QWERTZ, QWERTY and AZERTY: What is it?
The names QWERTZ, QWERTY and AZERTY can be found in the settings of the computer or mobile phone. We'll tell you what it's all about and what the differences are.
What is the difference between QWERTZ, QWERTY and AZERTY?
The names QWERTZ, QWERTY and AZERTY describe different types of keyboard layouts. The first six letters in the top row of the keyboard are named.
- QWERTY stands for the US keyboard layout, QWERTZ for the German and AZERTY for the French keyboard layout.
- Some letters are interchanged in the different systems because other letters are used more frequently in the different language areas.
- So the "Z" is hardly needed in English-speaking countries, in German it is the "Y". For this reason, these two keys are interchanged in the keyboard layouts.
- In addition, the assignments differ for the special characters. You won't find a "ß" on a QWERTY or AZERTY keyboard. But the French AZERTY assignment has individual keys for "é" and "è".
Historical background of the keyboard layout
- The development of these keyboard layouts dates back to the year 1868, in which the American Christopher Latham Sholes arranged the letters on a typewriter in a meaningful way.
- The letters were previously arranged alphabetically. However, if you wrote words that contained two letters in succession in the alphabet (for example "ab"), the punches on the typewriter got caught. This resulted in tedious work and loss of time.
- This could hardly happen with the new QWERTY keyboard. Over time, different language areas adapted the keyboard to your needs. This is how variants like QWERTZ and AZERTY were created.