Learn Dvorak

Short answer: Dvorak is an alternative keyboard layout designed so the most frequent English letters sit on the home row and the hands alternate as you type. Many people switch hoping for greater comfort and less finger travel. Whether it makes you universally faster than QWERTY is debated — there is no conclusive scientific proof — so treat Dvorak as a comfort and curiosity project with a real relearning cost, not a guaranteed speed upgrade. Klavaro makes the experiment structured: you select a Dvorak layout inside the program and follow its Basic Course from the first key.

What Dvorak is, and why it was designed

The Dvorak layout was designed by August Dvorak and William Dealey and patented in 1936, decades after QWERTY had already become the typewriter default. QWERTY, created in the 1870s by Christopher Sholes, was shaped by the mechanics of early typewriters. Dvorak and Dealey started from a different question: if you arranged the letters around how English is actually written, where should each key go?

Their answer put all the vowels on the left side of the home row and the most common consonants on the right side of the home row. Common letter pairs then tend to alternate between hands, and a large share of everyday words can be typed without leaving the home row at all. That is the whole design idea — most frequent letters under the strongest, most rested fingers, and rhythm shared between both hands.

What actually changes when you switch

Almost everything moves. Unlike a small tweak to QWERTY, Dvorak rearranges most letter keys, so your existing muscle memory helps very little at first. Words you could type without thinking become slow, deliberate work again. Shortcuts move too, punctuation sits in new places, and passwords you type by feel suddenly need your full attention.

This is also why printed keycaps mislead during the switch. Most switchers keep their QWERTY-labelled keyboard and simply stop looking at it — which, for touch typing, is the point. What matters is the layout your software is using, not the letters printed on the plastic. In Klavaro the layout is chosen inside the application, independently of your operating system layout, so you can practise Dvorak in the tutor even before you change anything system-wide.

Why people switch

• Comfort. Less finger travel and more home-row typing is the most common reason, especially for people who type all day.
• Curiosity and craft. Writers, programmers and hobbyists often enjoy rebuilding a core skill deliberately.
• A fresh start. Self-taught typists with ingrained bad habits sometimes find it easier to learn correct technique on a new layout than to unlearn it on QWERTY.
• Speed hopes. Some switchers do end up faster — but usually after months of practice that would also have improved their QWERTY.

Our side-by-side comparison of QWERTY vs Dvorak vs Colemak lays out how the three layouts differ in origin, learning curve and support, which is worth reading before you commit to either alternative.

The honest evidence: efficiency claims are debated

Dvorak advocates have claimed large efficiency gains since the 1930s, and the layout unquestionably embodies sensible principles. But the strong claim — that Dvorak is proven to be universally faster than QWERTY — is not settled science. Studies over the decades have produced mixed results, and typing speed depends heavily on the individual, their training and how much they practise. This guide will not quote a percentage improvement, because no figure is solid enough to quote honestly.

What can be said plainly: most people who switch and persist report that Dvorak feels comfortable once learned, and many keep it for years. Comfort reported by committed users is real evidence of satisfaction — it is just not proof that everyone will type faster. Go in for the feel and the project, and treat any speed gain as a possible bonus.

A realistic timeline

Most switchers report that basic competence — typing everyday text slowly without looking, at a usable pace — takes weeks of daily practice, and that recovering their full previous speed takes months. The first week is usually the hardest: speeds collapse, frustration spikes, and every other keyboard in your life still expects QWERTY. Expect a period where you are slow on both layouts while the new one beds in.

Two habits protect the timeline. First, practise daily in short sessions rather than in rare long ones; muscle memory is built by repetition across days. Second, decide early whether you will keep QWERTY for shared or work machines. Many switchers keep both, using Dvorak on their own computer — switching back and forth gets easier once Dvorak is firmly learned, but during the first weeks it slows everything down.

Step plan in Klavaro

• Step 1 — Select the layout. Open Klavaro and choose a Dvorak layout from its built-in layouts. Klavaro ships Dvorak variants alongside QWERTY, Colemak, AZERTY, QWERTZ and others.
• Step 2 — Start the Basic Course from lesson one. Do not skip ahead because you already “know how to type” — on Dvorak you are a beginner again, and the course builds each key position in order. Our Klavaro Basic Course guide explains how the course is structured.
• Step 3 — Accuracy before speed. Work through the Basic Course slowly, then use Adaptability to attack the keys you keep missing.
• Step 4 — Build fluency. Move to Velocity and Fluidness once positions are automatic, and check the progress charts weekly rather than daily.

If you have not installed Klavaro yet, get it from the download page — it is free, works offline, and the layout choice lives inside the program, so experimenting costs nothing but time.

Should you switch?

Switch if you type a lot, feel genuine discomfort or strain on QWERTY, enjoy long-term skill projects, and can tolerate being slow for a while. Think twice if your job demands full speed every day with no slack, if you constantly move between other people’s computers, or if your real problem is technique — hunting and pecking with two fingers — rather than the layout itself. Fixing technique on QWERTY is the cheaper win for most people. Dvorak rewards the patient; it punishes the half-committed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dvorak proven to be faster than QWERTY?

No. Dvorak was designed on sensible principles — frequent English letters on the home row and hand alternation — and many long-term users report greater comfort. But efficiency claims are debated and there is no conclusive scientific proof that Dvorak is universally faster than QWERTY. Individual results depend mostly on practice.

How long does it take to learn Dvorak?

Most switchers report that basic competence takes weeks of daily practice, and recovering their full previous speed takes months. The first week is typically the slowest and most frustrating. Short daily sessions in a structured course, such as Klavaro’s Basic Course, make the process steadier than occasional long sessions.

Do I need a special Dvorak keyboard?

No. The layout is a software setting, not hardware. In Klavaro you simply select a Dvorak layout inside the program, independently of your operating system layout and of the letters printed on your keycaps. Most learners keep their existing keyboard and learn not to look at it.

Should I switch to Dvorak or Colemak?

Dvorak is the more complete redesign and the bigger relearning job; Colemak changes only 17 keys from QWERTY and keeps common shortcuts in place, so it is usually the easier transition. Choose Dvorak for its home-row design philosophy, Colemak for a gentler switch — and be honest with yourself about how much slow practice you will tolerate.