There are several top keycap profiles to choose from, each with its own pros and cons. If you’re new to the world of mechanical keyboards, you’ll also want to check out our guide to the types ...

But mechanical keyboards bring with them a lot of jargon—layouts and switches and keycap profiles, oh my—so here’s an overview of the terms you need to know to find your perfect keyboard.

On my Keychron K2 with Cherry profile keycaps, I can manage about 70WPM—words per minute—on Monkeytype. Replacing Cherry keycaps with an SA keycap set improves my score to about 75WPM.