About TypstRacer
TypstRacer is a free, browser-based typing game for getting fluent in Typst, the markup language for writing mathematical notation. It's a genuinely useful skill for students and researchers, and a fun challenge for anyone who likes math.
How to play
In the main section you'll see the formula which you need to type as quickly as possible, without mistakes. Type the proper notation in the text box, and you'll see it rendered live in the preview box — use Learning mode to get familiar with the syntax, or visit the guide.
What is Typst?
Typst is a modern,
open-source typesetting system first released in 2023. Like a markup language, you
write plain text with lightweight commands and Typst compiles it into a polished,
publication-quality document (typically a PDF). It was designed from the ground up
to make scientific and mathematical writing fast and approachable, with an instant
live preview and clear, readable syntax. Its math mode lets you write expressions
like sum_(i=1)^n i = (n(n+1))/2 that render beautifully — and that math
notation is exactly what this game trains.
Typst vs. LaTeX
For decades, the standard tool for typesetting mathematics has been LaTeX. LaTeX was created by Leslie Lamport in the 1980s on top of Donald Knuth's TeX, which Knuth began in 1978 because he was unhappy with the typography of his own books. Together they became the backbone of academic publishing: nearly every physics, mathematics, and computer-science paper, thesis, and textbook you have ever read was almost certainly set in TeX or LaTeX, and most journals still require it.
LaTeX is extraordinarily powerful, but it is also famously hard to learn: the syntax is verbose, error messages are cryptic, and getting a document to compile can be frustrating for newcomers. Typst is a fresh take on the same problem — a cleaner, simpler syntax, near-instant compilation, and friendlier errors — while keeping the professional-quality math typesetting that made TeX indispensable. Whether you go on to use Typst or LaTeX, the underlying skill is the same: expressing mathematics as structured notation. That is what TypstRacer helps you build muscle memory for.
Ordinary word processors handle prose well but struggle with real mathematics — fractions, integrals, matrices, and multi-line derivations. Typesetting systems like Typst and LaTeX exist precisely to make that math clear, consistent, and beautiful, which is why they remain essential across science, engineering, economics, and academia at large.
A nod to TypeRacer
TypstRacer owes its idea to TypeRacer, the classic browser game that turns typing practice into a race. We borrowed that spirit and pointed it at mathematical notation instead of prose.