So you think you’re a fast typer?

Even if you type over 70 words per minute, you could be typing three times faster with a different keyboard. Most of us only know of one type of keyboard - the standard QWERTY - however I am sure of you did not know that this type of keyboard was not designed with ease of typing in mind. Instead it was designed to keep early typewriters from jamming. However, people got used to this layout and never thought about changing it. Little did they know there was a much faster, easier, efficient, and more comfortable alternative – the Dvorak keyboard. This keyboard is estimated to be 12-20 times faster than the traditional QWERTY keyboard. Many of the world’s fastest typists use this keyboard layout, one of whom clocked in at 212 WPM!

The basic difference in the Dvorak keyboard is that all the vowels are placed on one side of the keyboard and the consonants on the other. This makes it much easier to type words with two hands. On a QWERTY keyboard your left hand is said to do about 56% of the typing, while on Dvorak it is much more balanced, which allows you to type faster.

The arrangement of the letters on the Dvorak makes it very easy to learn (proven to be easier to learn than QWERTY). This arrangement also results in improved accuracy, as Dvorak keyboard users tend to make fewer mistakes when typing. Dvorak typist tends to make half as many mistakes as QWERTY typists.

So now your thinking, if Dvorak is so much more efficient, why isn’t it used often? The answer is simple, people do not like change. However, if you don’t mind learning how to type on a new keyboard, give it a shot. You are guaranteed to improve your typing speed.

For more information on the history of Dvorak and its features click here.

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