AZERTY typing test
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This AZERTY typing test runs in French, so the accented letters you'd meet on a French keyboard (é, è, à, ç and the rest) are part of the text from the first line. The page emulates AZERTY from the physical position of each key, so it works the same on a real AZERTY keyboard and on a QWERTY machine. Either way you get net WPM, accuracy and a list of the keys you missed most, free and without an account.
Who this test is for
The page suits three kinds of typist. French and Belgian typists who want a test in their own language on their own layout. Learners of French on a QWERTY laptop who want to find their way around a French keyboard before they meet one at work or school. And anyone moving to France who'd rather get the surprises out of the way now.
This page always uses French words; if you only need the English letter positions, choose AZERTY under layout emulation in settings and take any English test. If you want French text but type on a QWERTY or QWERTZ layout, the French typing test is the better page.
How AZERTY differs from QWERTY
The letter block changes in only three places, but the number row changes completely:
| What | QWERTY (US) | AZERTY (France) |
|---|---|---|
| Top-left letter | Q | A |
| Second letter, top row | W | Z |
| Home row, far left | A | Q |
| Bottom row, far left | Z | W |
| Right of L | ; | M |
| Number row, no Shift | digits | à, é, è, ç and symbols |
| Number row, with Shift | symbols | digits |
The swap of A with Q and Z with W, and the move of M to the right of L, take a day or two to absorb. The number row takes longer. On AZERTY the unshifted keys type accented letters and punctuation, and you need Shift for every digit. If your work involves figures, the number typing test is worth running on AZERTY too.
Circumflex letters (ê, â, î, ô, û) are typed with a dead key: press the ^ key to the right of P, then the vowel. Shift plus that key gives the diaeresis for ë and ï. Capital accented letters such as É and Ç have never been easy on the traditional layout. The emulation on this page has no dead keys, though: the ^ key types a plain ^, so turn on lazy mode (below) for words with ê, â, î, ô, û, ë or ï.
How much French text depends on accents
We counted our French 1,000-word list. 154 of the 1,000 words contain at least one accented letter or œ, and accented letters make up 3.1% of all the letters you type. The single biggest is é, at 1.76% of letters on its own, ahead of è (0.44%) and ê (0.28%). That's why é gets its own unshifted key on AZERTY, and why a slow é shows up so clearly in your results.
The list comes from film and TV subtitles, so it reads like everyday spoken French: "de", "je", "est", "pas" and "que" are among the most frequent words, and the longest include "probablement" and "anniversaire".
Emulation, and when to turn it off
With emulation on, the test maps the physical position of each key to its AZERTY character. Press the key where QWERTY has Q and you get A; press the key right of L and you get M. Nothing changes in your operating system.
Because it reads positions rather than the letters your system produces, it gives the same result if your computer is already set to French AZERTY. Only a keyboard that remaps keys in its own firmware would be mapped twice.
The on-screen keymap uses the ISO shape, with the extra key beside the left Shift, because that's how real French keyboards are built.
Stuck on a keyboard with no accent keys? Lazy mode in settings swaps the accented letters in the text for plain ones, so you type e for é, è, ê or ë, a for à or â, c for ç, u for ù or û, i for î, o for ô, and oe for œ. Results typed this way carry a lazy mode label.
Which AZERTY this is
The test emulates the traditional French AZERTY found on most keyboards sold in France. In April 2019 AFNOR, France's standards body, published the voluntary standard NF Z71-300, which defines an improved AZERTY alongside the BÉPO layout. The new AZERTY keeps the 26 letters and 10 digits where they were but moves other characters and adds symbols and dead keys. That version and the Belgian AZERTY are not emulated here. If you're curious about the redesign that went further, the BÉPO typing test emulates France's ergonomic layout.
Getting faster on AZERTY
Most speed problems on AZERTY come from two places: the accented keys on the number row, and the Shift-digit habit. Practise é until you stop looking for it; it's the most common accented letter by a wide margin. Then keep your right hand anchored on the home row when you reach for the ^ dead key, because the two-step circumflex is where rhythm breaks.
After each test, read the most-missed keys on the results screen; practice builds drills around the keys you miss. Use 1-minute tests for daily tracking and keep the median of three.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take an AZERTY typing test on a QWERTY keyboard?
You can. Leave your system layout alone, keep emulation on, and follow the on-screen keymap for the AZERTY positions.
Why are the numbers behind Shift on AZERTY?
On the traditional French layout the unshifted positions of the top row go to accented characters and punctuation, which French text needs constantly. Digits get the shifted level instead.
Is the 2019 AFNOR AZERTY available?
Not yet. The test emulates the traditional French layout. The AFNOR version keeps the letters and digits in place, so most of what you practise here carries over.
What is a good AZERTY typing speed?
Judge it against your own speed on your usual layout, or against your English result on the same keyboard. A 2018 Aalto University and Cambridge study of 168,000 volunteers found an average of 52 WPM across all its typists. Your French score may sit a little below your English one if é and the dead keys still slow you down; the most-missed keys list will tell you.
How are accents scored?
As separate characters. A word with e where é belongs is wrong unless you're in lazy mode, and our net WPM counts only fully correct words. The scoring methodology has the details.