typing quirk basics !
- a typing quirk is a discrepancy (read: difference) between the way one person types and the 'typical' way of typing.
- typing quirks are usually characterized by the replacement of letters with numbers or symbols, but can be related to punctuation as well!
- here are a few examples of common typing quirks:
- typ1ng l1k3 th1s
- 0r th1z
- or thizz.
- note that many common typing quirks are inaccesible to screenreaders and neurodivergent people.
history
- typing quirks were popularized by the homestuck fandom. Homestuck is an over 8000-page long interactive webcomic written by Andrew Hussie (you can read more about that here). In it, characters use an online chatting system, where they each have a unique and individual way of typing. Thus, typing quirks!
- This does not mean that all homestucks use a typing quirk, nor that all people who use a typing quirk are interested in homestuck.
misinfo
- myth: everyone who uses/has a typing quirk is neurodivergent or an alter in a system!
- fact: Singlets and non-nd people are fully capable of using and do use typing quirks. Additionally some people with dyslexia (a neurodivergency) literally cannot read them. Busted!
- myth: people can't control their typing quirks.
- fact: Typing quirks are a choice. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.
- myth: all typing quirks are ableist because people with reading disabilities can't read them.
- fact: While it is true some people with reading disabilities struggle to read typing quirks, they are not inherently ableist. It becomes an issue when someone's typing quirk is over-the-top and borderline totally unreadable, or if they refuse to provide a translation. Also, some typing quirks (usually the unobtrusive ones) don't impact their reading like that.
- myth(ish): people use typing quirks to cope.
- fact: I know a lot of people who use typing quirks (I do, too!) and I have never met anyone who uses it to cope with trauma. However, I will not deny their existence, just that it isn't as common as this claim. Most people use typing quirks for fun. (disclaimer: there is nothing wrong with doing something just because you find it fun.)