10-Key Typing: Finger Placement on the Numeric Keypad

On the numeric keypad the right hand rests on 4, 5 and 6: index finger on the 4, middle finger on the 5 with the bump, ring finger on the 6. From there each finger reaches its column up and down, the thumb types the 0, the pinky Enter, Plus and Minus. Once that is second nature you enter columns of numbers without looking. The numpad map shows the assignment as a color-coded keypad with a table, ready to print.

What is on the sheet

• The full numeric keypad with one color per finger, bump on the 5 marked
• The assignment table: index finger 7, 4, 1 and Num Lock; middle finger 8, 5, 2 and slash; ring finger 9, 6, 3, star and period; pinky minus, plus and Enter; thumb 0
• The one hint that makes the difference: eyes on the source document, not on the keypad

Who this is for

Accounting, controlling, admin work, point-of-sale systems, data entry: wherever numbers travel from a document into a table, the keypad beats the number row of the main keyboard. The keys sit close together, every digit is one finger away, and the right hand stays in one place. The number row on top, by contrast, demands jumps out of the home position and is slower for pure number entry.

In the US the skill is called 10-key and is tested separately for bookkeeping jobs, measured in keystrokes per hour. Anyone who runs the keypad blind has a measurable edge there.

How to use the map

1. Right hand on 4-5-6, middle finger feels the bump. Thumb loose above the 0.
2. Two minutes on the home row only: 4 5 6, 6 5 4, 5 4 6. Then the row above, then the row below.
3. Copy columns of numbers from a document, eyes on the document. Back to 4-5-6 after every number.
4. Enter with the pinky, never with the index finger. That is the most common mistake and it costs you the home position every time.

The course covers numbers in the later lessons on the number row. The numpad map adds the keypad for everyone who has one and works with spreadsheets all day. How the assignment looks on the main keyboard is on the finger keyboard map.

Pro tip

Laptop without a keypad? An external keypad costs 15 to 25 euros and pays off if you enter numbers daily. For everyone else: mastering the number row blind is enough, and that is exactly what the lessons in the touch typing course practice.

Next step

Numbers are one thing, symbols the other: the special characters sheet shows where @, #, percent and brackets live. And to see how fast the letters already are, take the free typing speed test.

Sources

• Numeric keypad (Wikipedia) - layout of the keypad, bump on the 5, origins in adding machines.
• Touch typing (Wikipedia) - home position and finger assignment, including the keypad.