Why is the spacebar the largest key on the keyboard?

The spacebar is the largest key on the keyboard. But why is that and who needs it? We explain it to you.

Each of you must have noticed that not all keys on the keyboard are the same size. Certain keys have very unusual shapes, while most letters and numbers share the same shape.

The space bar is the largest on every keyboard and is usually always in the same position. This is usually right at the front between the Alt and Alt-Gr keys. MeinMMO explains why the space bar is by far the largest and takes up the most space on the keyboard.

The “space bar” has existed in various forms for almost 200 years

Where does the spacebar come from? You can find a spacebar or “bar” in the earliest form of “keyboard”. Because typewriters from the 19th century already have such a bar so that you don’t have to press a key and thus ink onto the page.

Over time, this button has changed several times. At times, typewriters had a lever on the side that acted as the space bar. But that wasn’t very ergonomic, because you had to interrupt the flow of writing.

With later devices, these ideas disappeared again and one oriented oneself back to the bar, which we can still find on the keyboard today.

Why is the spacebar so big? The large space bar dates back to the time when the keyboard was mainly used for writing and not for gaming. Because the space bar is so large that you can reach it with both hands while typing. The space bar is also one of the most used keys on the keyboard, which you need all the time and which must therefore always be within reach of every hand.

Normally, both hands rest on the keyboard. Both thumbs rest on the space bar. When typing, one of the two thumbs should then press the space bar and create an empty space in the text.

Above all, users who have mastered the 10-finger system and can write quickly appreciate the large space bar.

Today, the space bar on the keyboard has many new tasks

In the meantime, the space bar on the keyboard has also taken on many other functions and is not just there for a space:

• You can use the spacebar to scroll through the pages in the browser.
• In many media players like VLC you can use the spacebar to pause.
• In many games, the spacebar is often used to jump.

More stories about hardware: If you want to learn more about hardware, then take a look at the following article: Here we explain why the mouse on the computer is actually called a mouse. In contrast to the space bar, we don’t have to go back to the 19th century for this, because the mouse is not that old.

Why is a mouse for the PC actually called a mouse?