Tamil Typing Test
தமிழ் தட்டச்சு வேகத் தேர்வு
A Tamil typing speed test: pick a layout and a time, then type the text. Speed and accuracy update as you go.
Original text, TypeTamilOnline. Free to use for practice.
Exam mode: one 10-minute passage, like the TNDTE speed paper. Speed and marking stay hidden until time is up. For mock Junior and Senior papers, see the Tamil typewriting exam page.
Result
0 net words per minute
- Accuracy
- Correct words
- Wrong words
- Gross speed
- Keystrokes
- Time
How these numbers are counted
- Net speed
- Words typed exactly right, divided by the minutes taken. The big number.
- Gross speed
- Every finished word, right or wrong, divided by the minutes taken.
- Accuracy
- Correct words divided by finished words. One wrong letter makes the word wrong.
- Word
- Anything between two spaces, as written in the text, punctuation included. Not 5 characters, as English tests count.
- Keystrokes
- Every key you pressed, Backspace included, and the same scaled to an hour.
Your recent runs
Green words are right; struck-through words have a mistake. Texts are original or public domain (Thirukkural and Bharati).Choose a specific paragraph, test on your own text or sit a mock exam paper
Short answer
What Is a Good Tamil Typing Speed?
There is no single official number. For Tamil Nadu government typist posts, what counts is the TNDTE typewriting certificate (for TNPSC Group IV typists, Senior grade in at least one of Tamil and English), not a published words-per-minute figure. As a guide, about 14 Tamil words a minute on Tamil99 with 95% accuracy or better is steady, confident typing, and 21 or more matches the key-press rate the SSC asks of English typists.
What is official: the SSC sets 35 words per minute in English, defined as 10,500 key depressions per hour, and sets speeds for English and Hindi only. TNDTE publishes the grades and the 10-minute speed paper but, in the documents we could find, not the pass speed. Sources are listed under Tamil typing exams, and the full exam pattern is on the Tamil typewriting exam page.
The table turns key-press rates into Tamil words using our own everyday passages, where a word plus its space takes 8.5 key presses on Tamil99 and 8.6 on the typewriter layout. The bands are our guidance, not an exam standard. Our WPM counts real Tamil words, typed exactly right, per minute; how we measure explains it.
| Level | Keys / min | Tamil99 | Typewriter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learning the keysLooking at the keyboard, about one key a second | 60 | 7 WPM | 7 WPM |
| Steady touch typistTyping by touch, few mistakes | 120 | 14 WPM | 14 WPM |
| SSC English benchmark10,500 key presses an hour, set by SSC for 35 English WPM | 175 | 21 WPM | 20 WPM |
| FastExperienced office typist | 250 | 29 WPM | 29 WPM |
Guidance only. Phonetic typing needs more keys per word, so the same hands give a lower Tamil WPM.
How we measure
Words per Minute, Counted Honestly for Tamil
English typing tests treat every 5 characters as one "word". That rule does not fit Tamil: one Tamil word is often 6 to 12 Unicode characters, and the number of keys you press for it changes with the layout. So this test counts real words, the way a reader would.
- Net speed (WPM): words typed exactly right, divided by minutes. This is the big number.
- Gross speed: all words you finished, right or wrong, divided by minutes.
- Accuracy: correct words divided by finished words. One wrong letter makes the word wrong.
- Keystrokes per hour: every key you pressed (including Backspace), scaled to an hour. Exams that use "key depressions per hour" (KDPH) count the same thing.
For comparison, the Staff Selection Commission's computer typing test defines 35 words per minute in English as 10,500 key depressions per hour, "on an average of 5 key depressions for each word". It sets speeds for English and Hindi only.
| Layout | Keystrokes |
|---|---|
| Phonetic | 36 |
| Tamil99 | 32 |
| InScript | 32 |
| Typewriter | 29 |
| Bamini | 29 |
Counted by typing the sentence with each layout's real rules. Shift + key counts as one.
Exams
Tamil Typing Exams in Tamil Nadu: The Short Version
Tamil typewriting certificates come from the Government Technical Examinations (GTE) of the Department of Technical Education, Tamil Nadu (TNDTE), at Junior, Senior and High Speed grades. Each grade has a 10-minute speed paper and, for Junior and Senior, a second paper of a statement and a letter. Exams are on typewriters until 2027 and move to computers from 2028.
For TNPSC Group IV typist posts you need Senior grade in Tamil and English (or Senior in one and Junior in the other) and the Office Automation certificate. None of the official documents we read gives a words-per-minute pass mark, so we do not quote one.
The full pattern, with timings, marks, fees and timed Junior and Senior mock papers, is on the Tamil typewriting exam page.
Official sources (read November 2026):
- TNDTE, GTE August 2025 notification No. I/307532/2025: tndtegteonline.in
- TNDTE circular DOTE/194/2025-RO2, 23.06.2025: tndtegteonline.in
- TNPSC Group IV, Notification 07/2025: tnpsc.gov.in
- SSC, instructions for the typewriting test on computer: ssc.nic.in
Getting faster
How to Improve Your Tamil Typing Speed
Fix Accuracy First
A wrong word costs more than a slow one: it does not count, and in exams it loses marks. Aim for 95% accuracy before you push for speed.
Learn the Home Row by Touch
Work through the practice lessons for your layout until you can type the home row without looking.
Short, Daily Sessions
Two 10-minute tests a day beat one long session a week. Your best speed per layout is saved here, so you can watch it climb.
Practise the Hard Letters
Words with கொ கோ கை and doubled consonants slow most people down. Drill them with the word lists.
Questions People Ask
How is Tamil typing speed calculated here?
We count real Tamil words: anything between two spaces, exactly as in the text. Your speed (net WPM) is the number of words you typed correctly divided by the minutes taken. A word with any wrong letter counts as wrong. Accuracy is correct words divided by all the words you finished.
Why is my Tamil WPM lower than my English WPM?
A Tamil word usually needs more keystrokes than an English one: எழுதுகிறேன் is one word but 9 to 11 key presses depending on the layout. English tests also count every 5 characters as a "word", which flatters short-word languages. Compare Tamil with Tamil, on the same layout.
Which layout should I choose for the Tamil typewriting exam?
The Government Technical Examinations in typewriting are held on typewriters until 2027 and move to computers from 2028, according to a 2025 circular from the Directorate of Technical Education. Practise on the Typewriter layout if you will sit the exam on a machine, and on Tamil99, the government-approved computer keyboard, for the computer exams. Confirm with your institute.
Can I take the Tamil typing test on my phone?
Yes. Choose Phonetic to type in English letters with your normal phone keyboard, or My own Tamil keyboard if you have Gboard or the iPhone Tamil keyboard set up. For Tamil99, Typewriter, Bamini and InScript, tap the keys on the chart that appears under the text.
Is the timer fair? When does it start?
The clock starts with your first key, not when the page loads, so read the first line before you begin. In a timed test it stops at exactly 1, 2, 5 or 10 minutes. In "One passage, untimed" it stops when the last word is correct.
Is there a Tamil typing exam simulation?
Yes. Set Mode to Exam (10 min) for one 10-minute passage with live speed and marking hidden until time is up. For Junior and Senior grade mock speed papers in the TNDTE format, use the Tamil typewriting exam page. Neither gives an exam mark, because the official marking scheme is not in any TNDTE document we could verify.
Can I test my speed on my own Tamil text?
Yes. Set Text to My own text, paste any Tamil paragraph (an exam passage, a legal draft, a letter) and press Use this text. You get the same speed, accuracy and mistake tracking, timed or untimed. The text is saved in this browser, and if your layout has no key for a character in it, the test tells you before you start.
Do you store my results?
Only in this browser: your best speed for each layout and duration, your last 300 results (shown as a chart after each test), and the letters you mistype and type slowest, which the result turns into a drill. Nothing is sent to a server. Clear history under the chart deletes it. Copy result gives you a line of text, and Share image makes a picture of your result for WhatsApp or anywhere else.
Can I paste text into the test answer box?
You can paste, but that run will not receive a saved score. The trainer announces that pasted text is not counted, so copying the target cannot produce a personal best. To practise a passage you already have, paste it under My own text instead, then type it into the answer box yourself.
How do I practise the letters I keep getting wrong?
Finish a test and look for Most missed and Slowest in the result. Use Practise these letters to open a focused drill. The suggestions come from recent runs on your selected layout, so a difficult Tamil99 letter does not become a Phonetic drill. Phonetic results track missed letters, without individual letter timing.