Back to Blog
2025-12-19 • 3 min read

The Accuracy vs. Speed Debate: What Should You Focus On?

Is it better to type 100 WPM with errors or 60 WPM perfectly? Explore why accuracy is the true secret to high-speed typing.

The Accuracy vs. Speed Debate: What Should You Focus On?

When you first start your touch typing journey, the temptation is strong: you want to see that Words Per Minute (WPM) counter climb as high as possible, as fast as possible. It’s exciting to watch your fingers fly across the keys. But then, you hit a wall. You’re typing fast, but you’re also making a lot of mistakes.

This brings up the age-old debate in the typing community: Is it better to focus on speed or accuracy?

The short answer? Accuracy always wins. Here is why.

The Myth of "Raw Speed"

Many people believe they can "fix" their accuracy once they’ve reached a certain speed. They think, "I'll just learn to move my fingers fast first, and then I'll learn to hit the right keys."

This is a dangerous myth. When you type with low accuracy, you aren't actually practicing typing—you’re practicing making mistakes. You are training your muscles to move in the wrong directions, which makes it nearly impossible to reach elite speeds later on.

Muscle Memory: The True Engine of Speed

Touch typing is entirely dependent on muscle memory. Your brain needs to know exactly where every key is without you having to think about it.

  • If you practice slowly and accurately, your brain builds a clear, perfect "map" of the keyboard.
  • If you practice fast and inaccurately, your brain builds a messy, confusing map.

Once your brain has a perfect map, speed happens automatically. You don't "try" to type faster; your fingers simply move more confidently because they know exactly where to go.

The "Cost of an Error" Rule

Think about what happens when you make a mistake. It’s not just one wrong letter. An error actually involves three distinct, time-consuming actions:

  1. Detection: You realize you made a mistake (breaks your flow).
  2. Correction: You have to reach for the Backspace key (removes your hand from the home row).
  3. Redo: You have to re-type the character correctly.

In the time it takes to fix a single error, you could have typed five or six characters perfectly. A typist doing 60 WPM with 100% accuracy will often finish a document faster than someone doing 90 WPM with 90% accuracy.

The 98% Rule

So, how do you find the balance? Most experts recommend the 98% Rule.

If your accuracy falls below 98%, you are typing too fast for your current muscle memory. You should slow down until you can consistently hit that 98-100% mark. Once you can maintain that accuracy comfortably, your speed will naturally increase without any extra effort.

Practical Tips for Balancing Both

  1. Ignore the Timer: If the WPM counter makes you nervous, try to ignore it and focus only on the letters on the screen.
  2. Say the Letters: As you type, say the letters or words in your head. This reinforces the connection between the thought and the movement.
  3. Keep a Steady Rhythm: Don't type fast words fast and hard words slow. Try to maintain a constant, metronome-like beat for every single keypress.

Conclusion

Speed is vanity; accuracy is sanity. If you want to become an elite typist, forget about your WPM for a while. Focus on hitting every single key perfectly, and before you know it, you’ll be typing faster and more effortlessly than you ever thought possible.

Happy practicing!

Focus on Precision