# Why is the keys on a keyboard labeled in lowercase? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 12, 2022, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806 "2022-07-12T04:11:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SmartBulbInc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@SmartBulbInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartBulbInc)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/1 "2022-07-12T04:11:18Z")
This is something that has urked me for quite some time. Aren’t the capitalized-versions of the letters easier to recognize? For what reason are they lower-case? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/2 "2022-07-12T04:12:25Z")
I think it varies from keyboard to keyboard. Mine is upper-case. What brand is yours? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/3 "2022-07-12T04:12:42Z")
Apple are upper case. > **[Amazon.com: Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (Wireless, Rechargable) -...](https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Keyboard-Numeric-Wireless-Rechargable/dp/B071ZZTNBM)** > > Amazon.com: Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad (Wireless, Rechargable) - US English - Silver : Electronics ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/4 "2022-07-12T04:13:24Z")
My keyboards are labeled in upper-case - three different machines. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/5 "2022-07-12T04:13:51Z")
Same here. Trying to remember if I’ve ever seen a lower-case keyboard key layout. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/6 "2022-07-12T04:25:25Z")
Those keys that are labelled with words (tab, caps lock, delete, etc) are in lower case, at least on my keyboards. Words are easier to read in lower case. Capital letters came long after the lower case letters were invented, and some written languages don’t have them at all. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/7 "2022-07-12T04:32:16Z")
The people who made signs for highways tested this out, and found that lower case words are faster to recognise… so they use lowercase for words on highway signs. But for where the single letter can be important, such as highway designations, A20, etc, or street name signs, where Rook Street might be near Rock Street, they use capitals, as the single letter mistake could be annoying there. ---
**Author:** ![SmartBulbInc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@SmartBulbInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartBulbInc)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/8 "2022-07-12T04:32:19Z")
Interesting. For all of my keyboards, the keys are in lower-case. And, based on the other posters to this thread, I have to assume that my keyboard is the acceptation, not the rule. I wonder what the ratio is for uppercase/lowercase keyboards. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/9 "2022-07-12T04:48:11Z")
My keyboard has those special keys labeled beginning with a capital letter followed by lower case letters. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/10 "2022-07-12T04:53:36Z")
The only lower-case labels I’ve ever seen on a keyboard is on the touch keyboards on phones/tablets, where the labeling indicates which case you’re typing in. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/11 "2022-07-12T04:58:41Z")
On every keyboard I can recall using the keys are labelled in propercase. e.g. Delete, End, PrtScn ,PageDown, F5, Num Lock etc ---
**Author:** ![SmartBulbInc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@SmartBulbInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartBulbInc)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/12 "2022-07-12T05:01:06Z")
Weird. My laptop has everything in all lowercase letters, including alt, ctrl, shift, etc. It might just me my computers tbh. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/13 "2022-07-12T06:15:26Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > Capital letters came long after the lower case letters were invented, Not in the Latin alphabet. Majescules (capitals) were the originals, minuscules derived from [half-uncials](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncial_script#Half-uncial) that originated in the Late Roman period. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/14 "2022-07-12T06:38:40Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > My keyboard has those special keys labeled beginning with a capital letter followed by lower case letters. My laptop keyboard has all the words in lower case, but my Logitech wireless keyboard which I actually use to type has the first letter capitalized. (Tab). Both have all the single letters in upper case. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/15 "2022-07-12T08:16:35Z")
I recently borrowed early 20th-century typewriters from some friends, manufactured by Underwood and Remington. Those keys are upper case. [[Album] Old typewriters ![](https://i.imgur.com/WERvY1L.jpeg?fb "Old typewriters") ](https://imgur.com/gallery/ei7vk5H) ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/16 "2022-07-12T09:22:04Z")
In the early 60s, the Department of Transport introduced “_Transport”_ a sans serif typeface as the new standard for road signs in the United Kingdom. Pressure for change from the ad hoc signs, most in upper case, that had been used since WW2 when most signs were removed, came when the first high-speed motorway was built in the 50s. The Transport typefaces are the only ones allowed on UK road signs (except for motorway signs, where route numbers appear in their own separate typeface known as Motorway. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/17 "2022-07-12T09:47:26Z")
The keys on my current keyboard are all in capitals, except the function keys which start with a capital and the other letters small - “Esc”, “Shift”, “Ctrl”, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/18 "2022-07-12T11:14:32Z")
I have never used a keyboard that didn’t have the letter keys in capitals, and the function keys with a capital first letter and the rest in lower case. A lower case keyboard would be bizarre. ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/19 "2022-07-12T11:59:35Z")
Through dedicated research (okay, I Googled it) I note that there are quite a few companies that make keyboards with lower-case lettering on the buttons, or both upper-case and lower-case lettering. Many seem oriented toward school use, especially for younger students just learning to read, people learning English as a second-language, or people with special needs. If a manufacturer primarily sells their products to educational customers, maybe they would be more likely to have lower-case letters on all their keyboards. I wonder whether SmartBulbInc’s keyboards/computers might have been purchased through a school/college/university program. (My daughter bought her Apple laptop through her school, but it has an upper-case keyboard.) Some also seem intended for people with impaired vision. [![](https://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_images/upper_case_and_lower_case_mulit_coloured_key_keyboard_large.jpg) ](https://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_images/upper_case_and_lower_case_mulit_coloured_key_keyboard_large.jpg) [![](https://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_images/large_black_lower_case_legend_yellow_keyboard_large.jpg) ](https://www.keyboardco.com/keyboard_images/large_black_lower_case_legend_yellow_keyboard_large.jpg) … if Toxgoddess would chime in, we could have opinions from all the Toxes… 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2022, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806/20 "2022-07-12T12:09:53Z")
I only remember having capital key labels for the letter keys. But in a way lowercase makes more sense. Generally speaking, that’s what pressing the key actually generates. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-keys-on-a-keyboard-labeled-in-lowercase/967806.md?page=2)