On everyday English text, QWERTY puts 33% of keystrokes on the home row, has 7.2% same-finger letter pairs and alternates hands on 51% of letter pairs. It ranks #5 of 7 layouts we measured for home row use.
QWERTY is the standard layout in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most of the world. It grew out of Christopher Latham Sholes's typewriter work in the 1870s and is still the default on almost every computer and phone sold in English-speaking countries.
QWERTY by the numbers
| Metric | QWERTY |
|---|---|
| Home row use | 32.6% |
| Hand alternation | 50.8% |
| Same-finger bigrams | 7.16% |
| Avg finger travel (key widths) | 0.812 |
| Pinky load | 10.8% |
| Top row use | 52.2% |
| Bottom row use | 15.2% |
| Left hand share | 59.7% |
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.
Finger load
The share of all letter keystrokes each finger handles on QWERTY. Index fingers are the strongest and pinkies the weakest, so good layouts give the index fingers more work and the pinkies less.
Home row
On QWERTY, your fingers rest on ASDF JKL;. Small bumps on F and J (or on the keys in those positions) let you find the home row without looking.
Should you switch to QWERTY?
Switching layouts costs weeks of slower typing, and shared or work computers will still use the standard layout. Switch if you type for hours every day, want less finger movement, or enjoy the challenge. If you need your current speed for work right now, better technique on your current layout usually pays off sooner.
How to switch safely
- Add the layout in your system settings and set a shortcut to toggle layouts.
- Practice 15 minutes a day on the new layout while you keep using the old one for real work.
- Track progress with the 1-minute typing test. Our tests and single key drills work with any layout.
- Test your own writing in the Layout Lab to see how QWERTY handles the text you actually type.
Words you can type on QWERTY
- Left-Hand Words on QWERTY: 1,328 dictionary words
- Right-Hand Words on QWERTY: 374 dictionary words
- Home Row Words on QWERTY: 122 dictionary words
- Top Row Words on QWERTY: 438 dictionary words
- Alternating-Hand Words on QWERTY: 653 dictionary words
Compare QWERTY with other layouts
Frequently asked questions
Is QWERTY a bad layout?
QWERTY keeps only 33% of English keystrokes on the home row, the lowest of the English-focused layouts we measured. It is still perfectly possible to type over 100 WPM on it, and it is everywhere, which is its biggest advantage.
How long does it take to learn QWERTY?
Most people need a few weeks of daily practice to type comfortably and a few months to match their old speed. Fifteen to thirty minutes a day is a realistic pace.
How were these numbers calculated?
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 keyboard layout statistics. Retrieved from https://typeri.com/keyboard-layouts/qwerty/<a href="https://typeri.com/keyboard-layouts/qwerty/">QWERTY keyboard layout statistics</a> (data: Typeri)