QWERTZ Layout

QWERTZ

QWERTZ layout and variant is used in Germany and central Europe (Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.)

It differs from QWERTY Layout by swapping Y and Z.

Is Swapping Y and Z Worthwhile

Here is the frequency of these keys in German:

• Z → 1.13%. Frequency similar to English below B and above V.
• Y → 0.04%. Half as frequent than English Z.

We see that Y is almost never used.

The swapping Y and Z does not have much advantage.

One is left hand pinky on bottom row, the other is right hand index strenching to top row. The finger-ease score for both positions are about the same.