Frequently Asked Questions
What is lyrics typing?
Lyrics typing is typing practice where you type the lyrics of a song in real time while it plays. SongTyping syncs a YouTube video with the lyrics, pauses it automatically when you fall behind, and tracks your WPM so each session doubles as fun practice and a typing test.
Where can I type lyrics to songs online?
You can type lyrics to thousands of songs on SongTyping. Search for any song, press play, and type the lyrics in real time as the video plays. Every account gets 2 songs free to try it, and a pass from $2 unlocks unlimited typing after that. It works with English, Spanish, French, and Hebrew lyrics, and every song is rated by difficulty so you can find one that matches your typing speed.
Is SongTyping free?
Browsing the full catalog is free and needs no account. Playing requires signing in with Google, and every account gets 2 songs free to keep — those stay replayable forever. Beyond that, typing needs a pass: $2 for a week, $5 for a month, or $20 for a year. Passes are one-off payments, not subscriptions: nothing auto-renews and there is nothing to cancel.
Why would I sign in?
Signing in with Google is required to play songs, and unlocks the ability to import new songs from Genius when your search doesn't return enough results. Signed-in accounts also get a personal recently-played list, favorites, and progress tracking.
How is my typing speed calculated?
WPM (words per minute) is calculated using the standard formula: (correct characters / 5) divided by elapsed minutes. This gives a normalized measure comparable across different word lengths.
What are my 'weak letters'?
Once you've made a few mistakes in a song, the end screen shows a small keyboard graphic shaded by how often each letter tripped you up - darker keys mean more mistakes. For right-to-left languages like Hebrew, where a QWERTY graphic wouldn't match what you actually typed, you'll see a ranked list instead. A clean run stays clean: the section only appears once there's enough to show.
Why doesn't the video show for some songs?
The video player with sync only appears when subtitle/caption data is available for the YouTube video. Some videos have captions disabled by the uploader. You can still type the lyrics without the video.
What is the 1-minute challenge?
It's a timed mode where you type as many words as you can in 60 seconds. Great for quick practice sessions and tracking improvement over time.
What does 'Easy mode' do?
Easy mode removes capital letters and punctuation from the lyrics, so you only need to type lowercase letters. This is helpful for beginners or when practicing speed over accuracy.
Which languages are supported?
SongTyping currently supports songs in English, Spanish, French, and Hebrew. If you search for a song in another language, you'll see a notice that it isn't supported yet. The interface automatically adjusts for right-to-left languages (Hebrew). More languages may be added in the future.
How does the video pause feature work?
When enabled, SongTyping tracks your typing progress against the song's subtitle timestamps. If you fall more than 8 words behind, the video pauses automatically and resumes once you catch up.
Can I jump to a specific part of a song?
Yes. Use the scrubber below the video to seek the video back or forward, or scroll the lyrics box and stop where you want to start. The topmost visible word becomes your new typing position, and (when subtitle sync data is available) the video seeks there too. You can also click directly on any word to jump to it.
Can I request a song?
Adding a song that isn't in the catalog yet needs an active pass, because each addition costs a paid lookup. With a pass, search for the song and SongTyping adds it automatically if it's available on Genius or YouTube, up to 10 new songs a day. Without a pass you'll still see the song in your results, marked as needing a pass. Songs need at least 10,000 YouTube views to stay in the catalog.
Where do the lyrics come from?
Lyrics are sourced from the Genius API and YouTube captions. They are used for personal, educational typing practice only.
Can I support SongTyping?
Buying a pass is the direct way — it pays for the running costs, the biggest of which is fetching lyrics and caption timings for new songs. Passes are on our support page and are handled by PayPal. A pass gives unlimited typing and lets you add up to 10 new songs a day; without one you can play the catalog but not extend it. A pass does not remove ads. There are also free ways to help listed on that page, like reporting songs whose timings drift out of sync.