French Typing Test
Type a short French text and get your words per minute and accuracy. The passages are everyday French with its special letters (é è ê ë à â ç œ î ô ù û ï), and you choose whether missing accents count as mistakes.
time left
1:00
wpm
—
accuracy
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The clock starts on your first key. Backspace fixes mistakes.
special letters · tap one to type it
- Windows
- The French (AZERTY) layout has keys for é, è, à, ç and ù; ^ then a vowel gives â ê î ô û. On US-International: ' then e for é, ` then e for è, ^ then e for ê, " then e for ë, AltGr+, for ç.
- Mac
- Option+E then E for é. Option+` then a vowel for è à ù. Option+I then a vowel for ê â î ô û. Option+U then a vowel for ë ï. Option+C for ç and Option+Q for œ.
- Phone
- Long-press e, a, i, o, u or c to pick the accented letter; long-press o for œ on most keyboards.
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How the score works
WPM counts correct characters, divided by five, per minute, so a wrong letter does not add to your speed. Accuracy counts every key as you press it, so a mistake you fix still counts. Typing in French is slower than in your first language for most people; the useful number is your own score next week.
- 01
Pick a text and a length
A passage or random common words, for 30, 60 or 120 seconds, or the whole text.
- 02
Start typing
The clock starts on your first key. Letters turn red when they are wrong; backspace to fix them.
- 03
Read your score
WPM, raw WPM and accuracy. Try the same text again, or move on to a new one.
other languages
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Common questions
What is a good typing speed in French?
There is no official benchmark, but a rough guide is the same as for English: around 30 to 40 WPM is a comfortable everyday speed, 50 to 70 is fast, and above 80 is very fast. Expect to be slower in French than in your first language, often noticeably so at the start, because the words are less familiar and the accented letters take extra keys. Compare your scores over time rather than with other people.
How do I type é, è, ç and œ?
On a Mac, Option+E then E gives é, Option+` then E gives è, Option+C gives ç and Option+Q gives œ. On Windows, the French AZERTY layout has keys for é, è, à, ç and ù; on US-International, ' then e gives é. On a phone, long-press the base letter. You can also tap the letters under the test.
Why is there a space before ? and ! in the French text?
French typography puts a space before ? ! : and ;. The test uses an ordinary space there, so type it as you would any other space.
Does the test count accents?
Yes, by default. With "Count missing accents as errors" on, a letter without its accent counts as a mistake, just as it would be a spelling mistake in French. Turn it off to compare letters with accents removed, so you can practise on a keyboard without the French layout. Curly and straight apostrophes and quotes always count as the same character.
How is WPM calculated?
A "word" is counted as five characters, including spaces, which is the standard for typing tests. WPM is the number of correct characters divided by five, divided by the minutes you typed. Raw WPM counts every character you typed, right or wrong. Accuracy is the share of keystrokes that were right when you typed them, so mistakes you corrected with backspace still count against it.
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Talk to people in French, not just type it
Typing practice helps you write French. For speaking it on a trip, OmniTalk translates conversations out loud in real time on iPhone, in 60+ languages, with an offline mode for when you have no signal and Split Ears mode for sharing a pair of earbuds with the other person.
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