Meaning & use
qwerty
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountable
The standard arrangement of letter keys on most English-language keyboards, named after the first six letters in its top row.
Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural when talking about the layout itself: 'The keyboard uses QWERTY.'
Patterns
- the QWERTY layout
- a QWERTY keyboard
Almost every laptop sold today has a QWERTY keyboard.
The letters on a QWERTY keyboard are not in alphabetical order.
She prefers QWERTY because she learned to type on it.
adjectivebefore a noun
Using or relating to the standard English keyboard layout.
Grammar: Comes before a noun: 'a QWERTY keyboard'. Not used after 'be'.
Patterns
- a QWERTY keyboard
- QWERTY layout
He bought a QWERTY phone with a physical keyboard.
The old typewriter had a QWERTY arrangement.
Common combinations
- QWERTY keyboard
- Most people type on a QWERTY keyboard every day.
- QWERTY layout
- The QWERTY layout was designed in the 1870s.
- standard QWERTY
- This app assumes you are using standard QWERTY.
Commonly confused: qwerty or Dvorak?
qwerty vs Dvorak
Dvorak is a different keyboard layout designed for efficiency, not the standard one.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'QWERTY' correctly?
Choose one answer.
QWERTY describes the keyboard layout, so 'a QWERTY keyboard' is correct. The other options treat it as a physical object or a message, which it is not.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “qwerty”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.