About the X and Period Keys lesson
This lesson introduces the X and . keys. Type X with your left ring finger, and . with your right ring finger. Each of the 3 drills is around 60 characters, short enough to finish in one focused burst. Once you can finish all 3 drills above 95% accuracy, move on to Z and Slash Keys.
Keys in this lesson: X .
How to practise the X and . keys
- Rest your fingers on the home row — left hand on A, S, D, F and right hand on J, K, L, semicolon — before you start.
- Reach for each key with the correct finger (X with your left ring finger, and . with your right ring finger) and return straight to the home row afterwards.
- Keep your eyes on the character strip, not on the keyboard. The on-screen keyboard below highlights the next key if you get lost.
- Slow down until you can hit the key without hesitating. Speed is a by-product of not hesitating, so it arrives on its own.
Where this fits
This is lesson 14 of 41 in the free FastFingers touch typing course. The next lesson is Z and Slash Keys. When you want to measure your speed on real text instead of drills, take a free typing test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Type X with your left ring finger, and . with your right ring finger. Your other fingers stay resting on the home row so your hand never needs to move as a whole.
Repeat it until you can finish all 3 drills at 97% accuracy or better without looking down. For most people that is two or three passes across a couple of days, not one long sitting.
Fix them. This lesson blocks a second wrong keystroke in a row, so you have to press Backspace and correct the character before you can continue. That is deliberate — it stops you drilling the wrong movement.