German Typing Test — Kostenloser Tippgeschwindigkeitstest
German is the most widely spoken native language in the European Union, with over 100 million native speakers across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and neighboring countries. For German-speaking professionals, accurate and fast typing is a daily requirement — and German typing has its own distinct set of challenges. The QWERTZ keyboard layout differs from the English QWERTY standard, and German's four special characters (ä, ö, ü, ß) each require dedicated key knowledge. German also tends to form long compound words, which affects typing rhythm differently than English. This guide covers the QWERTZ layout, German special characters, WPM benchmarks, and tips for improving your German typing speed.
QWERTZ: Germany's Keyboard Layout
QWERTZ is named after the top-left key row. Key differences from QWERTY: Y and Z are swapped (Germans use Z far more than Y, so Z sits on the home row equivalent position), the positions of several symbols differ, and there are dedicated keys for ä, ö, ü, and ß. Austria, Switzerland, and other German-speaking countries use slightly varied forms of QWERTZ. The Swiss German layout differs most significantly, omitting the ß key (Swiss German spells ss instead). The position differences between QWERTY and QWERTZ mean that switching between them requires deliberate re-adaptation.
QWERTZ is the default layout on keyboards sold in Germany and Austria. If you type in German regularly, learning the QWERTZ layout gives you direct access to all four special characters as dedicated keys — eliminating the need for key combinations or character maps entirely.
German Special Characters: Umlauts and Eszett
German has four characters that do not appear in the English alphabet: ä (a-umlaut), ö (o-umlaut), ü (u-umlaut), and ß (Eszett, also called sharp S). All four appear in high-frequency everyday words and cannot simply be omitted in professional writing. The 1996 German spelling reform reduced some uses of ß (standardizing ss in certain cases), but ß remains active and required in many common words (Straße, groß, heiß). On QWERTZ keyboards, all four have dedicated keys. When typing on non-German keyboards, the common substitutions are ae, oe, ue, and ss — but proper German typing uses the actual characters.
Char
Name
QWERTZ key
Substitute
Example words
ä
a-umlaut
Dedicated (right of ;)
ae
Mädchen, schämen
ö
o-umlaut
Dedicated (right of l)
oe
möchten, schön
ü
u-umlaut
Dedicated (right of p)
ue
über, müssen
ß
Eszett / sharp S
Dedicated (right of 0)
ss
Straße, groß
WPM Benchmarks for German Typists
These benchmarks reflect WPM for typing German text using the standard 5-character word formula. German compound words (Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaft, for example) are long but typed as one continuous word — this can affect WPM depending on passage selection, but standard WPM calculation is character-based, so compound-heavy text does not inherently lower your score versus English.
Level
Average WPM
Context
Beginner
15–25 WPM
Learning QWERTZ and umlaut positions
Casual user
30–45 WPM
Comfortable for everyday correspondence
Average professional
45–60 WPM
Standard office productivity
Fast professional
60–80 WPM
Administrative, secretarial, legal roles
Expert typist
80+ WPM
Transcription, stenography, competitive typing
How FastTypings Supports German
FastTypings has a dedicated German page at /de with German-language text passages. The test includes full Unicode support for umlauts and ß — every character is counted correctly in the standard WPM formula (5 characters = 1 word). You can switch your keyboard to QWERTZ and type in German on the homepage test as well as the dedicated German mode.
The test is completely free, requires no account, and works in any modern browser. Whether you are preparing for a German-language job assessment, learning QWERTZ from scratch, or benchmarking your existing German typing speed, FastTypings gives you an accurate, no-friction measurement.
5 Tips to Improve German Typing Speed
1. Internalize the Y↔Z swap first
The Y and Z swap is the biggest stumbling block for English-trained typists switching to QWERTZ. German uses Z far more than Y (etwa, zu, Zeit, zwischen), so the position shift matters constantly. Practice z-words until the QWERTZ Z position is automatic before worrying about anything else.
2. Treat umlauts as first-class keys, not special characters
ä, ö, ü, and ß appear in thousands of common German words. On QWERTZ they have dedicated keys at the right side of the home row area. Learn their positions as you would any other key — not as exceptions requiring extra thought, but as ordinary letters.
3. Avoid substitutions (ae, oe, ue, ss) during practice
When you type oe instead of ö or ss instead of ß, you are training the wrong habit. Even if it is slower at first, always type the real German character during practice sessions. Substitutions have no place in professional German documents.
4. Use German newspaper text for practice
German newspapers (Der Spiegel, Süddeutsche Zeitung) use a wide range of compound words, formal vocabulary, and punctuation. Practicing with authentic German text exercises the umlaut frequency patterns you will encounter in real work.
5. Practice compound words as single units
German freely combines nouns into compounds (Bundesverfassungsgericht, Kraftfahrzeugkennzeichen). When you encounter a long compound in a typing test, resist the urge to pause mid-word. Train yourself to type compounds fluidly from start to end — this is one of the key differences between German and English typing rhythm.
QWERTZ is the standard keyboard layout used in Germany, Austria, and parts of Central Europe. It is named after the characters in the top-left row of keys: Q-W-E-R-T-Z. The most significant difference from the English QWERTY layout is that Y and Z are swapped — in German, Z is far more frequent than Y, so Z was moved to the position QWERTY places Y. QWERTZ also has dedicated keys for the German umlauts (ä, ö, ü) and the Eszett (ß), and repositions several symbols.
What is a good WPM for German typing?
For professional German typing, 50–65 WPM is a strong, non-bottleneck speed. German text tends to include longer average word lengths due to compound nouns, which can affect WPM scores on character-based tests differently than English. Administrative and secretarial roles in German-speaking countries typically expect 55–70 WPM. Competitive typists in German often exceed 100 WPM.
How do I type German umlauts on a US keyboard?
On macOS: hold the base vowel (a, o, u) and select the umlaut variant from the popup, or use Option+u then the vowel. On Windows: use Alt codes (ä = Alt+132, ö = Alt+148, ü = Alt+129, ß = Alt+225) on the numeric keypad, or add German as an input language in Settings and switch with Win+Space. For frequent German typing, switching to the German QWERTZ layout gives you dedicated keys and is far faster than key combinations.
Does FastTypings have a German typing test?
Yes. FastTypings has a dedicated German page at /de with German-language text passages. WPM is calculated using the standard 5-characters-per-word formula applied to your typed German text, including umlauts and ß. You can also type in German on the homepage test if your keyboard is set to QWERTZ.
How long does it take to switch from QWERTY to QWERTZ?
Most QWERTY-trained typists need 2–3 weeks of daily practice to stop reaching for the wrong keys. The Y↔Z swap and the new umlaut key positions are the biggest adjustments. During the transition period, your speed will drop 20–40% — this is normal. By week 3–4, most typists return to their previous speed and then improve further because they can now type umlauts without hesitation.