AitchyB t1_izibe9i wrote
When I learned touch typing in highschool many moons ago (on an electric typewriter lol) we were taught not to read the word (when copy typing) but instead break it down into letters to improve our speed, hence the practicing of random letter groups. So a site like this wouldn’t actually be any good because I wouldn’t take in the content.
snowe2010 t1_izjioow wrote
That’s pretty funny because I learned the exact opposite. You shouldn’t have to read the letters because you can type much faster if you can read words faster, so the only thing that will ever slow you down is unknown words. And it has matched my experience. Reading far ahead while typing means you can type much much faster. I type like 80-90 words a minute with actual sentences vs like 50 for random letters.
colawars t1_izjk7bb wrote
I've been training myself to type better and you're right. Words become macros and can flow off your fingertips without you even knowing the movements you just made. I sometimes find myself regressing into my old typing behaviors where every letter seems to take a monumental effort to hit, but with practice I've been able to get back on track.
snowe2010 t1_izkc8xl wrote
Macros is a great way to put it. That’s exactly how I feel about it, they aren’t individual letters anymore, they’re a macro to put a word on screen and it’s just easier for your brain to process it that way.
60Hurts t1_izkwvon wrote
So easy! The trouble then is when at work you have to type a colleague’s name ending in “shid” and every single time you need to correct what your brain is accustomed to typing, and you live in fear of the day you slip up.
snowe2010 t1_izld1kz wrote
I think my brain must process that differently. If I have a word pop up that I don’t have “programmed” then I do default back to the character by character typing.
blay12 t1_izmfkzt wrote
Love the idea of "macros" for individual words, bc as a solid typist (130-140wpm) that's exactly what it feels like to me when I'm "in the zone" and really pushing. If you can read far enough ahead that you're seeing words and have a sense of the paragraph you're writing (or the paragraph you're trying to say if it's something original you're writing), words on a keyboard are kind of just collections of letters and easy to repeat sequences that you can hammer out within less than a second. It's kinda musical in a way, like you're swapping chords on a guitar or piano, and I envision chords on either instrument pretty much the exact same way - you're just throwing your hands into a default position without really thinking about the specific positions bc you know that this "form" of your hands makes this sound, so you don't have to think about how each finger on each string or key is making its own impact.
Obv this all comes with a lot of practice, and I've gotten a TON of practice typing from the nature of my work, but faster typing is absolutely attainable for anyone that can put in some time practicing.
mrmusclefoot t1_izl6kuj wrote
I took a note taking and speed reading class once and they teach you to use your finger to keep track of what word you are on and to speed through a paragraph ignore the basic words like pronouns or and and the cause your brain is seeing them but you don’t need to focus consciously to pick them up.
MagicalEloquence OP t1_izihlqq wrote
That's quite cool. What is your typing speed now ?
Chipdermonk t1_izjsgbk wrote
It seems to me that typing by letter instead of word would be a great hindrance. I type around 130 wpm in English, but when the language changes, that goes down significantly. Mentally, my fingers type words like a pianist plays an arpeggio. You don’t think of every letter, you think of groups of letters, just as the pianist doesn’t think of the individual notes, they think of the entire chord.
[deleted] t1_izkhlq2 wrote
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Chipdermonk t1_izl2ey3 wrote
Every once in awhile I use the fast fingers website, but I think my speed is influenced by my piano studies. I don’t regularly practice typing, but I do it often as I write a lot. In my experience, I type full words, not the letters of those words (mentally, I mean). There are some words that I type very fast because they are ingrained in my finger memory, but if the word is new or less common, I type it slower.
rhaizee t1_izjz58d wrote
That's funny I do the opposite, I read a head and already know how to type it so I don't need to see the entire word, I string a lot a few words. I type casually at 80, more at 90-100 fast.
Fixes_Computers t1_izktacz wrote
I was initially taught letter by letter, but typing words was a natural evolution as proficiency increased. I think it was even discussed at some point when I first learned (it's been decades so my memory is understandably fuzzy).
Even now, typing on my phone with my thumbs, I'm typing words and not letters.
AitchyB t1_izl606d wrote
I think this is probably a more accurate description of the way I was taught, letters initially which is to learn the QWERTY keyboard layout and get it so you don’t have to think about where each letter is, and then with practice you will sight the word and just type that at speed, but new words or those with unfamiliar spelling still get broken down to letters.
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