'X2' computer keyboard layout

Sections

  1. Summary
  2. Changes from other layouts
  3. Similarity to other layouts
  4. Scores
  5. Comparison to other well-known layouts
  6. Finger based metrics
  7. English Word-based analysis
  8. Comparison to other layouts (word metrics)
  9. English heat map
  10. Programming Code (all languages) heat map
  11. Most common English bigram pairs
  12. Most common Code bigram pairs
  13. Typing lessons
Canonical namex2.en.matrix
Form factorSlab : Matrix
'Author'Ian Douglas
Author data may not be correct, we're working on it.
Keys horizontally staggeredNo
Letters on thumb (lower and upper case)2
Avoids AltGr for standard charactersNo
Does not move non-character keys (ANSI/ISO)Yes
Maintains QWERTY 'shift' pairsNo
Maintains QWERTY top row (ANSI/ISO)Yes
Uppercase on same keyNo
Conventional home keys, fingering, Space, Enter, Shifts, AltGrNo
Maintains QWERTY ZXCVNo
Maintains Colemak punctuationNo
Vowel handLeft
Vowels and tricky charactersLeft hand: AEHIOUYaehiouyRight hand: CLRWclrw

Click image for larger view

x2.en.matrix


Download the Keyboard Layout Analyzer .json file.

Scores

Scores are percentages relative to the best layout for each metric.
MetricPercentage
Finger-based metrics74.79
Word-based metrics90.41
English69.97
Code89.74
Proglish79.14
Words metric for no same-finger90.41
Overall score80.00

All layouts (675)

MetricLowestLowest scorex2.en.matrix scoreHighestHighest score
Fingersnoel.en.ansi26.6174.79
vckb2.en.ergodox98.50
Wordsnoel.en.ansi18.2790.41
full-r2-rt162_25-2ec2c1.en.ansi100.00
Averagenoel.en.ansi23.8380.00
vckb2.en.ergodox97.54

Overview compared to all other layouts

x2.en.matrix x2.en.matrix

ANSI layouts

Ergo layouts

All Ergo (124)

MetricLowestLowest scorex2.en.matrix scoreHighestHighest score
Fingersqwerty.en.ergodox41.7274.79
vckb2.en.ergodox98.50
Wordsneo2-us.en.ergodox65.4690.41
lydell-anishtro.en.ergodox99.11
Averageqwerty.en.ergodox51.3480.00
vckb2.en.ergodox97.54

Overview compared to all other Ergo layouts

x2.en.matrix x2.en.matrix

Ergo layouts

All Ergo, uses AltGr (73)

MetricLowestLowest scorex2.en.matrix scoreHighestHighest score
Fingersgupta-whrl.en.matrix50.7774.79
maks-ex.en.ergodox93.45
Wordsneo2-us.en.ergodox65.4690.41
hands-down-gold-ts.en.ergodox98.96
Averageplum.en.matrix58.4680.00
maks-ex.en.ergodox95.17

Overview compared to all other Ergo layouts, uses AltGr

x2.en.matrix x2.en.matrix

Ergo layouts, uses AltGr

Comparison to other well-known layouts

x2.en.matrix x2.en.matrix

colemak-thumbshift.en.ergodox

mtgap-thumbshift.en.ergodox

dvorak.en.matrix

maltron-us-90.en.ergodox

qwerty.en.ansi

Best Ergo

lydell-anishtro.en.ergodox

vckb2.en.ergodox

Worst Ergo

azerty.fr.iso

neo2-us.en.ergodox

Finger based metrics

Finger based metrics, as determined with Keyboard Layout Analyzer, using KLAnext scoring model, and then normalised to ANSI QWERTY = 100.
Lower is better.

English

RankLayoutScoreDistanceSameFingerSameHand
Bestvckb2.en.ergodox41.0041.0531.9359.05
This layoutx2.en.matrix58.6048.1054.7787.24
Referenceqwerty.en.ansi100.00100.00100.00100.00

Programming code

RankLayoutScoreDistanceSameFingerSameHand
Bestx1_atreus-44-keys.en.ergodox54.5034.5661.2880.83
This layoutx2.en.matrix60.7337.0366.2997.01
Referenceqwerty.en.ansi100.00100.00100.00100.00

Proglish (an 80:20 English:Code mix)

RankLayoutScoreDistanceSameFingerSameHand
Bestvckb2.en.ergodox47.0841.5043.7464.91
This layoutx2.en.matrix59.4944.9958.9289.63
Referenceqwerty.en.ansi100.00100.00100.00100.00

Overall Fingers score (4 * English % + Code % + Proglish %) / 6

Higher is better. Score is out of 100.
RankLayoutPercentage
Bestvckb2.en.ergodox98.50
This layoutx2.en.matrix74.79
Referenceqwerty.en.ansi44.26
MetricLowestLowest scorex2.en.matrix scoreHighestHighest score
Overall fingersnoel.en.ansi26.6174.79
vckb2.en.ergodox98.50

English Word-based analysis

Home Keys Analysis

The Home Keys for this layout are shown with red dots in the first image above, giving the following letters:

adehinrst

Home key common words

Not part of final score.
Which of the 200 most common words are typeable on the home keys.

Words handledWords not handled
the and a in that is as it i his at he are had an this their her has she its there said than then these did see three end here set need of to was for with on be by from not which have or were but you they all been one will who would more up can him so out into we when them about other time no if some only also first could two my what over such do may me any like after very most new made your people now between should where years many being our before through much way work those well down back just even because own little make must good under man used both same how still while use last too life against know year each us get mr take long part off go day might great never found old gbp right another place came during again without come world men upon think later say few left number away thought until home small different system though around since often called within always every went

Home key words

How many of the 30,000 most common words in the English corpus are typeable on the home keys.
Not included in final score ... layouts with letters on thumb have unfair advantage, and it punishes layouts which opt to keep O and U off the home row.

Home Key lettersEnglish words typeableScoreLongest wordExample
adehinrst1181525213disinterested

Word count
Word length

No same-finger words

How many of the 30,000 most common words in the English corpus can be typed without using the same finger twice.

Home Key lettersEnglish words typeableScoreLongest wordExample
adehinrst20938415619seventeenth-century

Word count
Word length

Word metric comparisons

MetricLowest exampleLowest scorex2.en.matrix scoreHighest exampleHighest score
Home keys wordstahan.en.ansi45252
cahi.en.matrix5445
No same-finger wordsnoel.en.ansi8404156
dilbert.en.ansi4597
Words averagenoel.en.ansi18.27 %90.41 %
full-r2-rt162_25-2ec2c1.en.ansi100.00 %

Comparison to other layouts

x2.en.matrix x2.en.matrix

colemak-thumbshift.en.ergodox

mtgap-thumbshift.en.ergodox

dvorak.en.matrix

maltron-us-90.en.ergodox

qwerty.en.ansi

ANSI layouts

Ergo layouts

Best Ergo

cahi.en.matrix

lydell-anishtro.en.ergodox

Worst Ergo

neo2-us.en.ergodox

azerty.fr.iso

Heat map

English heat map

x2.en.matrix

Programming Code (all languages) heat map

x2.en.matrix Note: Colour change points are different in the Code heat map due to the different character frequency distribution.

Ten most common English bigram pairs (excluding space and enter)

( er ht eh in an it no en es at)
x2.en.matrix

Ten most common Code bigram pairs (excluding space and enter)

(er in en et ar el es or st at )
x2.en.matrix

Typing lessons

Download some English words suitable for learning the layout.
Note if any files are empty it's because there are not enough words to create a lesson. This is most noticeable in the bad layouts.

Week 1Homekey words Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 2No same-finger words Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 3Common / tricky words Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 4Pangrams Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 5So you think you can type? Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 6Extra practice 1: Common words in text Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 7Extra practice 2: Lorem ipsum and friends Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 8Extra practice 3: Underused words Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 9Extra practice 4: Commonly misspelled words Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5