About the Spanish word list
The list is ordered by frequency, so the first words you meet are the ones every Spanish sentence leans on: de, la, que, el, en, y, a. Accents are kept exactly as Spanish writes them, including the acute accents and the umlaut in the rare cases where it appears.
Because function words repeat so heavily in Spanish, the list is a good place to build automatic rhythm before adding harder vocabulary.
Letters worth drilling
The letter n with tilde is the signature Spanish key. On a Spanish QWERTY layout it sits to the right of L; on a US keyboard it is usually typed with the right Alt key or a dead key, which makes it a common pause point.
Accented vowels are produced with dead keys or right Alt combinations rather than as separate keys. Practising pairs such as esta and está, or el and él, quickly shows how much the accent marks change your speed.
Spanish also uses the inverted question mark and inverted exclamation mark at the start of questions and exclamations. They appear when the punctuation setting is on, and they are worth a dedicated drill.
Keyboard layout
Spain uses a QWERTY base with the n with tilde added and dead keys for accents. Latin American layouts are similar but differ in a few symbol positions, and many Spanish speakers around the world use a US layout with software dead keys instead.
Whichever layout you use, check the language menu before starting so the word list matches the characters your keyboard sends.
How to practise Spanish typing
- Warm up with the 25 word list, punctuation off, and keep accuracy above 97 per cent.
- Drill n with tilde and the accented vowels for five minutes using the words that contain them.
- Run one test with punctuation on to include accents, inverted marks and capitals.
- Repeat weekly and compare averages rather than single runs.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Spanish test include accents?
Yes. The word list keeps the accents and the n with tilde because that is how Spanish is written. Removing them would make the test easier but much less useful.
Can I take the Spanish test on a US keyboard?
Yes. Choose the Spanish word list and type the characters your keyboard can produce. If you use the US layout, set up accented characters with a dead key or right Alt combination first.