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Dvorak Simplified Keyboard — Is It Really Faster?

Dvorak Simplified Keyboard — Is It Really Faster?

· 7 min read · by Robin Érsek-Obádovics

The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard has been claimed to be 30%, 50%, even 70% faster than QWERTY. The reality, based on independent studies, is closer to 5–10% faster — and that's only after months of switching cost. This guide gives an honest analysis: where Dvorak's claims came from, what real research shows, who actually benefits from switching, and how long the transition takes.

What is the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard?

The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard (DSK) is an alternative to QWERTY designed by August Dvorak and William Dealey in 1936, after years of ergonomic and time-motion studies. The goal: maximize home-row usage and balance the workload between hands.

The Dvorak home row arranges all five English vowels on the left (A O E U I) and the most common English consonants on the right (D H T N S). The result is that roughly 70% of typing happens on the home row in Dvorak, compared to ~32% on QWERTY.

The full layout:

Top:     ' , . P Y F G C R L /
Home:    A O E U I D H T N S -
Bottom:  ; Q J K X B M W V Z

You can practice Dvorak on Typing Hero App — 19 progressive lessons designed specifically for the Dvorak home row, not just remapped QWERTY drills.

Why Dvorak was created

August Dvorak (a professor of education at the University of Washington) and his brother-in-law William Dealey designed the layout based on three principles:

  1. Vowels on left, common consonants on right — alternating hands speeds up typing
  2. Most-used letters on home row — reduces finger travel
  3. Balance workload between hands — Dvorak's analysis showed QWERTY overloaded the left hand

The original studies (funded by the US Navy in the 1930s and 40s) claimed Dvorak typists could be trained to 80 WPM in half the time it took to reach the same speed on QWERTY. Subsequent attempts to replicate these studies have found much smaller effects.

What modern research actually shows

Multiple independent studies since the 1950s have measured Dvorak vs QWERTY speed:

  • NIST 1956 study: Found no significant speed difference after re-training adjustments
  • Liebowitz & Margolis (1990): Argued Dvorak's claimed advantages were exaggerated; real gains 0–5%
  • Various online typing benchmarks: Top Dvorak typists (like Barbara Blackburn at 216 WPM) are comparable to top QWERTY typists (like Sean Wrona at 200+ WPM)
  • Real-world adoption studies: Dvorak users self-report 5–15% speed improvement, but this is hard to control for practice effects

The honest summary: Dvorak is probably 5–10% faster than QWERTY at top skill levels, with measurable ergonomic benefits (reduced finger travel, more balanced workload). But the difference is much smaller than original claims, and only matters at advanced typing speeds.

Who actually benefits from switching to Dvorak?

The math:

  • Switching cost: 2–3 months of reduced productivity (you'll be slower for at least 6–8 weeks)
  • Speed gain: 5–10% at top skill levels, measured after full adaptation
  • Ergonomic gain: ~30% less finger travel, less pinky workload — meaningful for RSI sufferers

For most adults: the math doesn't work. 3 months of being 30% slower to gain 5% later isn't worth it.

For some users, it makes sense:

  • People with wrist or finger pain (RSI, repetitive strain) — Dvorak's reduced finger travel and better workload distribution genuinely help
  • Heavy keyboard users (8+ hours daily) — small efficiency gains compound
  • People starting from zero (kids, true beginners with no QWERTY skill) — no switching cost
  • Layout enthusiasts — it's a fun project even if the productivity gain is small
  • English-language writers specifically — Dvorak is optimized for English; less benefit for other languages

For everyone else, QWERTY is the right choice — see Should you switch from QWERTY?.

How long does it take to learn Dvorak?

Realistic timeline for someone already comfortable on QWERTY:

  • Week 1: 5–15 WPM. Painfully slow. Most people quit here.
  • Week 4: 25–35 WPM. Feels usable but still much slower than your QWERTY.
  • Week 8: 35–45 WPM. About half your QWERTY speed.
  • Month 3: 45–55 WPM. Approaching parity with your QWERTY.
  • Month 4–6: 55–70 WPM. Matches your QWERTY.
  • Month 6+: 70+ WPM. Potentially faster than your QWERTY ever was.

For learners starting from zero (no prior typing experience), Dvorak and QWERTY both take about 30 days to reach 60 WPM. Dvorak isn't faster to learn — it's faster (slightly) once mastered.

The bilingual problem

A major downside of Dvorak: you'll likely need to maintain QWERTY skills too. Real life involves:

  • Other people's computers (work, friends, public terminals)
  • Smartphones (still QWERTY)
  • Devices where you can't change layout (ATMs, kiosks)
  • Pair programming, screen sharing

Most Dvorak users end up bilingual, mediocre at both. Maintaining 100% Dvorak fluency and 80% QWERTY fluency takes ongoing effort. Some users solve this by using a layout-switcher hotkey — but it's friction either way.

Notable Dvorak users

  • Barbara Blackburn — Guinness world record holder, 216 WPM on Dvorak (see Typing speed records)
  • Steve Wozniak — Apple co-founder, long-time Dvorak user
  • Matt Mullenweg — WordPress founder
  • Many programmers in the Linux/open-source community

These are notable exceptions, not the norm. Most professional writers and programmers still use QWERTY because the switching cost isn't worth the small gain.

The standard Dvorak is the original 1936 design. Variants exist:

  • Dvorak Left-handed — for one-handed typing with the left hand
  • Dvorak Right-handed — same, for right hand
  • Programmer Dvorak — optimized for code symbols
  • Programmer Colemak — Colemak-based, similar goals

And newer alternatives that try to improve on Dvorak:

For a deeper comparison: QWERTY vs Dvorak vs Colemak.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dvorak really 70% faster than QWERTY?

No — that figure comes from August Dvorak's own 1930s studies, which were never independently replicated. Modern research shows Dvorak is 5–10% faster at top skill levels — a real but modest advantage.

Will switching to Dvorak cure my wrist pain?

It might help. Dvorak's reduced finger travel and better workload distribution genuinely lower physical strain. But other interventions matter more: posture, breaks, ergonomic keyboard, wrist support. See How to type with wrist pain and Proper touch typing posture.

How long until I'm faster on Dvorak than I was on QWERTY?

4–6 months of dedicated practice. The first 2–3 months you'll be slower. Only after sustained practice does the small Dvorak advantage materialize.

Can I use Dvorak on my phone?

Yes — iOS and Android both support Dvorak for hardware keyboards. For software (on-screen) keyboards, the value is minimal because you're thumb-typing anyway, not touch typing.

What about Programmer Dvorak?

Programmer Dvorak rearranges the top row to put commonly-used programming symbols ({ } [ ] etc.) in easier reach. Useful for code-heavy typists, but adds another learning curve. Most programmers either use standard Dvorak or stick with QWERTY.

Does my operating system support Dvorak?

Yes — Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android all support Dvorak natively. Settings → Keyboard → Layout, and select "United States - Dvorak" or similar.

What if I want to learn Dvorak and Colemak both?

You can, but most people pick one. Both target similar goals (less finger travel, better balance), so the gain from learning both is small. Pick the one whose tradeoffs you prefer (Dvorak: vowels-on-left ergonomics; Colemak: minimal QWERTY changes for easier switching).

Is Dvorak useful for non-English languages?

Less useful. Dvorak was designed specifically for English letter frequencies. For Spanish, German, Hungarian, etc., the letter distribution is different and Dvorak's advantage shrinks or disappears. Stick with the regional QWERTY variant for those languages — see How to choose a keyboard layout for your language.

Should you switch?

If you're:

  • Currently happy with QWERTY → stay
  • Suffering RSI / wrist pain → try Dvorak, but also fix ergonomics
  • A heavy typist looking for marginal gains → maybe try Dvorak, accept 3-month learning curve
  • A complete beginner → either is fine; QWERTY has wider compatibility, Dvorak has slight long-term ergonomic edge

If you decide to try Dvorak, start with Lesson 1 on Typing Hero App — 19 lessons designed from the Dvorak home row (uhetna_os pair), not just renamed QWERTY drills. Free, no signup.

For deeper comparisons: Dvorak vs Colemak, QWERTY vs Dvorak.