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How to Type in Danish — Danish Touch Typing Guide

How to Type in Danish — Danish Touch Typing Guide

· 2 min read · by Robin Érsek-Obádovics

Danish shares the QWERTY-NO keyboard with Norway — same Å, Æ, Ø layout. The languages are closely related (mutually intelligible in writing) and use identical letter inventories for typing purposes.

Danish character set

  • Standard A-Z
  • Å å (a with ring)
  • Æ æ (ash)
  • Ø ø (slashed o)

All 3 special letters on right side. Same as Norwegian.

Danish vs Norwegian typing differences

Same keyboard, slightly different language patterns:

  • Danish has more ø usage in common words (først, øre, høj)
  • Danish has more silent letters (Hvad, jeg pronunciation differs from spelling)
  • Danish has glottal stop (stød) in pronunciation — invisible in writing

Practice the layout at /da/qwerty_no/.

Common Danish typing patterns

  • det, en, og, er, jeg — common short words
  • gå, stå, så, lå — å words
  • være, bæver, sæson — æ words
  • først, øst, øre, høj — ø words
  • København, Aarhus, Odense — proper nouns
  • tak, undskyld, ja — politeness/short responses

Touch typing tips

  1. Right pinky for Å/Æ/Ø — same as Norwegian
  2. Drill compound words — Danish has long compounds (sygehus, forretning)
  3. Same keyboard works for Norwegian — useful for Scandinavian bilingual workers
  4. Don't confuse with Swedish — Ø ≠ Ö, Æ ≠ Ä

Target: 50-60 WPM in 4-6 weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Danish typing different from Norwegian?

Same keyboard mechanically. Different vocabulary/idioms but same character set and positions.

Can I type Norwegian on Danish settings?

Yes — keyboards are identical (QWERTY-NO). Same as typing Danish on Norwegian settings.

What about Greenlandic (Kalaallisut)?

Greenlandic uses additional characters (æ, ø, å, plus historical kâ, kê). Standard Danish QWERTY-NO works for basic Greenlandic; specialized layouts exist for full Greenlandic orthography.

Are there alternative Danish layouts?

A few experimental variants. QWERTY-NO (Danish) is universal.

How is the @ symbol typed in Danish?

AltGr+2 on most Danish keyboards.

Should I learn Danish or Norwegian first?

Either — mutually intelligible. Pick by where you'll live/work.

Practice Danish typing

Practice Danish on Typing Hero App — 19 lessons including Å, Æ, Ø.

For more: QWERTY-NO layout, How to type in Norwegian, How to type in Swedish.