Typing
A passage appears, taken from a book in the public domain. Type it. Your score is the time, the words a minute, and how many characters were wrong.
Loading game…
Rules and help
How to play Typing
A passage is shown, with the author and the book beneath it. The words and the punctuation are the book's. Type what you see.
The clock
The clock starts when you type the first character. It stops when you reach the last character, even if some of them are wrong. A mistake does not stop you along the way. You can go back and correct it before that last character.
Words a minute
The words-a-minute figure counts five characters, spaces included, as one word, then divides by the minutes you took. It uses the length of the sentence and the time on the clock when you reach the end.
Wrong characters
A character that does not match is marked, and it counts. Correcting it later does not take the count away. A line with fewer mistakes ranks above a quicker line with more. When the mistakes are equal, the higher number of words a minute wins.
The sentences
The sentences are a similar length. They come from books in the public domain, and the wording is unchanged. New sentence, before you have started, brings up another. Once the clock is running, you finish the line in front of you. After a score, New sentence brings the next.
Leaving the tab
Switching away pauses the clock. It runs again when you come back. The time the tab was hidden is left out of the score.
Pasting
A pasted line is ignored. The sentence has to be typed.
Tips
- Read the sentence once before you start. The clock is still until the first character.
- If you mistype, keep going, or step back and fix it before the last character. The clock stops when the sentence is full.
- Type the punctuation as it is printed, and keep the spaces.
- A few quiet lines are usually cleaner than rushing the next one.
Playing on a phone or tablet
Tap the sentence and type. The time starts with the first character and stops when you reach the last one, even if a character is wrong. The sentence stays in the same place.
Frequently asked questions
- Where do the sentences come from?
- From books in the public domain, including Pride and Prejudice, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The wording is the book's. Nothing is generated, and nothing is sent to a server.
- What is a good speed?
- Around 40 words a minute is a steady pace. Around 60 is quick. A line with no mistakes ranks above a faster line that still has some.
- Where is my best kept?
- In this browser, on this device. Clearing site data for Play Solo removes it. Nothing is sent to a server.
- Can I choose the book?
- New sentence, before you start, skips to another. The books are shuffled, and each one waits until the others have been offered.
- Does leaving the page stop the clock?
- The clock pauses while the tab is hidden, and continues when you return. Time spent away is left out of the score.