QWERTY vs Dvorak keyboard layout
The same keyboard, two very different letter arrangements. Here is what each one does to your fingers, measured on your own text.
The QWERTY keyboard layout
QWERTY is named after the first six letters on its top row. It dates from Christopher Latham Sholes's typewriters of the 1870s. Its home row, A S D F G H J K L, holds few of the most common English letters: E, T, O and I all sit on the top row, and N is on the bottom row. Only A is among the very top letters on QWERTY's home row.
The Dvorak layout
The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard, patented by August Dvorak and William Dealey in 1936, puts all the vowels under the left hand (A O E U I) and the most common consonants under the right (D H T N S). The aim is more typing on the home row and more alternation between hands.
| For 78 letters | QWERTY | Dvorak |
|---|---|---|
| Letters on home row | 33% | 71% |
| Finger travel | 68.5 | 30.2 |
| Hand alternation | 55% | 58% |
Travel is a straight-line estimate from each finger's home key; it ignores the space bar and capitals. It shows the mechanism, not a typing-speed prediction.
So which should you learn?
For almost everyone: QWERTY. The layout on the keys, on every shared computer and on your phone is QWERTY, and keyboard shortcuts are arranged around it. Research, including a much-cited review by economists Liebowitz and Margolis, found little solid evidence that Dvorak makes trained typists dramatically faster. What makes people fast is touch typing itself, on whichever layout they practise.
If you already touch type on QWERTY and want to try Dvorak out of curiosity or for comfort, all major operating systems include it in their keyboard settings.
FAQ
Is Dvorak faster than QWERTY?
Evidence is mixed. Dvorak puts more common letters on the home row and reduces finger travel, but controlled studies have not shown large speed gains for trained typists. The biggest factor in speed is practice, not layout.
Why is the QWERTY keyboard layout arranged that way?
QWERTY comes from Christopher Latham Sholes's typewriter of the 1870s, sold by Remington. The popular story is that it was designed to slow typists down; historians more often say it evolved to reduce jams between neighbouring typebars and to suit telegraph operators.
Should a beginner learn Dvorak?
Usually not. QWERTY is on almost every computer, phone and shared keyboard you will use, and shortcuts such as Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V are placed for it. Learn touch typing on QWERTY first.
Who invented the Dvorak keyboard?
August Dvorak and William Dealey patented the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard in 1936, after studying letter frequencies and hand movement.
Ready to put it into practice?
Learn touch typing on QWERTY