On everyday English text, QWERTY puts 33% of keystrokes on the home row and Colemak-DH puts 69%. Same-finger pairs: QWERTY 7.2%, Colemak-DH 1.1%. Colemak-DH wins 7 of 8 measures.
Head-to-head numbers
| Measure | QWERTY | Colemak-DH | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home row use | 32.6% | 69.0% | Colemak-DH |
| Hand alternation | 50.8% | 57.4% | Colemak-DH |
| Same-finger bigrams | 7.16% | 1.11% | Colemak-DH |
| Avg finger travel (key widths) | 0.812 | 0.386 | Colemak-DH |
| Pinky load | 10.8% | 15.8% | QWERTY |
| Top row use | 52.2% | 17.3% | Colemak-DH |
| Bottom row use | 15.2% | 13.7% | Colemak-DH |
| Left hand share | 59.7% | 49.1% | Colemak-DH |
Measured by Typeri on 6,782 words (31,571 letters) of original everyday English text from our passage library, using a standard row-staggered keyboard and conventional finger assignments. Travel is the average straight-line distance, in key widths, from each finger's home key to the key it presses. Same-finger bigrams count pairs of different letters typed consecutively by the same finger inside a word.
Learning cost from QWERTY
| QWERTY | Colemak-DH | |
|---|---|---|
| Letters moved from QWERTY | 0 | 19 |
| Z, X, C, V kept in place | Z, X, C, V | Z, X, C |
Fewer moved letters usually means a faster switch. Keeping Z, X, C and V in place matters more than it sounds, because undo, cut, copy and paste are among the most used shortcuts on any computer.
Finger load
| Finger | QWERTY | Colemak-DH |
|---|---|---|
| Left pinky | 8.5% | 8.5% |
| Left ring | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Left middle | 20.1% | 12.0% |
| Left index | 22.4% | 19.8% |
| Right index | 19.0% | 19.0% |
| Right middle | 7.4% | 15.9% |
| Right ring | 11.5% | 8.7% |
| Right pinky | 2.3% | 7.4% |
Which should you choose?
Choose QWERTY if you rely on Ctrl+Z, X, C and V shortcuts; you want a shorter learning curve from QWERTY; you use shared or work computers often and need the standard layout.
Choose Colemak-DH if you want more typing on the home row; you want fewer awkward same-finger motions; you like a rhythm that alternates hands.
What the numbers do not tell you
These figures measure effort, not speed. Plenty of people type over 100 WPM on QWERTY, and the biggest typing study to date found that technique, not layout, separates fast typists from slow ones. Treat a layout change as a comfort and long-term investment, and expect several weeks of slower typing while you switch.
Try both on your own text
Paste your own emails or essays into the Layout Lab to see how QWERTY and Colemak-DH handle the words you actually type. Then read the full guides to QWERTY and Colemak-DH.
More comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Is QWERTY or Colemak-DH faster?
Neither layout is automatically faster. Colemak-DH scores better on more effort measures here, but your speed depends mostly on practice and technique. Most people who switch take weeks to months to recover their old speed.
Which has more home row typing, QWERTY or Colemak-DH?
Colemak-DH: 69.0% of keystrokes versus 32.6% on everyday English text.
How were these numbers measured?
Measured by Typeri on 6,782 words (31,571 letters) of original everyday English text from our passage library, using a standard row-staggered keyboard and conventional finger assignments. Travel is the average straight-line distance, in key widths, from each finger's home key to the key it presses. Same-finger bigrams count pairs of different letters typed consecutively by the same finger inside a word.
Typeri. (2026). QWERTY vs Colemak-DH keyboard layout comparison. Retrieved from https://typeri.com/keyboard-layouts/compare/qwerty-vs-colemak-dh/<a href="https://typeri.com/keyboard-layouts/compare/qwerty-vs-colemak-dh/">QWERTY vs Colemak-DH keyboard layout comparison</a> (data: Typeri)