Typing in French looks familiar until the accents start. Suddenly every other word needs é, è, ê, à or ç, and if you learned on an English keyboard, none of them are where your fingers expect. A French typing test measures how well you handle those extra characters at speed — and most English typists find their WPM drops sharply on their first French test. This guide explains the AZERTY layout, exactly how to type every French accent, and a practice plan to close the gap. Start with a free monkey typing test in English for a baseline, then try the French typing test to see where you stand.
Why French typing is harder than it looks
Written French uses accents constantly, and they are not decoration — they change pronunciation and sometimes meaning. The acute accent (é) alone appears in a huge share of French words, and the cedilla (ç) changes a hard c into a soft s sound, as in français and garçon. Add the grave (è, à, ù), the circumflex (ê, â, î, ô, û) and the diaeresis (ë, ï), and you have a character set that demands far more from your fingers than English does. French words also run longer on average, and the grammar adds elisions and apostrophes that interrupt your rhythm. None of this means French typing is difficult to learn — it means your first attempts will be slower, and that is entirely normal.
AZERTY vs QWERTY: what actually changes
France uses the AZERTY layout, where the top letter row starts A-Z-E-R-T-Y instead of Q-W-E-R-T-Y. The A and Q keys swap, W and Z swap, and the number row requires Shift for digits (unshifted, it produces accented characters). The M key moves, and punctuation keys sit in different places — the period, comma and semicolon are not where QWERTY typists expect them. If you type French daily on a French keyboard, learning AZERTY is worth it, because every accent becomes a single keystroke. If you type French occasionally, you do not need new hardware: software layouts and dead keys on your existing keyboard will do the job. The key point is to pick one approach and stick with it — switching layouts mid-practice is the fastest way to stall progress. For the finger foundations that transfer to any layout, touch typing for beginners covers the home row system in plain language.
How to type every French accent
On a French AZERTY keyboard, é has its own dedicated key, and the other accents use dead keys: press the accent key first, then the letter, and the combined character appears. On a US-International layout, the same idea works with keys you already have: apostrophe then e gives é, backtick then e gives è, caret (^) then e gives ê, and Shift plus apostrophe then c gives ç. On a Mac, hold Option plus e, then the vowel, for acute accents; Option plus backtick, then the vowel, for grave accents. Windows users without a layout change can use Alt codes on the number pad, but those are far too slow for real French text — enable a proper layout instead, which takes under a minute in your system settings. Whichever method you choose, the goal is the same: make the accent keystrokes automatic, so you stop thinking about them and start reading the words again.
The mistakes that slow every French learner down
Four patterns cause most of the lost speed. First, skipping accents to go faster — you lose accuracy points and build a habit of misspelling, since unaccented French reads as wrong. Second, hunting for ç and the dead keys instead of drilling them until they are automatic. Third, letting long French words break your rhythm: slow down slightly for unfamiliar words rather than rushing and fumbling them. Fourth, practising only isolated words instead of real sentences, which never teaches you the apostrophes and punctuation that real French text is full of. The same discipline that fixes English errors works here — our guide to improving typing accuracy explains why accuracy-first practice raises speed faster than chasing WPM. If you already type another accented language, compare notes with the Spanish typing test guide, where the ñ key creates a similar challenge.
A one-week French typing practice plan
- Days 1–2: é and è only. Type sentences full of common words — "le café, la mère, le père, très bien" — until the accent keystrokes feel automatic.
- Days 3–4: add ç, ê and à. Practise words like "français, leçon, être, déjà" and short sentences that force all of them.
- Days 5–6: full timed tests in French, one minute each, watching accuracy rather than the WPM number.
- Day 7: a relaxed longer run to lock it in, then compare your French WPM with day one.
Fifteen minutes a day is enough. If you want variety, try another accented language in the same session — the Portuguese typing test shares several accent patterns with French, and the Russian typing test is a fun contrast, since Cyrillic replaces the Latin alphabet entirely. Keep your expectations honest — your French WPM will trail your English WPM for a while, and that gap is a measure of practice time, not talent.
Frequently asked questions
What is the AZERTY keyboard layout?
The standard French layout, where the top letter row reads A-Z-E-R-T-Y. It swaps several QWERTY keys, gives é its own key, and requires Shift for number keys.
How do I type é on an English keyboard?
Enable the US-International layout and press apostrophe, then e. On a Mac, press Option plus e, then e. On a French layout, é is a dedicated key.
Why is my French WPM lower than my English WPM?
Accents need extra keystrokes, French words are longer, and you have less practice time in French. Most typists start well below their English speed; the gap closes with practice.
Do I need a French keyboard to type French?
No. Software layouts like US-International work on any standard keyboard and cover every French character. A physical AZERTY keyboard is fastest only if you type French daily.
What counts as a good French typing speed?
The same scale as English: 40 WPM is average, 60 WPM is good, 80+ is excellent. Expect to reach those numbers later in French than in your first language.