Typing test UI guide
How the Practice speed-test card works — options, prompts, scrolling, and what changes between programmer, numpad, and standard tests.
Quick example
On programmer symbols, turn include line breaks off to practice one long JSON-like line, then use wrap lines to choose soft-wrap vs horizontal scroll. Turn line breaks on when you want to practice pressing Enter between formatted rows.
What you see on a timed test
Every Practice speed test uses the same card layout: a browser-style header with the challenge length, your personal best WPM when signed in, a large typing area, and a progress bar at the bottom.
Specialty modes (programmer symbols, numpad, direction keys, and others) reuse this shell but swap the passage and which option toggles appear.
- Header — challenge label (for example 3-minute challenge) in a brand-tinted pill, plus optional best WPM elsewhere in the card.
- Options — collapsible row of toggles above the prompt (when signed in).
- Prompt — characters you type; correct keys turn green, mistakes turn red until corrected.
- Progress — timed tests show elapsed time as a percentage; untimed modes show character progress.
Starting a run
The timer does not start until your first keypress. Before that, the active character shows a “Press any key” hint and the card may say “Click the text below or start typing.”
Click anywhere on the prompt or focus the hidden input and type. On mobile, tap the prompt first if the keyboard does not appear.
Options panel
When you are signed in, open Options above the prompt to change how the passage is shaped and displayed. Choices are saved in this browser.
During an active run, toggles are temporarily locked so the passage does not change mid-test. Adjust options before you start, or wait until results appear for the next run.
Hide options collapses the toggle grid only. The finger-hint chip and guide keyboard stay visible until you use the toolbar below Options (Hide keyboard or Focus mode). Show keyboard brings the guide back anytime.
Wrap lines vs include line breaks
These two controls are easy to confuse because both can put text on multiple lines — but they do different jobs.
Include line breaks (Enter) changes the passage itself. When on, newline characters stay in the text and you must press Enter at each ↵ marker. When off, newlines are flattened into spaces so the passage is one continuous line with no Enter keys.
Wrap lines is display only. When on, long rows soft-wrap at the card edge. When off, each row stays on one line and the prompt scrolls horizontally to follow your cursor.
On programmer and numpad tests you can use both: real line breaks for multi-line snippets, plus wrap for extra-long rows within a line.
Space and enter markers
Show space markers replaces ordinary spaces with visible middle dots so you can see gaps in symbol-heavy text.
Show enter markers draws a ↵ glyph before each required Enter when line breaks are included in the passage. It does not add Enter keys by itself — turn on include line breaks first.
Options by test mode
Not every toggle appears on every test. The panel only shows controls that apply to the current mode.
- Standard 1/3/5-minute prose — wrap lines, space markers, optional finger hints.
- Programmer symbols — include line breaks, space markers, enter markers, wrap lines, optional finger hints.
- Numpad — include line breaks, include spaces, enter markers, wrap lines, optional finger hints.
- Direction keys — group arrows, new line per group, space markers, wrap lines, optional finger hints.
- Sudden death — space markers and finger hints only (passage layout is fixed).