Yoruba Typing Test · Yorùbá
Ní ìgbà ẹ̀ẹ̀rùn tí ó kọjá, ìdílé wa rìnrìn àjò lọ sí àgbègbè òkè ńlá. A jáde ní kùtùkùtù òwúrọ̀ pẹ̀lú ọkọ̀ akẹ́rù ńlá. Ní ọ̀nà, a rí oko àti abúlé kékeré tí ó yí ọ̀nà náà ká. Bí a ṣe ń gòkè lọ, afẹ́fẹ́ bẹ̀rẹ̀ sí í tutù. Ọ̀pọ̀lọpọ̀ ẹyẹ tí a kò tíì rí rí ṣáájú ni a rí ní ẹ̀gbẹ́ ọ̀nà tí a ń gòkè. Rírí omi ìsun àti igbó aláwọ̀ ewé jẹ́ ìrírí àrà ọ̀tọ̀. A sùn ní ilé àlejò kékeré kan. Ní òru, ọ̀run kún fún ìràwọ̀ tí a kò tíì rí rí ní ìlú ńlá. Ní ọjọ́ kejì, a rìn dé orí òkè, ojú-ọ̀nà tí a rí níbẹ̀ dùn mọ́ ojú ju bí a ṣe lè sọ lọ. Àwọn ará àdúgbò náà fi oúnjẹ ìbílẹ̀ wọn ṣe wá lálejò. Ìrìn àjò yìí di ìrántí tí kò ní kúrò lọ́kàn ìdílé wa láéláé.
Click the box and start typing to begin.
Yoruba is a tonal language written in a Latin-based alphabet extended with under-dots on certain vowels and consonants, plus tone marks placed above vowels to show pitch. Because tone genuinely distinguishes meaning in Yoruba, accurate typing means reproducing both the base letters and their diacritics exactly — not just getting the consonant skeleton right.
This test measures how quickly and accurately you can type real Yoruba text, including its extra letters and tone marks.
Ẹ, Ọ, and Ṣ Are Distinct Letters with Under-Dots
Yoruba adds ẹ, ọ, and ṣ to the standard Latin alphabet, each formed by placing a dot beneath the base letter to represent a genuinely different sound from plain e, o, and s. These are not stylistic touches — found in everyday words such as ọmọ (child), ẹrù (fear/luggage), and ṣe (to do) — and replacing them with the undotted letter changes the spelling and can change the meaning entirely.
Tone Marks Distinguish Meaning
Yoruba marks three tones: high tone with an acute accent (á), low tone with a grave accent (à), and mid tone typically left unmarked. Because Yoruba has many words that share the same consonants and vowels but differ only in tone, these marks carry real semantic weight — the same base letters with different tone marks can be completely different words.
Everyday Writing Sometimes Simplifies Tone Marking
Formal, educational, and literary Yoruba text consistently marks tone, but casual everyday writing — especially in text messages and social media — often drops tone marks for speed, relying on context to disambiguate. A typing test should reproduce whatever the source passage actually shows: fully tone-marked formal Yoruba and unmarked casual Yoruba are different typing tasks and shouldn't be measured as if they were the same benchmark.
Typing Yoruba's Extra Characters
A dedicated Yoruba keyboard layout, or a Unicode-aware input method with compose-key or dead-key support, gives direct access to the under-dotted letters and tone-marked vowels needed for accurate Yoruba text. Relying on Character Map or copy-paste as a primary method is a poor long-term workflow for anyone writing Yoruba regularly — it works as an occasional fallback, not a sustainable typing habit.
What Is a Good Yoruba Typing Speed?
There is no published, verifiable universal benchmark for Yoruba typing speed. Use your own first clean result as a baseline, and for a specific exam or employer's requirement, rely on that source's actual published rule rather than a generic number.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do the dots under ẹ, ọ, and ṣ mean?
They mark distinct sounds different from plain e, o, and s. These are separate letters in the Yoruba alphabet, not decorative marks, and should always be typed exactly as shown.
Why do tone marks matter in Yoruba?
Yoruba is tonal, and many words share identical consonants and vowels but differ only in tone. The acute and grave accents that mark high and low tone can be the only thing distinguishing one word from another.
Does everyday Yoruba writing always include tone marks?
No. Formal and literary text usually marks tone fully, while casual writing often drops the marks for speed. Reproduce whatever the actual source passage shows.
What is a good Yoruba typing speed?
There is no verified universal benchmark. Track your own progress over time and use a specific employer or exam's published requirement when one actually exists.
Yan àkókò rẹ, bẹ̀rẹ̀ sí ní títẹ̀wé, kí o sì wo iyara àti pípéye rẹ lẹ́sẹ̀kẹsẹ̀.