so ive been at this for a while now and i feel like im just spinning my wheels. started learning CW back in the spring, got up to about 13wpm copying fairly clean text, and then just... hit a wall. i can copy most letters fine when i slow down and think about them but the moment i push the speed up anything above maybe 14 i start missing stuff and then i panic and miss more and then its just a trainwreck.

im using the Koch method, doing about 20-30 minutes a day with the LCWO website. i also mess around with the RufzXP software sometimes but honestly that one just stresses me out. i know people say the goal is to hear words as sounds and not think about the individual letters but i cant seem to make that jump. like i know what it should feel like but i cant get there.

anyone else go through this kind of plateau and actually get through it? what actually worked for you? i really want to hit 20wpm someday, even just for casual QSOs, dont need to be a contester or anything.

yeah this is super common, like almost everyone hits a wall somewhere between 12 and 15wpm. its kind of a known thing in the CW world. what helped me more than anything was just listening to actual on-air QSOs at speeds i couldnt fully copy. not trying to get every word, just letting it wash over me. sounds weird but after a few weeks of doing that while doing something else — eating lunch, whatever — my brain started to pick up more without me even trying.

also the thing about words as sounds, that really does click eventually but you cant force it. one trick i heard from an old timer at my club was to practice common words as whole chunks — THE, AND, QSL, UR, 73 — just drill those as single sounds not letter by letter. made a big difference for me around the 15wpm mark. keep at it, the jump from 13 to 18 or so kind of happens suddenly once it clicks, at least it did for me.

im kind of in the same boat actually, sitting around 11wpm right now so youre ahead of me lol. but i did read somewhere that taking the speed up way higher than you want to copy — like set it to 20 or 22 even if you only get half of it — is supposed to train your ear faster than always staying comfortable. havent fully committed to doing that yet but gonna try it. also someone at a local hamfest told me just getting on the air even when i feel not ready was the best thing he ever did, the pressure of a real QSO apparently helps