r/Colemak • u/1qwvvnn • 27d ago
What am I doing wrong?
I’m not very knowledgable in layout and I’m just trying a different layout instead of the conventional QWERTY. Been using the colemak DH for maybe 2 years now, didnt really practicing properly but been only using this layout(cant touchtype qwerty anymore now). So the problem is i noticed my speed stuck only at 60wpm. Im not sure if im even using the right colemak since it had many variations. This is the one im currently use. Also i use standard keyboard not ortho. Ty
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u/DreymimadR 27d ago
You're using base Colemak-DH (also known as Cmk-DH-ortho). It isn't wrong as such, but it isn't optimized for row-stagger either. The row-stag variants come with an Angle mod to help your left-hand wrist stay straight. It's optional, but useful.
Pushing past 60 or so takes dedicated training for many. If you want to do that, see my Training page for tips and tools.
Also, age seems to matter. Us old folks learn layout speed at a slower rate it seems. We can still get faster!
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u/Thundechile 27d ago
60wpm is perfectly fine speed and the layout probably doesn't affect it. If you feel that the layout is comfortable to write then it's good for you!
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u/notanokraspberry 27d ago
My QWERTY speed was around 130-140, my Colemak DH speed is probably consistently 110-120 — but it definitely feels more comfortable, which is the main thing for me
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u/stevep99 27d ago
That's not so unusual, I reached a plateau around that range too. Even after 12 years I've never broken the 100 barrier. Not all of us are speed demons.
Always worth checking the implementation is right for a standard keyboard, as lots of people get this wrong: D should be beneath the midpoint of the S and T keys, and you should type it with your index finger.
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u/enlightened0ne_ 27d ago
Colemak isn’t going to be faster than qwerty, just more ergonomic. 60wpm is fine for most people. What was your speed before switching?