Everything You Need to Know About QWERTY Keyboard

When you are using a keyboard, have you ever wondered why the keyboard is arranged in the order of "QWERTY" instead of ABC? This arrangement was inherited from the typewriter keyboard in the 1870s and has a history of more than 100 years.

What is QWERTY keyboard layout?

The QWERTY keyboard is a widely used standard typewriter and computer keyboard layout based on the Latin alphabet, widely used in English and other language devices. Its name comes from the arrangement of the first row of letter keys from left to right: Q, W, E, R, T, Y.

Who Invented QWERTY Keyboard Layout?

The inventor of the QWERTY keyboard is Christopher Latham Sholes, an American.

In 1868, Sholes obtained a patent for the typewriter model and obtained the right to operate it. A few years later, he designed the practical form of the modern typewriter and standardized the keyboard for the first time, namely the "QWERTY" keyboard.

Why is QWERTY Instead of ABCD?

1. The Invention of the Typewriter—ABCD

As early as 1714, countries such as Britain, the United States, France, Italy, and Switzerland invented various types of typewriters, most of which had keyboards arranged in alphabetical order. Due to the unreasonable internal mechanical structure of these typewriters, the efficiency was very low, and most of the time it was much slower than handwriting.

2. The Need for a New Layout—QWERTY

In order to solve the problem of key jamming, Christopher Latham Sholes placed the most commonly used letters in opposite directions to slow down the typing speed as much as possible to avoid key jamming.

3. Market Expansion- Remington Company Drives

In 1873, Sholes sold the design to Remington Company.

On July 25, 1888, Remington held a national typing competition in Cincinnati, USA. A typist using the Qwerty layout and touch-typing method won the championship and a $500 prize,  bringing widespread recognition to the QWERTY keyboard.

In addition, Remington established a school to train typists for free and signed an agreement with them to ask them to serve private business schools, universities, and local church youth associations.

Over time, the American market adapted to the QWERTY keyboard, making it the dominant layout in the industry

Benefits of Using QWERTY Keyboards

1. Easy to learn for the widely used

QWERTY keyboards are widely used around the world, whether on personal computers, smartphones, or other electronic devices. Its wide application allows users to quickly get started when using different devices without having to re-adapt to a new keyboard layout.

2. Excellent compatibility

Thanks to its long history and widespread adoption, the QWERTY keyboard layout has become the standard for software and operating systems. When using various software, users do not need to worry about the incompatibility of the keyboard layout with the software.

Challegs of Using QWERTY Keyboards

There are some arguments about the efficiency or ergonomic problems of the QWERTY keyboard.

1. Lack of Ergonomic Design

The QWERTY keyboard does not take into account the varying lengths and strengths of human fingers, which can lead to discomfort when pressing certain keys.

In addition, the unbalanced layout places more strain on the right hand, which handles approximately 57% of the input, while the left hand manages only 43%. This will cause quicker fatigue in the right hand during extended typing sessions, ultimately reducing efficiency and impacting the overall user experience.

2. Inefficient Letter Placement

Some frequently used letters, such as E, T, and A, are positioned near the edges of the keyboard. This design increases finger movement distance, requiring users to stretch further to press these keys. Over time, this can lead to increased finger fatigue and hinder typing speed improvement.

QWERTY Keyboard Variants

1. ANSI QWERTY Layout

This is our most common QWERTY layout, also known as the ANSI layout. It is the most common keyboard layout worldwide.

Used in: the United States, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, and many Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

2. ISO QWERTY Layout

The main difference between the ISO layout and the ANSI layout is the shape of the Enter key and the location of some special keys. The Enter key is the upside-down L for ISO layout. 

Used in: Most European countries and South America usually use the ISO keyboard.

Feature	ANSI	ISO
Enter key shape	Wide horizontal key	Turn-down L shape. Occupies two rows
The Backslash key	Above the Enter key	Left of the Enter key
The left Shift key	Same size and dimension as the Right shift key	50% of the size of the right shift key. Have the same dimension as the Ctrl key
Right Alt key	Same with the left Alt key	Replaced with an Alt Gr key

3. QWERTZ Layout

Its name comes from the first six letters in the first row of the keyboard: Q, W, E, R, T, and Z. Compared to the standard QWERTY keyboard, the QWERTZ keyboard swaps the positions of the letters "Y" and "Z".

Used in: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.

Feature	QWERTZ	QWERTY
Primary Layout	Common in German-speaking countries	Common in English-speaking countries
Z/Y Swap	Z at the first row of the alphabetical area	Y at the first row of the alphabetical area
German Characters	Includes Ä, Ö, Ü, ß	Not built-in
Special Characters	Same, but easier access to €	Shift + 2 for @, Shift + 3 for #
AltGr Key Usage	More commonly used for regional symbols	For extra symbols
Punctuation	Same, but ? key may differ	Same basic punctuation
Language Support	German and Central European languages	English and Latin-based languages

4. AZERTY Layout

The AZERTY keyboard is a French typewriter and computer keyboard layout designed by Claude Marsan in 1976. The first six letters of the first row of the keyboard are A, Z, E, R, T, and Y. It is designed based on the language characteristics and usage habits of French.

Mainly used in: France, suitable for French input.

Feature	Azerty	Qwerty
Origin	France	United States
Primary Usage	French-speaking countries	English-speaking countries
Top Row Letters	A-Z-E-R-T-Y	Q-W-E-R-T-Y
Special Characters	Direct access to accented letters (é, è, à)	Limited, requires Alt codes or special combinations
Punctuation	The period requires the Shift key, and the semicolon and other characters are directly accessible.	Period (.), comma (,), and other punctuation marks are accessible without using the Shift key.

5. Nordic QWERTY

Nordic QWERTY keeps most of the QWERTY layout intact but adds Scandinavian letters (Å, Ä, Ö, Æ, Ø).

Used in: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland.

Feature	Nordic QWERTY	QWERTY(ANSI)
Extra Letters	Å, Ä, Ö (Swedish/Finnish), Æ, Ø, Å (Danish/Norwegian)	None
Enter Key	L-shaped (larger)	Rectangular
Special Characters	Some symbols like @, ", and £ are repositioned	Standard
<> Symbols	Dedicated key next to Shift	Shift + , and .
Currency Symbols	€ and local currencies (kr) included	$
Accent Support	Supports Scandinavian diacritics	Minimal

6. Spanish QWERTY

Spanish QWERTY adds special characters like Ñ, ¡, and ¿, as well as dedicated keys for accented vowels. Additionally, some punctuation and symbol placement differ.

Used in: Spain and Latin America.

Feature	Spanish QWERTY	QWERTY (ANSI)
Extra Letter	Ñ key added	None
Enter Key	L-shaped (larger)	Rectangular
Special Characters	¡ and ¿ included	Standard placement
Accent Marks	´ key for vowels with accents (á, é, í, ó, ú)	Not dedicated
@ Symbol	AltGr + 2	Shift + 2
" and '	Often swapped or repositioned	Standard positions
Currency Symbol	€ included	$
Tilde (~)	Requires AltGr	Shift + key
Backslash (\)	Moved near Shift	Above Enter

7. Japanese JIS

JIS keyboard includes Hiragana/Katakana characters alongside Latin letters. And there is  an extra key for switching between input modes (Romanji, Kana, Kanji).

Used in: Japan.

There are many other variants of the QWERTY keyboard, such as Russian JCUKEN and Arabic QWERTY. These variants are designed to adapt to the language habits and user needs of different countries and regions.

Other Alternative QWERTY Variants

1. Dvorak keyboard

Dvorak keyboard arranges keys based on usage frequency, placing commonly used letters in the middle row while staggering consonants and vowels. 

This design allows for smoother, more balanced typing, improving efficiency and comfort.

2. Colemak keyboard

Built as an optimized version of QWERTY, Colemak retains the positions of commonly used shortcut keys and punctuation marks while rearranging certain letters. This adjustment enhances typing comfort and efficiency, offering a smoother input experience.

Final

The QWERTY keyboard layout remains the dominant layout worldwide, despite the existence of alternative layouts like Dvorak and Colemak that aim to improve efficiency.

Different countries have adapted QWERTY variants to suit their languages, adding special characters and modifying key placements.  And different keyboard layouts have different advantages and disadvantages. We can choose a keyboard layout that suits us according to our preferences and needs.