QWERTY-FO (Faroese) — Typing Á, Ð, Í, Ó, Ú, Ý, Æ, Ø
QWERTY-FO is the Faroese keyboard layout — designed for one of Europe's smallest language communities (~70,000 speakers in the Faroe Islands). It's a Nordic-style layout that includes ð (eth) like Icelandic, plus å, æ, ø like Norwegian/Danish, plus acute-accented vowels.
The Faroese alphabet
29 letters:
- Standard Latin A-Z (without C, Q, W, Z — rare in Faroese)
- Á á (a with acute)
- Í í (i with acute)
- Ó ó (o with acute)
- Ú ú (u with acute)
- Ý ý (y with acute)
- Æ æ (ash)
- Ø ø (slashed o)
- Ð ð (eth — same as Icelandic)
- Also: Å å (in loanwords from Danish)
Faroese is closely related to Icelandic and Old Norse — preserving the eth (ð) that Icelandic also keeps but Old English lost.
Where each Faroese character lives on QWERTY-FO
- Á á: top right area (dedicated key)
- Æ æ: home row right (where ; is on QWERTY)
- Ø ø: home row right
- Ð ð: top right area (dedicated key)
- Í, Ó, Ú, Ý: dead key or dedicated positions
The layout is similar to Norwegian QWERTY-NO but adds eth (ð) and acute-accented vowels.
Practice the Faroese layout at /fo/qwerty_fo/.
Why Faroese has its own layout
Despite the small population (~70k speakers), Faroese has enough unique characters to warrant its own keyboard:
- ð (eth): not on Norwegian/Danish keyboards
- á, í, ó, ú, ý: not on Norwegian/Danish (which use only å, æ, ø)
- Heritage from Old Norse preserves more characters than modern Scandinavian
Common Faroese typing patterns
- og, í, til — common short words (similar to Norwegian)
- føroyskt, Føroyar, føroyingar — proper nouns
- takk fyri, vinarliga — politeness
- Tórshavn, Klaksvík — city names
- góðan dag, góða kvøld — greetings
The frequent use of á, ó, í gives Faroese a distinctive look (more accent-heavy than Norwegian/Danish).
Faroese vs Icelandic typing
Both languages preserve characters lost in modern Scandinavian:
- Faroese has: ð (eth) but NOT þ (thorn)
- Icelandic has: ð AND þ
Otherwise both layouts include similar acute-accented vowels. See QWERTY-IS Icelandic.
Touch typing tips for Faroese
- Drill ð specifically — frequent in Faroese, less so than Icelandic
- Master á, í, ó, ú, ý — distinguishing them from a, i, o, u, y matters
- Pinky workload heavy — multiple special letters on right side
- Small community — fewer learning resources than for major languages
After 30 days of QWERTY-FO practice: 35-45 WPM in real Faroese.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Faroese preserve ð?
Faroese descends from Old Norse and preserved Old Norse characters that modern Scandinavian dropped. Similar to how Icelandic preserved them.
Is Faroese the same as Icelandic?
Related but different. Mutually somewhat intelligible in writing; spoken forms are quite different. Different keyboards.
Can I type Faroese on QWERTY-IS?
Almost — but Faroese doesn't use þ (which is on Icelandic keyboard). Some Faroese-specific characters might be missing.
Is there a separate Faroese standard?
Yes — QWERTY-FO is the official Faroese keyboard standard.
Should I learn Faroese touch typing?
Only if you speak Faroese — extremely niche otherwise. Faroese is one of Europe's smallest written languages.
How is the å typed?
Same position as on Norwegian/Danish keyboards (top right area). Used in Faroese loanwords from Danish.
Try it
Practice QWERTY-FO on Typing Hero App — 19 lessons including ð and Faroese accented vowels.
For more: How to type in Faroese, QWERTY-IS Icelandic, QWERTY-NO Norwegian/Danish.