Why Do We Still Use QWERTY Keyboards?

Enlarge this image NPR NPR

The Indicator from Planet Money Why Do We Still Use QWERTY Keyboards? Why Do We Still Use QWERTY Keyboards? Listen · 9:57 9:57

Q-W-E-R-T-Y, or "QWERTY," are the first six letters on most keyboards in English-speaking countries. That letter sequence seems random. And over time, some have tried to break our QWERTY spell with different letter sequences, but QWERTY has always prevailed — and the reasons contain some economic lessons.

To tell this story, we brought in economist Tim Harford, host of "Fifty Things That Made The Modern Economy" for the BBC World Service.

Find us: Twitter/ Facebook.



Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, PocketCasts and NPR One.