A keyboard layout used in France and neighboring countries. A, Z, E, R, T and Y are the letters on the top left, alphabetic row. AZERTY is similar to the QWERTY layout, except that Q and A are swapped, Z and W are swapped and M is in the middle row instead of the bottom one. Switching from QWERTY to AZERTY takes some practice; however, it is easier than switching from QWERTY to Dvorak, which is very difficult for experienced touch typists. See
QWERTY keyboard and
keyboard types.
AZERTY
A Z E R T Y U I O P
Q S D F G H J K L M %
W X C V B N ? . / !
QWERTY
Q W E R T Y U I O P
A S D F G H J K L ; '
Z X C V B N M , . /
Dvorak
' , . P Y F G C R L ?
A O E U I D H T N S -
; Q J K X B M W V Z
Been Around a While
AZERTY keyboards predate computer keyboards; witness this earlier portable typewriter used in France.