Frequently Asked Questions

Average typists type 40 WPM. A solid professional target is 60–80 WPM. Competitive typists regularly exceed 100 WPM, and the world record is over 200 WPM. TackTile measures WPM, raw WPM, accuracy, and consistency on every test, so you can see whether speed gains are real or just compensating for mistakes. Use the AI Typing Coach to break through plateaus and improve speed sustainably.

Yes. The typing test, multiplayer party races, ranked ELO ladder, daily challenge, AI Typing Coach, 14 code-typing languages, lessons, and boss trials are all free to use. You can optionally sign in to sync progress across devices, earn seasonal XP, and join clans. No paywall, no card, no trial.

WPM counts only correctly-typed characters, then divides by 5 to estimate words. Raw WPM counts every keystroke (including mistakes and backspaces) the same way. If your raw WPM is much higher than WPM, you are typing fast but correcting many errors. The goal is to push WPM up while keeping raw WPM close to WPM. TackTile's metrics engine shows both, plus accuracy and consistency, on every test.

Consistency measures how stable your typing speed is across the test. It is calculated as 100 minus the coefficient of variation of your WPM over time, bounded to 0–100. A consistency of 95+ means you are typing at a very stable speed; below 80 means you are likely starting too fast and then slowing down. High consistency correlates strongly with long-term typing speed improvements.

Click the sound pack icon in the typing test header, or open Settings (Esc) → Sound. TackTile ships with multiple sound packs including mechanical keyboard simulations. You can also import custom sound packs (single-key sounds or full packs). Sound packs are mixed independently of theme, so you can use any visual theme with any sound pack.

Timed mode (15s, 30s, 60s, 120s) ends the test after a fixed duration. Words mode (10, 25, 50, 100 words) ends after a fixed number of words. Timed mode is the standard for benchmarking WPM; words mode is useful for focused practice and standardizes the test across fast and slow typists. Quote mode uses curated quotes; zen mode is endless.

Showing only WPM hides whether you are typing fast with errors (and correcting them) or typing slow and accurate. The WPM vs raw WPM gap is one of the strongest signals of typing maturity. A beginner might have WPM=30, raw=60 — very fast typing with 50% error correction. A pro might have WPM=110, raw=112 — almost no correction. TackTile shows both so you can see the real picture.

Your local typing data is kept in your browser. When you sign in for the first time, TackTile will offer to merge your local data with the new account, or start fresh. To keep your local progress, choose 'merge'. Your local data is preserved on that device even after signing in, so you can use the same account on multiple devices.

Weak keys are individual keys you type with below-average accuracy or speed. TackTile's AI Coach builds a per-key error heatmap that shows exactly which keys are slowing you down. Common weak keys are B, Y, X, Z, and the number row. The AI Coach generates custom drills that focus exclusively on your weakest keys until they are no longer weak.

TackTile uses a Glicko-style ELO system for ranked play. When you win a match, your rating increases; when you lose, it decreases. The amount of change depends on the rating gap: beating a higher-rated opponent gains you more rating; losing to a lower-rated opponent loses you more. Every player starts at 1000 ELO and climbs through bronze, silver, gold, platinum, diamond, and grandmaster divisions.

Several ways: (1) increase the time/word count, (2) enable punctuation, numbers, and capitals modes, (3) use the ngram mode which uses real-world character sequences, (4) try sudden death mode where one wrong keystroke ends the test, or (5) use the AI Coach to drill your weakest keys.

Create a party race from the /race page, share the 4-character room code or invite link, and 2–8 players join. The countdown is server-authoritative, so no one can start typing before the round begins. Everyone races through the same text with real-time progress sync. After the race, you can request a rematch with a fresh text. TackTile also has ranked 1v1 duels with ELO matchmaking for solo competitive play.

Different tools for different needs. Monkeytype is excellent for a minimal, highly customizable, open-source typing test. TackTile adds multiplayer party races, ranked ELO matchmaking, an 8-category AI Typing Coach with custom drill generation, code-typing in 14 languages, daily challenges, boss trials, and seasonal clan wars. See the full comparison at /alternatives.

Each boss has a minimum WPM unlock threshold and a specific 50-word sprint. To defeat a boss, you need to match or beat their WPM in that sprint at 97%+ accuracy. Victories award unique cosmetic rewards, seasonal XP, and a permanent place on your profile's boss ladder. Boss duels can be retried as many times as you like.

The typing test uses natural English words and is optimized for measuring WPM. Code typing in Developer Mode uses real code snippets with syntax highlighting, brackets, operators, and language-specific patterns. Code typing is generally slower (50–70% of your normal WPM) because the character distribution is different. Both are valid; code typing better predicts your real-world coding speed.

Several ways: (1) increase the time/word count, (2) enable punctuation, numbers, and capitals modes, (3) use the ngram mode which uses real-world character sequences, (4) try sudden death mode where one wrong keystroke ends the test, or (5) use the AI Coach to drill your weakest keys.

Three steps work: (1) fix finger placement with the 30-lesson touch-typing course, (2) eliminate your weakest keys with the AI Typing Coach's per-key error heatmap, and (3) build consistency with timed tests. TackTile's AI Coach analyzes your last 40 sessions across 8 categories (speed, accuracy, consistency, punctuation, numbers, capitals, transitions, endurance) and generates personalized custom drills. Practicing your weakest 5 keys usually beats random practice 5x over.

Typing DNA is an 8-category score that breaks down your typing across speed, accuracy, consistency, punctuation, numbers, capitals, transitions, and endurance. Each pillar is scored 0–100. The AI Coach then identifies your weakest pillars and generates custom drills targeting them. For example, if your 'punctuation' pillar is weak, you get a drill focused on semicolons, colons, quotes, and brackets.

TackTile uses the industry-standard formula: (correct characters / 5) / minutes elapsed. Uncorrected errors don't count toward WPM but are tracked in your accuracy. TackTile also reports raw WPM (which includes all keystrokes), accuracy, and consistency. For a 60-second test, the WPM is calculated from the exact second the first correct character is typed.

After a test, click the share button on the result screen. TackTile generates a beautiful shareable card with your WPM, accuracy, and a comparison to your personal best. You can share to Twitter, Reddit, Discord, or copy a link. Anonymous sharing is supported (no account required), and signed-in users get a permanent shareable profile link.

TackTile's Developer Mode supports 14 programming languages: JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, Rust, Go, C++, Java, C#, SQL, HTML, CSS, JSON, Markdown, and shell scripting. Each language has its own curated snippets ranging from beginner syntax drills to expert-level code from real-world projects. Per-language telemetry tracks your WPM, accuracy, and peak speed for each language independently.

When you click 'Generate custom drill', TackTile sends your Typing DNA category scores and your requested topic (e.g., 'semicolons', 'phone numbers', 'JavaScript async/await') to our LLM provider. The LLM returns a 60-second targeted practice session. Your raw keystrokes and full test transcripts are never sent — only the category scores and the topic. You can opt out of AI features entirely by never clicking 'Generate custom drill'.

From the homepage, click 'Ranked' (or press the command palette shortcut). TackTile uses Glicko-style ELO matchmaking to find you an opponent of similar rating. The match is a 1v1 typing race with server-authoritative countdown. Your ELO updates after each match based on the outcome and your opponent's rating. Win streaks accelerate rating gains; losses decelerate them.

Every day at midnight UTC, TackTile publishes a single quote for every typist worldwide. You can submit as many runs as you want, but only your best run counts toward your daily score and percentile rank. The challenge is a great way to measure your progress against the same text as the rest of the world.

A typing clan is a team of 3–5 typists that competes in clan wars. Clans have a unique 2–5 character tag, a member roster, and a clan ELO that updates after each war based on the outcome and the relative ratings of the two clans. Clans add a team-coordination layer to competitive typing — you have to trust your teammates to deliver on match day.

TackTile tournaments are single-elimination brackets with 2 to 64 players. Players register, are seeded by ELO, and progress through rounds. Each match is a live 1v1 typing race with server-validated results. Larger cups take longer but award more seasonal ELO and rewards. Open cups and championship cups both run seasonally.

Yes. TackTile has four live leaderboard categories: Ranked Ladder (ELO), Speed Burst (top WPM), Precision (top accuracy), and Friends Circle. Plus a Classic Archive of historical all-time records. The leaderboard updates in real time as new tests are validated.

A solid accuracy is 95%+. 98%+ is competitive. TackTile reports accuracy as (correct keystrokes / total keystrokes) * 100. For the AI Coach's Typing DNA, accuracy above 95% is 'strong', 90–95% is 'average', below 90% is 'weak' and will be flagged as a priority area for improvement.

Sound packs replace the click/clack sounds your keyboard makes as you type. TackTile ships with multiple sound packs simulating different mechanical switches (Cherry MX Blue, Brown, Red, Topre, etc.) and custom sound designs. Open Settings (Esc) → Sound to preview and switch sound packs. Sound packs can be mixed with any theme.

By default, TackTile's test uses only lowercase letters. Enabling 'punct' adds punctuation (.,!?) to the test, 'numbers' adds digits 0-9, and 'capitals' adds uppercase letters. The 'code' mode combines all three. These modes are great for training the full keyboard, not just letters, and they affect your Typing DNA scores for those specific categories.

The typing test uses natural English words and is optimized for measuring WPM. Code typing in Developer Mode uses real code snippets with syntax highlighting, brackets, operators, and language-specific patterns. Code typing is generally slower (50–70% of your normal WPM) because the character distribution is different. Both are valid; code typing better predicts your real-world coding speed.

Not automatically. TackTile uses a different results schema than other typing test platforms. You can manually re-run your standard tests in TackTile to establish a baseline. The AI Coach only needs a handful of recent sessions to start producing useful Typing DNA feedback, so you don't need to import years of history.

TackTile is local-first by default. Your typing happens in your browser using the Web Audio API, your results are stored in your browser via IndexedDB, and an account is optional. When you sign in, your data syncs to our database for cross-device use. We do not sell typing telemetry to third parties, and we do not use third-party advertising or tracking cookies. See the /privacy page for full details.

Go to /account → Danger Zone → Delete Account. Deletion is permanent and removes all your typing data, custom drills, achievements, and personal information within 30 days. Anonymized aggregate statistics (e.g., global daily average WPM) may be retained indefinitely.

Your local typing data is kept in your browser. When you sign in for the first time, TackTile will offer to merge your local data with the new account, or start fresh. To keep your local progress, choose 'merge'. Your local data is preserved on that device even after signing in, so you can use the same account on multiple devices.

Yes. TackTile is fully responsive. On mobile, the typing test reorients to portrait, the keyboard adapts to touch input, and the layout simplifies. AI Coach, leaderboard, and lessons are all available on mobile. Multiplayer races and boss trials are best on a full keyboard but work on mobile touchscreens with reduced precision.

TackTile is a PWA (Progressive Web App). You can install it on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux from your browser's 'Add to Home Screen' option. The installed PWA works offline, runs in a standalone window, and updates automatically. There is no separate native app — the PWA is the official experience.

The match continues for the remaining players. If you reconnect within 60 seconds, you rejoin and continue from your last reported progress. If you don't reconnect, the match is forfeited and your opponent wins. ELO updates accordingly. Disconnects are rare because TackTile's match state is server-authoritative and resilient.

Not currently. TackTile is a closed-source product. If you want to export your data, use the Account page → Export Data option to download a JSON file with all your typing results, Typing DNA history, achievements, and preferences. There is no programmatic API for third-party access.

Yes. TackTile is a Progressive Web App. After your first visit, the typing test, lessons, and offline experience work without an internet connection. Multiplayer races, ranked matchmaking, the AI Coach, and daily challenges require a connection because they need to talk to the server. Offline data syncs to your account the next time you connect.

Yes. In Custom mode, paste or type any text you want to practice. TackTile will generate a typing test from your custom text. The custom test supports plain text, code snippets (for syntax-aware highlighting), and 200–10,000 character inputs. Custom text tests count toward your statistics if you are signed in.

Use the in-app feedback button in the bottom-right of any page. Include your browser, OS, and a description of the issue. For feature requests, please describe the use case and why it would help your typing. Bug reports are triaged daily; feature requests are reviewed weekly.

Not automatically. TackTile uses a different results schema than other typing test platforms. You can manually re-run your standard tests in TackTile to establish a baseline. The AI Coach only needs a handful of recent sessions to start producing useful Typing DNA feedback, so you don't need to import years of history.