Why do we use QWERTY keyboards?

The Hindu

19 hours ago

Today, almost every keyboard we use — whether it's on your personal computer or phone — follows the QWERTY layout. But did you know this arrangement wasn't the obvious choice when typewriters were first invented?
The origins of the typewriter
The story of the QWERTY layout begins with the invention of the mechanical typewriter in the 19th Century. In the early 1870s, an American inventor named Christopher Latham Sholes, along with his colleagues, developed one of the first practical typewriters.
The earliest versions of their machine had a simple and intuitive layout: the keys were arranged alphabetically from A to Z. This made sense for new users, who could easily find the letters without needing special training. However, while the alphabetical order seemed logical, it soon led to unexpected problems once people started typing faster.
The mechanical problem
As typewriters became more widely used, a major issue quickly surfaced: key jamming. Early typewriters worked by mechanical arms that struck inked ribbons to imprint letters onto paper. The problem arose when certain letter combinations were typed too quickly — the arms would collide with each other, causing a jam that slowed down the entire process. This issue made it clear that the design of the typewriter would need to be adjusted to avoid such mechanical conflicts.
The design solution: QWERTY layout
To solve the problem of key jamming, Sholes and his team rearranged the keys in a way that minimised mechanical collisions. They strategically placed commonly paired letters—such as 'T' and 'H' or 'C' and 'K'—further apart, so that typists wouldn't accidentally press them in quick succession.
The goal wasn't to speed up typing, but rather to slow it down just enough to reduce the risk of the typewriter's mechanical arms jamming when typed too quickly. The QWERTY layout was designed to optimize the machine's mechanical needs, not necessarily the comfort or speed of the typist.
Adoption and standardisation
The QWERTY layout became popular when Remington, a major typewriter manufacturer, adopted it on their successful machines. As typing schools and businesses trained people on QWERTY keyboards, it quickly became the standard. Over time, this widespread use created a network effect, making it hard to switch to any other layout — and QWERTY stuck as the global norm.
Attempts at alternatives
In the 1930s, the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard was introduced. It was designed to be faster, more efficient, and more ergonomic than the QWERTY layout.
was introduced. It was designed to be faster, more efficient, and more ergonomic than the QWERTY layout. Despite its potential advantages, the Dvorak layout never gained widespread adoption.
The main reason? Network effects — by then, most people were already trained on QWERTY, businesses had standardised it, and retraining was seen as too costly and inconvenient.
As a result, QWERTY remained the dominant layout — even if it wasn't the most efficient one available.
Fun Fact: How fast can you type?
On average, most people type at around 40 words per minute (WPM).
Professional typists usually reach speeds of 70 to 100 WPM — and some even faster!
The current world record for typing on a QWERTY keyboard is held by Barbara Blackburn, who maintained an astonishing speed of 150 WPM for 50 minutes and peaked at 212 WPM!
The story of the QWERTY keyboard shows that the designs we live with today aren't always the most efficient or the best possible options. Sometimes, a design survives simply because it was 'good enough' at the right time and became widely adopted before better alternatives could take hold. Once people, businesses, and institutions invest time and effort into learning and using a system, it becomes difficult to change — even when improvements are available.
Take the challenge
Now that you know the story behind the QWERTY layout, here's a quick challenge:
Try typing the sentence 'The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog' with your eyes closed!
This sentence uses every letter of the alphabet, and thanks to muscle memory built over years of using QWERTY keyboards, you'll probably do better than you expect.
Just search online for a free typing speed test. .Can you beat the average speed? Who knows — you might be faster than you think!
The QWERTY layout is a lasting reminder that history, habit, and practicality often shape technology just as much as innovation does.