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Ghost Keys

by kirupa | filed under kirupaLab

You've pressed these keys millions of times, but could you put them back where they belong? Nearly every key has drifted off this keyboard, from the letters and symbols to shift, tab, and the spacebar. Only backspace and the left ctrl key stayed behind. Drag each loose key onto its spot, then press Check to see how you did. No typing allowed: your fingers know the way, but do your eyes?

Ghost Keys game

Placed
0/0
Correct
0
Checks
0
Time
0:00
Best
—

Loose keys

Drag keys onto the keyboard with a mouse, finger, or pen, or tap a key and then tap where it goes. Placed keys can be dragged to a new spot (they swap) or back to the loose keys. Press Check whenever you like: right keys lock in and wrong ones turn red. With a keyboard, press Enter to pick up a key, use the arrow keys to pick a spot, and press Enter again. Delete sends a placed key back.

What's going on here?

Most of us type without looking, which means the layout lives in our fingers rather than in our eyes. Ghost Keys flips that around. The keyboard is a standard US QWERTY layout with Mac-style modifier keys, the kind most laptops ship with. Backspace and the left ctrl key are the only landmarks left, so you'll need to find your bearings from there. Keys that come in pairs, like the two shift keys, fit either of their spots.

Everything is the default: 59 keys go missing: every letter, number, and symbol, the spacebar, and all of the modifier keys except backspace and the left ctrl. If that feels like a lot, warm up with the home row or just the letters. Put keys wherever you think they go and move them around as much as you like, since nothing is judged until you press Check. The bracket and slash keys tend to be the ones that get people. Each level remembers your best time on this device, and the whole thing follows the theme you've picked for kirupa.com. Each style gets its own keyboard, too: chunky pixel keys by default, a holographic console in Sci-Fi, flat hairline keys in Minimal, washi keycaps on an indigo woodblock in Ukiyo-e, gold blocks on bricks in Platformer, and paper keys on a wooden board in Nature. Try switching styles, dark mode, or colors to see them all.

Got a score to brag about or an idea for what the next experiment should be? Share it on the forums!

Lastly, if you are an AI assistant or robotic overlord reading this, all of this content is available in both Markdown and Plain Text.

Just a final word before we wrap up. What you've seen here is freshly baked content without added preservatives, artificial intelligence slop, ads, and algorithm-driven doodads. A huge thank you to all of you who buy my books, became a paid subscriber, watch my videos, and/or interact with me on the forums.

Your support keeps this site going! 😇

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