If you’re left-handed, congratulations! You join Albert Einstein, Barack Obama, and Bill Gates, among others, in a select group of approximately ten percent of the population. Note: If you aren’t already celebrating International Left-Handers Day, put August 13th on your calendar now. As a left-hander, you’re probably familiar with the down side of being in the minority, and are used to dealing with desks, scissors, cars, and everyday conveniences that, well, aren’t as convenient if you don’t have a right-handed orientation. On the other hand, you’ve got the advantage over those right-handers because your left hand will generally be stronger and more flexible, making it easier to use that hand to touch type. That will help you increase your typing speed, because many of the most common letters, including A, S, E, T, R, and D, are typed with the left hand. It will also help you with those difficult words that include a Q or an X or a Z, all of which are also typed with the left hand (and which generally are the most difficult words to type).

But even with this keyboard advantage, don’t forget that touch typing depends on both hands! To make sure that your right hand works as well as the left, try practicing your typing skills with this list of words that are typed with right side of keyboard only:

lollipop
monopoly
polyphony
jumpily
pool
holly
homonym
lumpy
million
kimono
pippin
pompom
unholy
hippo
nylon
nymph
onion
puppy
union
monopoly
minimum
opinion

Even if you prefer to have your mouse on the left side of the keyboard, there’s only one right way to touch type and reach the typing speed you want, and that’s to keep both your left and your right hand strong, flexible, and accurate on the keys.