Colemak-DH keyboard layout
Colemak-DH is a 2014 modification of Colemak that moves D and H out of the hard-to-reach centre columns, so the index fingers stretch sideways far less.
- Created by
- SteveP
- Now maintained by the Colemak community
- Year
- 2014
- One version for every board since 2020
- Finger travel
- −44%
- vs QWERTY
- Home row
- 68%
- of letters, QWERTY 37%
The layout
Colemak Mod-DH for standard (ANSI) keyboards, typed with the angle mod: the left hand’s bottom row is struck one finger over.
On a standard staggered keyboard Colemak-DH is typed with the angle mod: the left hand’s bottom row is struck one finger over, so the ring finger takes the key left of X and the pinky stays home. On split and ortholinear keyboards it is typed straight.
How Colemak-DH measures
Colemak-DH typed on 23,331 words of English and compared with QWERTY.
History
- 2014SteveP launches Mod-DH in October, curling D and H down from the centre columns, where plain Colemak puts two of the ten most common letters.
- 2017A revision splits it into versions for staggered and for ortholinear keyboards.
- 2020The community settles on one recommended Colemak-DH for every keyboard, typed with the angle mod on staggered ones.
Design goal: Keep Colemak’s home row and shortcuts while taking the common letters D and H off the centre columns.
Pros
- D and H no longer need sideways index-finger stretches, the main complaint about Colemak.
- Keeps Colemak’s home row, and Z, X, C and V stay on the left of the bottom row.
- One version works on standard, split and ortholinear keyboards.
Cons
- On a standard keyboard it is meant to be typed with the angle mod, which changes how the left hand types the bottom row.
- Not built into Windows or macOS.
- Experienced Colemak typists have to relearn D, H, G, B and M.
Colemak-DH compared
Against QWERTY and other established alternatives, ranked by finger travel per 1,000 words.
| Layout | Finger travel | vs QWERTY | Home row | Same finger | Alternation | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workman | 70.8 m | −46% | 69% | 2.9% | 54% | 52% |
| Colemak-DHTHIS PAGE | 72.6 m | −44% | 68% | 1.4% | 56% | 46% |
| Colemak | 73.3 m | −44% | 75% | 1.4% | 56% | 46% |
| Dvorak | 74.7 m | −43% | 72% | 2.9% | 67% | 44% |
| QWERTY | 130.0 m | — | 37% | 6.5% | 55% | 57% |
Colemak-DH was launched by SteveP in October 2014 and is now maintained by the Colemak community.
It moves your fingers less. On 23,331 words of English, finger travel was −44% against QWERTY, 68% of letters landed on the home row against QWERTY’s 37%, and same-finger pairs were 1.4% against 6.5%. Less movement does not guarantee more speed, and switching takes weeks of practice.
On a standard staggered keyboard Colemak-DH is typed with the angle mod: the left hand’s bottom row is struck one finger over, so the ring finger takes the key left of X and the pinky stays home. On split and ortholinear keyboards it is typed straight.
Colemak-DH ships with Linux in several versions. Windows and macOS do not include it; it installs from the Colemak Mods site.
Yes. Choose Colemak-DH as your keyboard layout and the on-screen keyboard and hands show where every key is.