Fact · Typing and writing speed
1.0000keystrokes per character
For the basic QWERTY keyboard, MacKenzie's calculation gives a KSPC of 1.0000, because each letter has its own key and each keystroke produces one character.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“we conclude the following for the basic Qwerty keyboard: KSPC = 1.0000”
KSPC (Keystrokes per Character) as a Characteristic of Text Entry Techniques, I. Scott MacKenzie, Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on Human Computer Interaction with Mobile Devices (Mobile HCI 2002), LNCS 2411, Springer, 2002, Section 3, Qwerty Keyboard (KSPC = 1).
Open the original (DOI 10.1007/3-540-45756-9_16)- What it measures
- The paper uses the QWERTY keyboard as the baseline against which other text entry techniques are measured. Values above 1 mean a technique needs extra presses for each character, and values below 1 mean it needs fewer, as word prediction can.
- What it does not show
- The paper notes the value edges up slightly once shift key use is counted. The figure is a calculation for lowercase letters, not a measured typing speed.