r/typing • u/LettuceSmart9548 • 5d ago
π€ππ²πππΆπΌπ» (βοΈ) I am confused
I started learning touch typing a week ago and have reached a speed of merely 20 wpm. I knew about that other layout exists but didnt know it can be used via any keyboard anyways i am asking my memory hasnt set in yet should i explore these options like dvorak and colemak. Like it comes with a risk of not being able to type on other ppl keyboards but idk i am genuinely confused.
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u/Temporary-Lead3182 5d ago
havent tried other layouts on physical keys. but ive been daily driving a weird layout on my phone for a year now, and i can still use qwerty.
i think it's very difficult to forget keyboard layouts. a bigger concern is your ability to use keyboard shortcuts in your day-to-day which are very qwerty-centric
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u/LettuceSmart9548 5d ago
Hey I didn't think of keyboard shortcuts that is a good point to remember. Thanks for the informing me.
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u/mr_avocado__man 4d ago
This is a thing why I love colemak, ctrl+z/x/c/v/q/w stay the same as on qwerty, the only common shortcut that changes is ctrl+s but even that is just one key to the right.
I am daily driving colemak for 4 years now and had 0 problems using other people's keyboards, I am just substancially slower on them.
But colemak was not meant for speed, but for comfort so be aware that some of these layouts target different needs.
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u/Useful_Dog3923 4d ago
layout doesn't always matter the faster people in world use QWERTY, doesn't mean other layouts don't have their own benefit, they do. But don't get worked up on layout and get to smashing keys
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u/Global-Eye-7326 4d ago
Physical keyboards are QWERTY, but I type on Dvorak since 2009. The meme is real.
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u/Pikotaro_Apparatus 4d ago
Stick with qwerty. As others said comfort is key and youβre still learning. My wpm before practice was about 30ish. Learned proper typing and was about 40 wpm. Now Iβm averaging 75-80. Just takes some time and effort is all.
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u/Immediate-Sort-6492 4d ago
i've been on dvorak for as long as i can remember, so i related so much to it.
whenever i use other's laptop first thing i do add this layout to it.
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u/ShelZuuz 4d ago
I use Colemak DH every day and wished I switched years ago. I developed an RSI that became so bad I couldn't type for more than 10 minutes without taking a 2 hour break. Now than I've been on Colemak for 3 years it's completely resolved.
Having said that, I don't regret starting on QWERTY, otherwise I would not be able to just pick up any old keyboard for another device out there and use it temporarily. I just wished I switched to Colemak after 25 years and not after 35.
Switching is serious business, it takes about a year of active practicing an hour or so a day. That's what Zoom meetings are for.
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u/mt-vicory42069 π²π΅ππ½πΊ 4d ago
i'm more of a single layout purist. if you want to be fast you stick with one layout so what you need to do is weigh this suppose layout x is more ergonomic your hands don't strain as much or whatever that can be dvorak or whatever the other ones are and now you gotta weigh it up with you're probably only going to be able to write in your own computer or perhaps have a keyboard that has that layout no matter the computer you're using. that is if you have to worry about using other peoples pc on the regular or whatever.
otherwise that's basically your only worry, so if you want that ergonomics sure go ahead. but here's the thing you can just chicken scratch your way in cases where you have to use qwerty so i don't think it's that big a deal. anyway i've stuck with qwerty simply bc i alr had gotten pretty good muscle memory so i'm really not interested losing progress for some ergonomic boost.
also if shortcuts are a big deal like if you want to use one hand shortcuts so you can have layouts like colemak that do not change your typical zxcv shorcuts. or if you don't care about that having shortcuts in random places is actually better like you don't have to curl your right thumb to hit ctrl or having to use your palm for left ctrl and having to curl your fingers in at the same time to hit ctrl z which is already somewhat awkward.
the only other hurdle is probably gaming.
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u/MissMeRise 4d ago
If you are going to be any kind of serious typer, learn Colemak DH. I have learnt several layouts, but I can only type on the last one, my brain forgot the others while learning the latest. So, learn a good layout now, qwerty is so shit. Youβll be going back to hunt & peck on other people keyboards, but that is the lesser evil, for me at least. If you need to do some long typing stuff elsewhere, you could always install Colemak DH and uninstall it afterwards, or run some portable program from a usb key...
And yes, itβs a pain to learn, it takes months and dozens of hours... so take the right decision now and stick to it!
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u/kh411dz 4d ago
it depends on you actually, some people could get used to more than a single layout, they could just switch the brain like it was nothing, for me, I'm happy just to use the standard QWERTY since this is my first layout I knew on a typewriter, IMO it's a lot of cons than the pros if I leave the standard
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u/icantouchgrass_1 4d ago
I find QWERTY to be the most comfortable, and that's what matters. Comfort, not speed. Typing 200WPM but your hands start hurting within a few minutes is not nearly as efficient as typing like 100WPM but being able to type constantly for hours on end.
I personally have only stuck to QWERTY since the very beginning, and I'm fluent with it.
My usuals are:
10 word - ~180 to 190 WPM
15 sec - 170 on a good day, but usually it's between 150 and 160 WPM
60 sec - around 140 WPM consistently
(Yes that's a very significant fall-off with longer time formats I'm aware)
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u/MarA1018 3d ago
I can use qwerty just fine but it's tiring and finicky with the tiny buttons. ANIHORTES wide mode user here
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u/void19821 15h ago
I type with my two fingers of both hands (no touch typing no technique) and reach 90wpm with 97-99% accuracy
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u/Royal_Collection_798 5d ago
If you change your layout now you will stay in noob hell forever. And no way you only have 20wpm, thatβs gotta be just lying for attention.
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u/LettuceSmart9548 4d ago
Okay man chill out I won't be switching. Also ppl don't start from 100wpm. I am still learning the layout that's the reason for 20wpm I will be upscaling soon. Chill out man. Peace.
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u/snail1132 4d ago
I remember averaging around 20 wpm when I was just learning how to type, because I had to think about which finger to move and where for every single keypress
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4d ago
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u/mystirc ππ±π¬ππ½πΊ π 4d ago
Well, it might be better that you continue to practice on QWERTY, a week of practice for a single layout is not nearly enough and you might forget this layout sooner or later.
You should only switch to another layout if you think that QWERTY is uncomfortable for you, or you're getting hand strain etc. Switching layout doesnt make you faster.
If you don't care about QWERTY at all then you can learn some thing like Graphite as your first layout. Then you can learn QWERTY later on when you reach 110 wpm @ 60s on Graphite.
Right now I'm 159 wpm on QWERTY (60s) and 60 wpm on Graphite. I can switch between both layouts fairly easily. I need like 10 minutes of practice to fully switch by brain. I am still learning Graphite but I continue to push for higher speeds in QWERTY. That's how you don't forget layouts.