QWERTY? QWERTZ? ANSI? ISO? Help! Keyboard Layout Guide

Mechanical keyboards come with a surprising amount of terminology. You've probably come across names like ANSI, ISO, QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY, and wondered what they actually mean.

Although these terms are often used together, they don't describe the same thing. Once you understand the difference between a keyboard's physical layout and its language layout, everything starts to make sense.

Physical Layout vs Language Layout

The most important thing to remember is this:

ANSI and ISO describe the physical shape of the keyboard.
QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY describe the letter arrangement.

In other words, ANSI and ISO are about the shape and size of certain keys, while QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY are about where the letters are placed.

What Are ANSI and ISO?

ANSI and ISO describe the physical layout of a keyboard. The main differences are the shape of the Enter key, the size of the left Shift key and the presence of an additional key on ISO keyboards.

If you'd like to learn more about the physical differences between these layouts, check out our guide: ANSI vs ISO Layout – What's the Difference?

What Is QWERTY?

QWERTY is the most common letter arrangement in the world. The name comes from the first six letters on the top letter row: Q, W, E, R, T and Y.

QWERTY is used in many countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom and several other English-speaking regions. However, QWERTY can exist on both ANSI and ISO keyboards.

What Is QWERTZ?

QWERTZ is similar to QWERTY, but the Y and Z keys are switched. This layout is common in countries such as Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

QWERTZ is usually found on ISO keyboards in Europe, but the important part is that QWERTZ describes the letter arrangement, not the physical shape of the keyboard.

What Is AZERTY?

AZERTY is a keyboard layout mainly used in France and Belgium. Like QWERTY and QWERTZ, its name comes from the first letters on the top row.

AZERTY changes the position of several letters and symbols to better match the typing habits and language needs of French-speaking users.

Can an ISO Keyboard Be QWERTY?

Yes. This is where many people get confused.

An ISO keyboard can use different language layouts. For example:

• ISO-UK usually uses QWERTY
• ISO-DE usually uses QWERTZ
• ISO-FR usually uses AZERTY

This means that ISO does not automatically mean QWERTZ, and ANSI does not describe the language printed on the keycaps.

Can You Change QWERTZ to QWERTY?

In many cases, yes. Your operating system controls what happens when you press a key. This means you can change the input language in Windows, macOS or Linux and type in a different layout.

However, the physical keycaps will still show the original printed letters and symbols unless you replace them. For example, if you switch a QWERTZ keyboard to QWERTY in software, the Y and Z keys will type differently from what is printed on the keycaps.

Which Keyboard Layout Should You Choose?

The best keyboard layout depends on your language, typing habits and personal preference.

Choose ANSI if:

• You mainly type in English
• You want the widest choice of custom keycaps
• You prefer a long left Shift key
• You are buying keyboards mostly from the custom mechanical keyboard market

Choose ISO if:

• You type in European languages
• You need local characters and symbols
• You are already used to the ISO Enter key
• You prefer your keyboard to match your regional layout

Remember This

If all these terms still feel confusing, remember this simple rule:

• ANSI and ISO describe the physical keyboard layout.
• QWERTY, QWERTZ and AZERTY describe the letter arrangement.
• An ISO keyboard can be QWERTY, QWERTZ or AZERTY.
• An ANSI keyboard is most commonly QWERTY.

Final Thoughts

Keyboard layouts may look complicated at first, but once you separate physical layout from language layout, everything becomes much easier. Before buying a keyboard, always check both: the physical layout and the printed language layout.

At Karisea, we clearly list the keyboard layout on each product page, so you know exactly what you are buying — whether it is ANSI, ISO-DE, ISO-UK, ISO-FR or another layout.

Choose the layout that fits your language, your typing habits and your muscle memory.