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How to Type in Danish — Danish Touch Typing Guide

How to Type in Danish — Danish Touch Typing Guide

· 2 min read · by Robin Érsek-Obádovics

Danish uses the QWERTY-DK keyboard — a Nordic layout with direct keys for Å, Æ, Ø. It is the near-twin of the Norwegian QWERTY-NO: the two differ only in the order of Æ and Ø on the home row (plus two corner symbols). The languages are closely related (mutually intelligible in writing) and use identical letter inventories for typing purposes.

Danish character set

  • Standard A-Z
  • Å å (a with ring)
  • Æ æ (ash)
  • Ø ø (slashed o)

All 3 special letters sit on the right side: Æ right of L (home-row pinky), Ø right of Æ, and Å above them, right of P.

Danish vs Norwegian typing differences

Nearly the same keyboard, slightly different language patterns:

  • Æ and Ø are swapped: Danish has Æ next to L, Norwegian has Ø there; the Danish board also has ½ (above Tab) and the ´ dead key (before Backspace) where Norway has | and \
  • Danish has more ø usage in common words (først, øre, høj)
  • Danish has more silent letters (Hvad, jeg pronunciation differs from spelling)
  • Danish has glottal stop (stød) in pronunciation — invisible in writing

Practice the layout at /da/qwerty_dk/. Have a Norwegian keyboard? Use /da/qwerty_no/ instead.

Common Danish typing patterns

  • det, en, og, er, jeg — common short words
  • gå, stå, så, lå — å words
  • være, bæver, sæson — æ words
  • først, øst, øre, høj — ø words
  • København, Aarhus, Odense — proper nouns
  • tak, undskyld, ja — politeness/short responses

Touch typing tips

  1. Right pinky for Å/Æ/Ø — Æ is the pinky's home-row neighbour, Ø one step further out
  2. Drill compound words — Danish has long compounds (sygehus, forretning)
  3. Almost the same keyboard as Norwegian — useful for Scandinavian bilingual workers, just remember Æ and Ø swap places
  4. Don't confuse with Swedish — Ø ≠ Ö, Æ ≠ Ä

Target: 50-60 WPM in 4-6 weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Danish typing different from Norwegian?

Very slightly. The keyboards are twins, but Æ and Ø are swapped on the home row: Danish has Æ right of L, Norwegian has Ø there. Vocabulary and idioms differ; the character set is the same.

Can I type Norwegian on Danish settings?

Yes — every Norwegian letter exists on the Danish board; only the Æ/Ø order and the ½/´ corner keys differ. Typing Hero App even offers Norwegian on QWERTY-DK.

What about Greenlandic (Kalaallisut)?

Greenlandic uses additional characters (æ, ø, å, plus historical kâ, kê). Standard Danish QWERTY-DK works for basic Greenlandic; specialized layouts exist for full Greenlandic orthography.

Are there alternative Danish layouts?

A few experimental variants. QWERTY-DK is universal in Denmark.

How is the @ symbol typed in Danish?

AltGr+2 on most Danish keyboards.

Should I learn Danish or Norwegian first?

Either — mutually intelligible. Pick by where you'll live/work.

Practice Danish typing

Practice Danish on Typing Hero App — 19 lessons including Å, Æ, Ø.

For more: QWERTY-NO vs QWERTY-DK, How to type in Norwegian, How to type in Swedish.