QWPR keyboard layout
QWPR is a 2013 Colemak-inspired layout built for the least possible relearning: 11 letters move and only two of them change finger.
- Created by
- Jameson Quinn
- Year
- 2013
- Finger travel
- −42%
- vs QWERTY
- Home row
- 72%
- of letters, QWERTY 37%
The layout
QWPR, said “qwipper”: 11 letters move, and only P and E change finger.
QWPR is typed with standard touch-typing fingering on any keyboard.
How QWPR measures
QWPR typed on 23,331 words of English and compared with QWERTY.
History
- 2013Jameson Quinn announces QWPR, pronounced “qwipper”, on the Colemak forum: slightly less ergonomic than Colemak, but even easier to learn.
- 2016The last update. The project stays in alpha, for macOS and Windows.
Design goal: Minimal retraining, even less than Colemak or Workman, with easy access to programming punctuation and accented letters.
Pros
- Only 11 letters move, and only P and E change finger.
- Shortcut keys and most punctuation stay where they are.
- Keeps much of Colemak’s home-row gain for a fraction of the effort.
Cons
- By its author’s own account it is less ergonomic than Colemak.
- Released as alpha, for macOS and Windows only.
- A very small community, and the project has not changed since 2016.
QWPR compared
Against QWERTY and other easy-transition layouts, ranked by finger travel per 1,000 words.
| Layout | Finger travel | vs QWERTY | Home row | Same finger | Alternation | Left hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norman | 70.6 m | −46% | 69% | 6.3% | 57% | 53% |
| Asset | 74.4 m | −43% | 75% | 2.9% | 58% | 52% |
| QWPRTHIS PAGE | 74.9 m | −42% | 72% | 4.5% | 56% | 46% |
| Minimak 4 | 102.7 m | −21% | 53% | 4.3% | 56% | 46% |
| QWERTY | 130.0 m | — | 37% | 6.5% | 55% | 57% |
QWPR was created by Jameson Quinn and announced in March 2013.
It moves your fingers less. On 23,331 words of English, finger travel was −42% against QWERTY, 72% of letters landed on the home row against QWERTY’s 37%, and same-finger pairs were 4.5% against 6.5%. Less movement does not guarantee more speed, and switching takes weeks of practice.
QWPR is typed with standard touch-typing fingering on any keyboard.
Yes. Choose QWPR as your keyboard layout and the on-screen keyboard and hands show where every key is.