Dvorak typing test
Type in Dvorak on your normal keyboard. This test emulates the Dvorak layout in your browser, so you can try it or practice it with zero changes to your computer.
Tab restarts Esc leaves the test results save to this browser only
The switch in numbers
Two of these figures are the case for Dvorak and two are the price of getting there. The sections below unpack both sides.
How the in-browser Dvorak emulation works
The most common question about Dvorak is "how do I try it without messing up my computer?" This page is the answer. Your operating system stays on its current layout and your physical keyboard stays exactly as it is. The test intercepts each physical key position and outputs the character that key would produce on a Dvorak keyboard. Press the key labeled S on a QWERTY board and the test types O, because that position is O in Dvorak. The on-screen keyboard below the test shows the Dvorak layout and highlights the next key, so you can learn positions without relabeling anything.
Two practical notes. First, emulation only applies inside the test, so you cannot break anything, and closing the tab returns everything to normal. Second, if your operating system is already set to Dvorak, skip this page and use the regular typing test: the browser respects your OS layout, and running emulation on top of it would remap your keys twice.
What Dvorak is
The Dvorak Simplified Keyboard, patented in 1936 by August Dvorak, was designed around English letter frequency. All five vowels sit on the left half of the home row and the most common consonants on the right, so typing tends to alternate between hands. The design measurably reduces awkward same-finger sequences: about 2.63% of bigrams are typed by the same finger on Dvorak versus 6.58% on QWERTY, and modeled typing effort is lower as well.
The fingers stay where they are
Emulation changes what each position types, not which finger presses it. Learn this assignment once and it carries over to any layout you try.
- Left pinky
- Left ring
- Left middle
- Left index
- Right index
- Right middle
- Right ring
- Right pinky
Is switching worth it? The honest summary
Comfort is the stronger argument: finger travel is objectively lower, which many switchers report as less strain, though that too is subjective.
The cost is real. Reports from switchers describe a day-one crash to around 12 WPM and roughly 3 to 4 months of practice to get back to their old speed, while QWERTY skill fades and shortcuts like Ctrl+Z, X, C, and V end up scattered across the board. If your QWERTY speed is under 50 WPM, better technique on the layout you know, via the free touch typing course, usually pays off faster than switching. Curious about the alternatives? Colemak moves far fewer keys, and the layout comparison guide puts all three side by side with the data.
Using this page to learn Dvorak
- Do one 60 second run per day and log the trend on your stats page. Early progress is fast; do not compare against your QWERTY score.
- Watch the on-screen keyboard instead of your physical keys. The labels on your board are wrong for Dvorak anyway, which forces proper touch typing.
- Keep accuracy at 95%+ before pushing speed. The results screen shows your slowest keys and can build a drill from them.
- When a run feels solid, benchmark on the standard 1 minute test format and compare against average typing speed data.
- If the move has you shopping for a board to relabel, you can hear how different switches sound and read their force curves before spending anything.
Layouts, benchmarks and technique
- Colemak typing test The cheaper switch, 17 keys instead of 33
- QWERTY vs Dvorak vs Colemak The studies and the numbers, side by side
- 1 minute typing test Benchmark your QWERTY speed for comparison
- Learn to type Twenty lessons, worth more than a layout swap
- Your typing stats Watch the retraining curve week by week
- Average typing speed What the numbers mean on any layout
Questions people ask
Can I try Dvorak without changing my keyboard settings?
Yes, that is exactly what this page does. The test emulates Dvorak in the browser: you keep your normal OS layout and physical keyboard, and the test maps each physical key position to its Dvorak output. Nothing on your computer changes, and closing the tab ends the emulation.
I already type on a Dvorak OS layout. Which test should I use?
Use the normal typing test instead. The browser already respects your operating system layout, so your Dvorak keystrokes arrive as normal text. This page is only for people whose OS is set to QWERTY (or another layout) who want to type as if it were Dvorak.
Is Dvorak actually faster than QWERTY?
There is no rigorous evidence that it makes typists meaningfully faster. The famous 1944 Navy study was overseen by Dvorak himself, and a 1956 GSA study found retrained typists only matched their QWERTY speeds. Comfort gains are more plausible, since finger travel is objectively lower. See the full comparison in QWERTY vs Dvorak vs Colemak.
How long does it take to learn Dvorak?
Typical reports: your speed crashes to around 12 WPM on day one, and reaching parity with your old QWERTY speed takes roughly 3 to 4 months of regular practice. Dvorak moves 33 keys from QWERTY, which is why it takes longer than Colemak, which moves only 17.
What is a good WPM on Dvorak?
The same benchmarks apply as any layout: about 40 WPM is average, 60+ is good, 80+ is fast. If you are mid-switch, judge yourself against your own weekly trend rather than these numbers. See what is a good WPM for the full scale.