levels. Each test reports net and gross words per minute, keystroke accuracy, a speed graph over the run, the keys that cost the most, and a dated certificate you can print.

Typing games

Typing Course Home row to fluent, one lesson at a time Typing Typing Test 1, 3 or 5 minutes. Certificate at the end. Typing Word Rain Type fast or get soaked Typing Type Race Beat the pace car — or your own ghost Typing Key Hunter Find the key before the light goes out Typing Keyboard Explorer Press a key, meet a letter Typing

Common questions about learning to type

Is the Ankhdase typing course free?
Yes — all 56 lessons, the timed tests and the typing games are free, with no download and no email address needed. An account is optional and only adds saved progress and the per-key heat map.
What age should a child start learning to type?
Most children can begin around age 6 or 7, once their hands are big enough to rest on the home row. Start with Key Hunter for key locations, then Unit 1 of the course. Fifteen minutes a few times a week beats one long session.
How is this different from other typing sites?
Two things. Drill text is generated from each lesson’s key set rather than pulled from a fixed script, so nothing can be memorized and a repeat is never the same repeat. And every keystroke is timed and scored per key, so the letters you personally miss get woven back into later lessons and into a targeted drill.
What is a good typing speed for a child?
Rough guides: around 15 WPM by the end of primary school, 25–35 WPM in middle school, and 40+ WPM by the end of high school. Accuracy matters more than speed early on — speed follows accuracy, not the other way round.
Do students get a typing certificate?
Yes. Finishing a 1, 3 or 5-minute timed test produces a printable certificate showing net WPM, accuracy and a rating, dated and named.
Can teachers track typing progress for a class?
Yes. Teachers see best WPM and accuracy per student alongside the rest of the class skill map, and can set typing assignments with a goal in minutes, stars or words per minute.