Dvorak keyboard layout
Hacker ApprovedThe most recommended of 7 keyboard layouts
People recommend Dvorak for comfort, less wrist strain and a more balanced hand load compared with QWERTY, and many have used it for decades. Some note that learning it takes time and that keys like ls -l fall to the right pinky.
People recommend Dvorak for comfort, less wrist strain and a more balanced hand load compared with QWERTY, and many have used it for decades. Some note that learning it takes time and that keys like ls -l fall to the right pinky.
15 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 73%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Owned for 25 years
Median of the 3 owners who said how long they have had it.
Each square is one year.
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 2.8 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
More comfortable, less wrist strain
“have no regrets at all. It's so much more comfortable!”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “A Beginner's Guide to Split Keyboards” “More comfortable typing, less wrist strain, etc.”
Comment from 10 Apr 2026 in “The Git Commands I Run Before Reading Any Code” “which I find much more comfortable”
Comment from 2 Jul 2026 on Hacker News - Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “A Beginner's Guide to Split Keyboards”
Balanced load between hands
“Dvorak feels more balanced between my hands”
Comment from 21 Feb 2026 in “What Not to Write on Your Security Clearance Form” “it is such a joy to use in comparison to Qwerty”
Comment from 23 Feb 2026 in “Keybee: A Keyboard Designed for Smartphones” Long-term use with no regrets
“It went away and has stayed gone for 25-ish years.”
Comment from 7 Oct 2026 in “LLMs may have helped my RSI” “I feel pretty great about the returns I got from that.”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “A Beginner's Guide to Split Keyboards” “Dvorak works really well for me.”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “A Beginner's Guide to Split Keyboards”
Other keyboard layouts people recommend
The four most recommended other keyboard layouts, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dvorak keyboard layoutThis page | 11 | 4 | 73% | 5 | 25 yrs3 owners | Approved |
| Colemak keyboard layout | 7 | 7 | 50% | 6 | — | — |
| EurKEY keyboard layout | 7 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Clearflow keyboard layout | 6 | 1 | 86% | 1 | — | — |
| Engram keyboard layout | 5 | 2 | 71% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
16 of the 17 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“it's a common mark against dvorak online that "ls -l" is all typed with the right pinky”
“It went away and has stayed gone for 25-ish years.”
“Now it feels so outdated.”
“Having the luxury of the parens and frequent symbols on the tippy-top row is awesome.”
“which I find much more comfortable”
“I currently use dvorak with the split mode that happens when the phone is horizontal for good typing speed.”
“More comfortable typing, less wrist strain, etc.”
“what benefit did you get from learning Dvorak?”
“I even somewhat regret about inventing so much time in learning them”
“Used to use Dvorak. I would just recommend skipping over Dvorak and Colemak.”
“it is such a joy to use in comparison to Qwerty”
“Dvorak feels more balanced between my hands”
“the comfort of typing has greatly improved”
“have no regrets at all. It's so much more comfortable!”
“Dvorak works really well for me.”
“I feel pretty great about the returns I got from that.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.