Afrikaans Typing Test · Afrikaans
Die klein dorpie lê tussen twee heuwels, met 'n rivier wat stadig deur die middel vloei. Op 'n Saterdagoggend besluit Pieter om die trein te neem en die dorpie vir die eerste keer te besoek. Die stasie is oud maar netjies, met houtbanke waar reisigers wag. Sodra hy uitstap, hoor hy die klank van 'n kerkklok in die verte en ruik hy vars gebakte brood van 'n bakkery naby die plein. Hy stap deur nou straatjies waar winkels handgemaakte goedere verkoop, van kombuisware tot kunswerke. 'n Ou man op 'n bankie vertel hom van die geskiedenis van die dorp en hoe dit oor die jare verander het. Teen die middag vind Pieter 'n kafee met uitsig oor die rivier, waar hy stilsit en net die oomblik geniet voordat hy weer huis toe reis.
Click the box and start typing to begin.
Afrikaans is spoken by roughly 7 to 10 million people as a first or additional language, most of them in South Africa, where it is one of 12 official languages, and in Namibia, where it remains a widely used lingua franca alongside English. It developed from 17th-century Dutch brought by settlers to the Cape, absorbing vocabulary from Malay, Khoekhoe, Portuguese, and various African languages along the way, and today it is one of the youngest standardized languages in the world.
South Africa's job market treats typing speed as a practical screening skill rather than a formally certified one: administrative assistants, call-centre agents, data-capturers, and legal secretaries across Gauteng, the Western Cape, and beyond are frequently tested informally at 35–50 WPM during hiring, especially in bilingual Afrikaans-English office environments. Students at Afrikaans-medium schools and universities such as Stellenbosch and the University of Pretoria also rely on solid typing skills for essays, theses, and exams typed under time pressure.
This test measures your Afrikaans typing speed the same way — live, on real Afrikaans sentences, so your WPM and accuracy reflect how you'd actually perform on a keyboard.
How Afrikaans Typing Speed Is Measured
Like English, Afrikaans typing speed is measured in WPM (words per minute), where every five typed characters — including spaces and punctuation — counts as one standardized word. Net WPM, the figure that matters most, subtracts a penalty for uncorrected errors, so it reflects real, usable typing output rather than raw speed alone.
Keyboard Layout and Special Characters
Afrikaans uses the Latin alphabet and is almost always typed on a standard QWERTY layout, since South African keyboards are typically US or UK QWERTY. The main adjustment is the circumflex accent used on ê, î, ô, and û to mark specific vowel sounds (as in 'wêreld' or 'môre'), which isn't needed for everyday casual typing but appears in careful, formal writing.
| Character | How to Type It |
|---|---|
| ê / î / ô / û (circumflex vowels) | Windows: hold Alt and type the numeric code (e.g. Alt+0234 for ê), or enable a South African/US-International keyboard; Mac: hold Option, press I, then the vowel |
| é (acute accent, less common) | Windows: Alt+0233; Mac: hold Option, press E, then the vowel |
| Standard QWERTY letters | Typed exactly as on a US or UK keyboard — no layout switch needed for most everyday Afrikaans text |
Afrikaans Typing Speed Benchmarks (WPM)
| WPM | Level | Real-World Context |
|---|---|---|
| Below 20 WPM | Beginner | Still hunting for keys; below most entry-level office expectations |
| 20–35 WPM | Below Average | Workable for casual use, slower than typical hiring screens |
| 35–45 WPM | Average | Where most untrained adult typists in South Africa land |
| 45–55 WPM | Good | Meets most Afrikaans-medium administrative and call-centre job postings |
| 55–70 WPM | Professional | Comfortable for legal secretaries, transcribers, and fast data-capture roles |
| 70+ WPM | Expert | Matches dedicated, high-volume professional typists |
Real Jobs and Roles That Value Afrikaans Typing Speed
| Country | Role or Sector | Typical Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | Administrative assistant / office clerk (bilingual Afrikaans-English) | Most postings that specify a figure ask for 35–50 WPM |
| South Africa | Call-centre and customer-support agent | Fast, accurate typing while speaking is often part of the hiring assessment |
| South Africa | Legal secretary / conveyancing assistant | Higher accuracy and speed expected, often 50–65 WPM |
| Namibia | Government and municipal clerical work | Afrikaans remains a practical working language in parts of the public and private sector |
Afrikaans Around the World
| Country / Region | Context |
|---|---|
| South Africa | The overwhelming majority of Afrikaans speakers; one of 12 official languages, widely used in media, business, and education |
| Namibia | A recognized national lingua franca, especially in Windhoek and the south, though English is the sole official language |
| Netherlands & Belgium | Mutual intelligibility with Dutch draws academic and cultural interest in Afrikaans |
| Australia, UK, Canada, New Zealand | Significant South African emigrant communities keeping Afrikaans alive at home and online |
Afrikaans has a compact but distinct literary tradition — from the early 20th-century poetry that helped standardize the language, to modern novelists like André Brink and Marlene van Niekerk — and its famously simplified grammar (no verb conjugation by person, simplified plurals) makes it one of the more approachable Germanic languages to type quickly once the vocabulary is familiar.
Who Is This Test Built For
- ✓🏢 Office and administrative job seekers across South Africa and Namibia
- ✓🎧 Call-centre and customer-support agents typing in Afrikaans daily
- ✓🎓 Afrikaans-medium school and university students preparing essays and exams
- ✓⚖️ Legal and conveyancing secretaries who need speed and accuracy
- ✓🌍 South African and Namibian diaspora keeping their home language fluent
- ✓👨👩👧 Heritage speakers and second-language learners building keyboard confidence
- ✓💻 Data-capturers and anyone typing Afrikaans documents for work
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Afrikaans typing speed?
45–55 WPM covers most South African office-job expectations, and 55–70 WPM is considered professional-level, comparable to English typing benchmarks since Afrikaans uses the same Latin keyboard.
Do I need a special keyboard for Afrikaans?
No. Afrikaans is typed on a standard QWERTY keyboard. The only extras are circumflex-accented vowels like ê, î, ô, and û, which can be typed with Alt codes on Windows or Option shortcuts on Mac, or simply approximated without accents in casual typing.
How is WPM calculated on this test?
Every five typed characters, including spaces and punctuation, counts as one word. Net WPM, the main score shown, subtracts a penalty for uncorrected errors so it reflects real, usable typing.
Is this typing test free?
Yes — completely free, no signup, no download, and no limit on how many times you can test.
Can this help me prepare for an Afrikaans office job?
Yes. South African employers frequently screen administrative, call-centre, and legal-secretary candidates informally on typing speed, so practicing with real Afrikaans sentences builds exactly the skill they're checking for.
Kies jou toets se lengte, begin tik, en sien jou WPM en akkuraatheid onmiddellik.