Typing is very important for most people using a computer. At any given time, their are millions of people learning to type or working to improve existing typing skills, and as a result their are over 10 million typing-related search queries each month. Yet, in spite of all the interest in keyboarding, there are relatively few quality sites on the topic, and the good ones out there are sometimes hard to find. At least that’s how it was until last week before the release of the Typing Directory by The Keyboard Playground and A Playground for the Mind.

With links to over 100 of the best typing tutors, typing games, typing speed tests and other resources, the Typing Directory is the most comprehensive and well-organized compilation of keyboarding resources around. Divided into 8 different categories including tutors, games, WPM tests, articles, hardware and mobile, the links represent the best the web has to offer in the realm of typing and keyboarding, all in one place.

It’s a great tool for educators looking to incorporate typing practice in their curriculum, as teachers can use the directory to find the right lessons, tutorials and games for their students. It’s also valuable for professionals looking to improve their typing speed to increase productivity or land a job. Finally, the directory can be used for casual games players looking to pit their typing skills against others; one of the features of the directory is a compilation of all the typing games on the web.

The directory is a result of webmaster Alex Colket’s realization that no one had yet fully cataloged the numerous keyboarding resources on the internet. What began four months ago as a short list of potential link partners has evolved into a collection of all the highest-quality and most useful websites in the realm of typing. Additions to the directory are still being made and webmasters or users aware of any quality sites not yet listed are encouraged to make suggestions through the online form.

In adding the Typing Directory, The Keyboard Playground takes another step towards becoming a preeminent destination for typists. With over 20 typing games (including a dozen originals), 5 typing tests, a typing competition, and droves of information about keyboards, typing practice and touch-typing lessons, The Keyboard Playground is an invaluable resource for all looking to practice their typing.

This is a very basic typing game – hardly even a game actually, more of an exercise – where you need to type the letters of the alphabet in order as fast as you can. That’s it. Compete for high scores and try to improve on your own best times.

I just became aware of an excellent new typing test that recently appeared on the scene. It’s called Key Hero and it features some very detailed reporting on your typing performance. At the same time though, it’s simple to use and understand, making it pretty much one of the best all-around WPM typing tests to be found on the web.

Here are a couple of screenshots. It’s a little embarrassing to post my results, as you might think I would be a little better typist considering that I run this website. But alas, I my touch-typing skills are not what they could or should be:

For you typing-game-loving firefox-users, check out this typing test plugin. It’s free, simple to install, and boasts the following features:

The 26 lessons generate an endless number of one-line drills.
You can design 50 more lessons.
You can change the words source by pasting in any group of words, of any language.
Click the status bar icon to open the program.
A timer starts at the first letter typed and stops at the end of a line.
Your wpm(words per minute) and errors count are shown after each drill.
It saves your 15 recent scores and your best scores for each lesson.

A simple falling letters game with nice graphics and sound. Perfect for kids looking to work on their touch-typing skills.

This is a cute, kid-friendly game in the type-the-falling-words genre. Nice graphics accompanied by music and sound effect make it an engaging play.

A catchy little typing game with a musical theme. Type the correct letters as they pass by like music notes and the little boy plays his guitar.

Strong touch-typing skills can go a long way towards making your time at the computer more efficient & productive (and less frustrating). No matter how strong of a typist you are, anyone can benefit from an improvement in this area, and growth is fostered when we are focused, motivated and challenged. So if you are looking for a place to learn touch-typing, or a way to improve on existing skills, you should be asking yourself “what could I possibly do to stay focused, motivated and challenged while typing?”. The answer, of course, is typing games.

Online typing games are a perfect way to give your fingers a rigorous typing-workout. Such games come in a variety of different formats and many include stories, music or other thematic elements to make the play more engaging. Before you know it, you might spend 30 minutes practicing keyboarding and having fun. The incentive to score or pass a level adds an extra layer of intensity to the practice session which, for most of us, will compel us to push ourselves that extra bit needed to facilitate improvement.

Now, there are a lot of typing games out there, so I figured I would take a little time to sort through them and compile a list of the best options the web has to offer. As part of my work in running The Keyboard Playground, I have grown to be very familiar typing games and websites, so this is a well-researched list. Of course, it’s also subjective; for a more complete list you might want to check out this directory of typing games. Here they are, in no particular order:

Top 10 Typing Games

KeyMan – This game has a lot of good elements to it and seems to run smoothly. It’s basically PacMan except that you navigate through the maze with the keyboard instead of the arrow keys. It’s fun to play, and a decent way to practice your knowledge of the keyboard layout, but slightly limited in that you aren’t spending as much time typing in this game as you do in some of the others on this list.

Keyboard Revolution – This like like a light version of guitar Hero using the keyboard instead. You have letters floating up the screen in time with the music and you need to press them as they pass over the designated area. This is similar to KeyMan in that it is a catchy game but has a low density of typing involved.

Typo II – I like this game because it used the whole keyboard, not just the letters. I also think it’s interesting because you are typing nonsense phrases which makes it more necessary to touch-type.

Typer Shark – TyperShark is the most commercial and popular typing game on the web. It’s the classic example of the ‘type the falling words’ genre except in this case you are trying to type them before they are consumed by sharks.

Great Red Herring Chase – The idea behind this game is that you are in a car chase and you need to give directions to your driver by typing. It becomes a little bit like those choose-your-own-adventure books as you have 4 choices for lines at any given time and the story goes to different places depending on which line you type. Certainly not a game for everyone, but worth checking out if you are looking for something a little different.

TypeDown – A fast-paced typing game in which you need to eliminate the rising words from the column before it reaches the top. This requires non-stop typing for the duration of the rounds, around two minutes. Unlike many other typing games, this one pulls it words from a dictionary so the words are always different.

Typeroids – There are a number of different games in this format, but I think this is the best one. It’s nice and simple which is good because the game concept is also very clean so its a good complement. This game requires an intermediate amount of typing as sometimes you will be working feverishly while other times you will be taking short breaks in between waves.

The Typing Test – This game in unique in that it is actually 5 different typing games in one, and it’s a daily competition. You login each day to work your way through the various tasks and then you can find out how you perform relative to other players.

TypeRacer – The gameplay here is very straight-forward and relatively uninteresting, but what sets this game apart is the ability to compete in real-time with other players. You can challenge someone in particular or you can get set up with random opponents.

Typing Race – Not to be confused with the previous game, this is a Facebook typing competition where you race against other players and earn points based on how you perform.

That’s it, enjoy!

If you like typing games, perhaps online casino games would be an option for you. OnlineCasinosPro has a huge amount of info on these games – read about them now!

Testez votre vitesse de frappe avec des citations célèbres de Voltaire. Une fois que vous avez terminé, vous verrez votre MPM vitesse de frappe. The Playground Clavier offrira plus de jeux de taper en français à venir bientôt!

I just added a fourth WPM Typing Test, this time based on lorem ipsum (randomly generated non-sense latin). This changes the game a little as you really need to keep your eyes on the screen when typing as you will be considerably less able to memorize the words and hunt for the keys.

As far as aforementioned changes go… they have been delayed a little by injuries, but they are still on the way. Actually, getting a new-and-improved version of this site out there is a top priority, and hope to get it done soon. There is a lot to do however (like remaking all the games) so it might still be awhile depending on how my body is doing.