KWER-tee
QWERTY The standard keyboard layout for Latin-script alphabets, named after the first six letters in the top row of letters.
21
Points in Scrabble
Base tile values • No multipliers applied
QWERTY refers to the standard keyboard layout for Latin-script alphabets, named after the first six letters in the top row of letters. This layout was designed in the 1870s for typewriters and has persisted into the digital age despite more efficient alternatives.
The QWERTY layout was allegedly designed to slow down typing to prevent mechanical typewriter jams by separating commonly used letter pairs. However, this is debated, and some historians argue it was optimized for telegraph operators transcribing Morse code.
In word games, QWERTY is notable as one of the few common words containing both Q and Y, making it valuable for clearing difficult tiles. It's also satisfying to play as it references the very keyboard players might use for online word games.
Despite numerous attempts to introduce more efficient layouts like Dvorak or Colemak, QWERTY remains dominant due to its entrenched position. This persistence is often cited as an example of 'path dependence' in technology adoption.
QWERTY is an acronym formed from the first six letters of the standard typewriter keyboard's top row. The layout was patented by Christopher Sholes in 1878 for the Remington typewriter. The name 'QWERTY' itself became common in the mid-20th century as people needed to distinguish between different keyboard layouts. It's one of the few words in English that's directly derived from a spatial arrangement rather than linguistic roots.
Words with similar meaning
KEYBOARD
Input device layout
LAYOUT
Arrangement pattern
STANDARD
Common format
Words with opposite meaning
DVORAK
Alternative layout
AZERTY
French layout
COLEMAK
Modern alternative
Plural Form
QWERTYS or QWERTIES
Related Terms
Standard keyboard type
Letter arrangement
Top letter row
Complete keyboard
Total base points: 21 (Scrabble)
Vowels: 1 | Consonants: 5
Can be built from:
Can extend to:
Other high-scoring 6-letter words (Scrabble)
If you can't play QWERTY, consider these subwords:
"She struggled to type on the French AZERTY keyboard after years of using QWERTY."
"The QWERTY layout has been criticized as inefficient compared to alternatives like Dvorak."
"Most smartphones default to a QWERTY keyboard for text input."
[object Object]
QWERTY vs QWERTZ
QWERTZ is German keyboard layout
Capitalization
Usually all caps, but qwerty also acceptable
As adjective
Can say 'QWERTY keyboard' or just 'QWERTY'
Practice unscrambling letters to find more high-scoring words like QWERTY