Tips on learning a new keyboard layout
I hit my first plateau with Dvorak at 40wpm. I began improving again with the following exercises.
1. Practice typing the most common words in English
2. Practice frequent endings
- -ing: with any verb, but "singing" is a fun one
- -tion: nation, pension, iteration, action
- -ment: ointment
- -ate: automate
- -ize: standardize, mechanize
- -ish: establish
- -ly: any adverb
- -ght: night, might
- -ble: gullible, able
- -tch: patch, watch, catch
3. Practice consonant clusters
Right hand- th: this, that, thing
- tw: two, twine, twirl
- sh: shoot, short, shut
- st: start, stun, stare
- sm: small, smart, smell
- sn: snake, snarl
- sw: swarm, swirl
- fr: from, free, fry
- gr: great, grand, grab
- cr: creak, crime, cram
- wh: who, where, when, what
- wr: write, wrong, wring
- fl: flow, fling, fly
- gl: glow, glide, glib
- cl: close, clutter, clay
- ch: punch, change, cheese
- ck: kick, rack, back
- bl: blank, bleed, blame
- br: break, brine, broad
- str: string, strong, strike
- scr: scroll, scrape
- sch: school
- thr: throw
- chr: chrome
- and the worst--sl: slow, sleeve
- sk: sky, ski
- sp: special, spooky
- sq: squirm, square, squeel
- pl: plan, play, plow
- pr: pray, pry, press
- (With left hand only)
- xy: xylem, oxygen
- qw: qwerty
- dv: dvorak; advertise, adventure
- dw: dwarf, dwell, dwindle
4. Combine
- Present participle of any verb from 3
- More examples: flush, check, which, click, crunch, strengthen, french, smash, starch, through, thrash, snatch, twitch, switch, twilight.
5. Vowel combinations
- ou, ie, ei, ea, etc.