Fact · Typing and writing speed
12 to 20 milesmiles of finger travel (estimated)
Dvorak estimated that an average typist's fingers travelled 12 to 20 miles on a QWERTY keyboard, and that the same text needed only about one mile on Dvorak.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Dvorak estimated that the fingers of an average typist in his day travelled between 12 and 20 miles on a qwerty keyboard; the same text on a Dvorak keyboard would require only about one mile of travel.”
The Dvorak Keyboard, J. C. Bowen, MIT personal web page, n.d., Dvorak's claims on finger travel.
Open the original- What it measures
- The page does not state the period the distance covers, so the figure is not a daily or yearly total that can be checked.
- What it does not show
- An estimate by the layout's inventor, with no stated method.