Everything You Need to Know About Semimak

Semimak is a modern keyboard layout created by Semi that focuses on minimizing same-finger bigrams and maximizing comfortable finger rolls. It was developed using computational tools and has gained a following in the alternative layout community for its clean metrics and practical typing feel.

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Best for

Best for typists interested in low finger movement, same-finger skipgram-aware design, and a more opinionated modern alternative than the older mainstream layouts.

Main challenge

Semimak's main challenge is that its fit is unusually subjective, so the layout only makes sense if you train it long enough to see whether the movement pattern actually suits your hands.

History and Origin

Semimak was created by a layout designer known as Semi in the online alternative keyboard layout community. It was designed using layout generation and analysis tools that evaluate thousands of potential arrangements against English text corpora. The layout represents a practical application of modern optimization techniques to keyboard design.

Semimak has gone through several iterations, with the community providing feedback on real-world typing experience. The JQ variant (Semimak JQ) is also popular, which makes minor swaps to address specific bigram issues. The base Semimak layout has established itself as a competitive option in the modern layout space.

Design Philosophy

Semimak prioritizes three core metrics: low same-finger bigram rate, high percentage of comfortable rolls, and low overall finger travel. The layout places the most common English letters on the home row and top row, reserving the bottom row for lower-frequency characters.

The layout is designed to produce a high proportion of inward rolls — sequences that move from the pinky side toward the index finger — which most typists find faster and more comfortable than outward rolls. Semimak also balances workload between hands more evenly than some alternatives, avoiding the strong right-hand bias found in Dvorak.

Who Semimak Is Best For

Semimak is well-suited for typists who want a modern, optimized layout with strong community support and proven metrics. It appeals to people who have researched the layout space and want something newer than Colemak or Dvorak without going to the most extreme end of the optimization spectrum.

Typists looking for a modern layout with strong SFB and roll metrics
Layout enthusiasts who want a well-tested option from the current generation of designs
Users of programmable keyboards (QMK/ZMK) who want a proven alternative layout
People who type primarily in English and want optimized letter placement

Switching from QWERTY

Semimak changes most key positions from QWERTY, requiring a full retraining period of 2–3 months. The transition experience is similar to other modern layouts: the first two weeks are slow, speed builds gradually through weeks 3–6, and most typists recover their previous speed by month 2–3.

SureTyping's lesson paths offer a structured Semimak curriculum. The AI trainer tracks your per-key accuracy and generates drills targeting your specific weak points, which is especially valuable for a layout where finding Semimak-specific practice tools elsewhere is difficult.

How to Practice on SureTyping

Start with the home-row lessons and progress through each stage. SureTyping displays the Semimak layout in the keyboard preview for every lesson, so you always know where the focus keys sit. After completing the structured curriculum, use custom training to maintain improvement and address any persistent accuracy gaps.

Tracks

Home-row foundations

51 lessons

Upper-row reach

31 lessons

Lower-row control

21 lessons

Full-keyboard fluency

319 lessons

Lesson curriculum

422 lessons — View all

Lesson Stage

Individual Home Row Letters

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

18 lessonsStart

Foundations

Home Row Combinations

Early lessons that build finger anchors, repeatable reaches, and the first real words.

21 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Individual Top Row Letters

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

18 lessonsStart

Upper Reach

Top Row Combinations

Lessons that add upper-row travel, alternating-hand rhythm, and controlled reach.

18 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Individual Bottom Row Letters

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

12 lessonsStart

Lower Reach

Bottom Row Combinations

Lessons that strengthen precision on the lower row and improve edge-key control.

19 lessonsStart

Word Building

Lessons that turn letter control into common words, bigrams, and connected phrases.

16 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Fluency Review

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

4 lessonsStart

Capital Letters

Lessons that teach opposite-hand Shift technique for capitals before moving into full mixed-text fluency.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Shift Technique

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

12 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Speed Drills

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

7 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Accuracy Training

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

4 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Real-World Typing

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

22 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Endurance

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

10 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Weak Key Recovery

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

3 lessonsStart

Full Keyboard

Mastery

Lessons that combine punctuation, numbers, symbols, mixed strings, and speed-oriented review work.

10 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Punctuation & Numbers

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

42 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Casper Test Typing Prep

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

14 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

JavaScript code typing

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

TypeScript code typing

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Python code typing

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Java code typing

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Code: C

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Code: C++

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Code: C#

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Code: Go

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Code: Rust

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Code: Ruby

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Code: PHP

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Code: Swift

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Code: Kotlin

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Code: SQL

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

HTML & CSS code typing

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Code: Bash

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

8 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Kira Talent Typing Prep

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

6 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Duet Typing Prep

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

6 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Snapshot Written Follow-up Prep

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

6 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

GRE Analytical Writing Typing Prep

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

6 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

LSAT Writing Sample Typing Prep

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

6 lessonsStart

Lesson Stage

Coding Assessment Typing Prep

Part of the SureTyping guided lesson path.

6 lessonsStart

Guides

View all

Switch guide

How to Switch from QWERTY to Semimak

Decision guide

Is Semimak Worth It? Honest Answer for Typists

Comparison guide

QWERTY vs Semimak: Which Layout Should You Use?