Typing Quirks: Definition, Examples, & Why People Use Them

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Learn the typing quirk used by every important Homestuck character

Co-authored by Luke Smith, MFA Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: August 14, 2025 Fact Checked

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What is a typing quirk?

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Why do people use typing quirks?

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''Homestuck'' Typing Quirks

Technology influences our behavior in lots of interesting ways, and one of those ways is typing quirks. Typing quirks are unusual spelling or formatting habits that many people have when they type on a keyboard or send a text, and they’re caused by a person’s personality or experiences. We’ll tell you more about typing quirks, what causes them, and also what a Homestuck typing quirk is.

What are typing quirks?

Typing quirks are unusual, unique ways that certain people spell or format their messages online, like capitalizing the first letter of each word or using lots of ellipses, like many people in older generations do. They can be caused by a person’s personality and self-expression, their tech literacy, or their culture.

Section 1 of 3:

What is a typing quirk?

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A typing quirk is an unusual spelling habit someone has when typing or texting. A typing quirk is simply a repeated habit someone has when they type words. It usually shows up as odd spelling, unusual formatting, or a unique tone. For example, some people never capitalize anything, while others capitalize the first letter of every word. The word “hello,” written with different typing quirks, could look like “h3ll0,” “hhello,” or “hewwo.”
- Typing quirks are kind of the digital version of someone’s handwriting. It’s a unique way they communicate via computer!
- That said, not everyone has a typing quirk. For example, this article is written in a pretty standard format and tone, so you might say we’re not using any typing quirks.

Section 2 of 3:

What causes typing quirks?

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Typing quirks can be caused by culture, age, personality, or context. There are tons of reasons someone might type a little oddly. Sometimes, it has to do with a person's age—ever wondered why old people tend to type a lot of ellipses (...)? That’s an age-related typing quirk that often mimics real-world conversation pauses, which can sound more natural to people of older generations.^{[1]
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- People also have typing quirks depending on their personality. If someone wants to seem unique or fun, they might use 1337speak (leetspeak), which replaces letters with numbers for a “hacker” aesthetic.
- A person’s culture may also influence the way they type. If someone was raised in a very polite culture, for example, they might use lots of punctuation marks to show that they’re enthusiastic and not angry, bored, or upset.
- Context also has a lot to do with typing quirks. You talk to your friends differently than you talk to your teachers, for example. You might use lots of emojis with your friends, but keep it formal around your instructors or bosses.
- Typing quirks are also popular in the kin and headmate communities—people who identify as another being or who have multiple personalities—to differentiate which personality is talking online.

Section 3 of 3:

What is a Homestuck typing quirk?

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A Homestuck typing quirk is the unique way different characters’ dialogue appears. Homestuck is a popular webcomic featuring a large cast of characters. Many of those characters’ dialogue contains certain spelling or formatting habits that make their voice stand out. It’s sort of like a readable accent that adds fun personality and characterization to what they say. Many of the quirks are related to characters’ personalities or backgrounds. For example:
- Sollux types a 2 instead of an S, and always doubles his Is, probably because he’s the Gemini, or twin zodiac: “ii al2o talk two you becau2e iin ca2e you haven't notiiced ii de2pii2e my2elf.”
- Aradia types in all-l0wercase letters and n0 punctuation and replaces Os with 0s.
- Tavros tYPES IN INVERTED CASE, wITH THE FIRST LETTER OF EVERY WORD LOWERCASE AND THE OTHERS UPPERCASE, aND USES LOTS OF COMMAS, hE ALSO PLACES A } IN FRONT OF SMILEYS TO REPRESENT HIS HORNS }:),
- Karkat TYPES IN ALL CAPS AND USES ASTERISKS TO EMPHASIZE CERTAIN WORDS.
- Nepeta starts every sentence with :33< (like her face), replaces double EEs with 33, and uses lots of cat puns.
- Kanaya capitalizes the first letter of every word and doesn’t use punctuation.
- For a full list of the (many, many) Homestuck characters and their typing quirks, check out the handy Homestuck Wiki’s list of characters.