Fact · Typing and writing speed
Half-QWERTY is a one-handed layout built from all the keys one hand uses on a standard QWERTY keyboard, with the other hand's keys unused or absent.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“A Half-QWERTY keyboard is comprised of all the keys used by one hand to type on a standard QWERTY keyboard, with the keys of the other hand unused or absent.”
One-handed touch-typing on a QWERTY keyboard, Edgar Matias et al., Human-Computer Interaction, 1996, The Half-QWERTY concept section.
Open the original- What it measures
- The method runs on a standard keyboard with modified software, or on a special half keyboard with full-sized keys.
- What it does not show
- It describes a research prototype, not a commercial product. It is a different layout from the one most people use, so a QWERTY touch typist must learn it.