How can you type faster in Hindi?

To type faster in Hindi, choose one input method and practise it on the same keyboard every day. Count only correct words, because a fast typist who makes many mistakes scores lower on net speed. The two methods to compare are transliteration, which lets you type Hindi with English letters, and the InScript layout, which puts Devanagari letters on the keys. We found no study that measures which of the two is faster, so the best test is your own: type the same passage with each for two weeks and compare the net speed.

Pick one input method and stick with it

Switching between methods costs speed. A typist who knows InScript well can be slower on transliteration, and the reverse is true too. Decide which method you will use for the next month, and use it for all your Hindi writing, including messages.

Transliteration lets you type the sound of Hindi in English letters, and the keyboard turns it into Devanagari. Google's January 2016 announcement said the Devanagari alphabet keyboard let you type in Hindi using transliteration or handwriting input modes ¹. The keyboard also offered suggestions in English mode for Hinglish words, which are Hindi written in Latin letters ². Transliteration suits people who already type English quickly, because the keys are familiar. Check the current keyboard, since the 2016 announcement describes an earlier product.

InScript is the standard layout for Indian scripts. Wikipedia describes it as the decreed standard keyboard layout for Indian scripts ³. The Staff Selection Commission's 2016 stenography test in Hindi used a Remington or InScript keyboard with Mangal font ⁴, so InScript is one of the layouts that this exam allowed. InScript has a learning curve, but each key position is fixed, so once it is automatic you do not need to hunt for letters.

Measure your net speed, because mistakes cost you

A benchmark you may meet is the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) typing test, which sets its merit criterion at 30 words per minute for Hindi ⁵. That is an exam pass mark, not a measure of typical speed. CBSE counts net words, which are the correct words typed, so incorrect words earn nothing ⁶. Because only correct words count, a fast but careless typist loses ground quickly.

This matters for speed work too. In an online English typing study, slow typists left significantly more errors uncorrected than fast typists ⁷. The authors suggest slow typists may detect their own mistakes less well. Practise accuracy first, then push the pace. Our question on what a good Hindi typing speed is shows how to time yourself and compare the result with 30.

Practise daily, because the gains come from hours, not from one session

Speed comes from repetition on the keys you use. The authors of a 2016 study of touch typing wrote that touch typing can be learned quickly but needs deliberate training of hundreds of hours to reach the performance rates reported in the literature ⁸. The authors' statement is about touch typing in general, not Hindi, so treat it as a rough scale. A short daily session is the routine this guide recommends.

A practical routine is 15 minutes a day on a fixed passage. Type it, count the net words, and write the result down. Repeat the same passage for a few days so that you measure your progress, not the difficulty of the text.

It depends on what you type and on which device

• Messages and short notes: Speed matters less than getting the words right. Use the input method you already use on your phone.
• Exam or job tests: Practise on the layout the test uses. The Staff Selection Commission example shows that exams can use InScript.
• Long drafts: In a 2018 study of English text, speech input reached 153 words per minute against 52 on the built-in keyboard ⁹, so dictation can speed up a first draft. Check the Hindi output, then edit by keyboard. Our guide on Hindi voice typing covers how accurate the voice side is.
• Mixed Hindi and English: Time yourself on text that mixes both, because a passage in one script hides the switching you do between them.

What to do: a two-week test

1. Write a 300-word Hindi passage you would really write, such as a message or a short report.
2. Type it with transliteration for ten minutes, then count the net words and divide by ten.
3. Rest for a day, then type a new passage with InScript for ten minutes and do the same count.
4. Pick the method with the higher net speed. If the two are close, pick the one that feels less tiring over a full working day.
5. Practise that method for 15 minutes a day, and retest every week on a new passage.

For the separate question of learning to type without looking at the keys, see the question on touch typing in Hindi. For the spoken route to a first draft, see the question on Hindi voice typing on Android. For the wider subject, see our guide to Hindi voice typing and our typing speed guide.