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How to Type in Norwegian — Æ, Ø, Å in Norwegian

How to Type in Norwegian — Æ, Ø, Å in Norwegian

· 2 min read · by Robin Érsek-Obádovics

Norwegian has 3 letters not in English: Æ, Ø, Å — the classic Nordic trio. The Norwegian keyboard QWERTY-NO has direct keys for all three. Denmark uses a near-identical board (QWERTY-DK) — the only real difference is that Æ and Ø swap places.

Norwegian's 3 special letters

  • Æ æ (ash — historical Nordic letter)
  • Ø ø (slashed o)
  • Å å (a with ring)

Each is a separate letter in the Norwegian alphabet, sorted at the END (a-z-æ-ø-å).

QWERTY-NO layout

  • Å å: right of P (top-row right pinky)
  • Ø ø: right of L (home-row right pinky)
  • Æ æ: right of Ø (home-row far right)

Same physical positions as Swedish QWERTY-SE, but Ø instead of Ö, Æ instead of Ä. On the Danish QWERTY-DK the two are swapped (Æ next to L). See QWERTY-NO vs QWERTY-DK.

Practice at /no/qwerty_no/.

Common Norwegian typing patterns

  • og, en, et, er, du — common short words
  • også, gå, må, så — å words (very common)
  • være, bære, kjære — æ words
  • først, øst, øre, høj — ø words
  • både, vær, gjør — words with multiple special letters
  • Norge, Oslo, Bergen — proper nouns

Norwegian dialects + Bokmål vs Nynorsk

Norway has 2 official written standards:

  • Bokmål (most common, ~85% of users)
  • Nynorsk (more rural, ~10-15%)

Both use the same keyboard. Differences are vocabulary/spelling, not characters.

Norwegian vs Danish typing

Near-identical keyboards (QWERTY-NO vs QWERTY-DK) and the same Å/Æ/Ø letters — but Æ and Ø are swapped on the home row, and the Danish board has ½ and ´ where Norway has | and \. Otherwise a mostly identical typing experience. Languages are closely related (mutually intelligible in writing).

See How to type in Danish.

Norwegian typing tips

  1. Right pinky discipline — all 3 specials on right
  2. Drill å, æ, ø — frequent in everyday Norwegian
  3. Don't confuse with Swedish — Æ ≠ Ä, Ø ≠ Ö
  4. Capital letters in proper nouns — Ås, Æra, Østfold

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Danish keyboard so similar?

Norwegian and Danish are closely related (mutually intelligible in writing) and share Æ, Ø, Å, so both countries built the same Nordic QWERTY board. They standardised the home row differently, though: Norway put Ø next to L, Denmark put Æ there.

Can I type Norwegian on Swedish QWERTY-SE?

Functionally yes for å, but æ/ø are missing — you'd get ä/ö instead. Most bilingual Norwegian-Swedish typists maintain both.

What's the difference between Bokmål and Nynorsk typing?

Same keyboard, same characters. Different vocabulary/spelling conventions in the text itself.

Are there alternative Norwegian layouts?

A few exist for specific Norwegian dialects. QWERTY-NO is universal.

How is Sami typed?

Sami (Norway's indigenous language) needs additional characters (đ, ŋ) — some regions have Sami-specific layouts; others use QWERTY-NO with IME extensions.

Should I learn Norwegian first or Danish?

Either — mutually intelligible in writing. Pick by motivation.

Practice Norwegian typing

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

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