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Advanced Lesson 128

Pipes, Backslashes and Tildes

Reach the least-used keys on the right of the keyboard.

Instructions

The backslash sits above Enter, the pipe is the same key with Shift, and the tilde is Shift plus backtick at the far top left. These are the hardest reaches on a standard layout.

Finger position: Right little finger for backslash and pipe, left little finger for tilde.

Pipes, Backslashes and Tildes

Target: 20 WPM at 96% accuracy

0 Net WPM
0 Raw WPM
100% Accuracy
0:00 Elapsed
0 Correct
0 Incorrect
0 Errors left
0% Progress
Click here or start typing to begin

The timer starts on your first keystroke. Press Escape to pause where pausing is allowed. Pasting is disabled.

  • abc Correct
  • abc Incorrect (wavy underline)
  • abc Corrected (dotted underline)
  • abc Missed (struck through)

Underlined keys are the home row. Use the opposite hand for Shift where you can. QWERTY layout.

You can practise on a phone or tablet, but a physical keyboard gives a far more accurate WPM measurement. On-screen keyboards add their own delay.

Tips for this lesson

  • Keep your wrists relaxed and floating rather than resting hard on the desk.
  • Return every finger to the home row after each keystroke so your hands never drift.
  • Use the opposite hand for Shift wherever you can - it keeps both hands balanced.
  • Read one word ahead of the cursor so your hands always know what is coming.
  • Aim for the accuracy target first. Speed follows once the movement is reliable.

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