[Learn](/learn/) / [Bigrams](/learn/bigrams/) / HE # How to type the HE bigram HE is a quick exchange between your hands. On standard QWERTY, your right index finger presses H and your left middle finger follows on E. By PeakTock Updated August 29, 2026 In one minute ## HE is an order-sensitive exchange between two hands HE recurs in "the", "they", "when", "their", and "other", so a small delay in this cross-hand exchange can interrupt many ordinary words. In PeakTock’s frequency dataset, words containing HE account for an estimated 9.8% of alphabetic word use. ## 1\. Coordinate H and E across two hands **The HE finger sequence** Alternating hands on standard QWERTY Pause animation 1. 1 H **Right index finger** home row 2. 2 E **Left middle finger** top row Type H with your right index finger, then E with your left middle finger. This is an alternating hands movement on a standard QWERTY keyboard. The useful trick is preparation. Your left hand can move towards E while your right index finger presses H. Keep the order clear, then close the gap between the presses. ## 2\. Why HE timing affects many words A small timing fault in HE can return in familiar words such as _the_, _when_, and _other_. Everyday English estimate **about 1 in 10 words in English text** Words containing HE represent about 9.8% of alphabetic word occurrences in the English frequency dataset. Reference-word coverage **13,670 words** 4.97% of PeakTock’s 274,937-word reference list contains HE. **How we calculated these estimates** The datasets, filters, and limits behind the numbers The everyday estimate uses the English large list from [wordfreq 3.1.1](https://pypi.org/project/wordfreq/3.1.1/). PeakTock kept alphabetic English entries, added their estimated frequencies, and compared words containing HE with the full set. The source is a mixed-language-use snapshot through about 2021, so 9.8% is an estimate rather than a universal constant. The reference count checks lowercase alphabetic entries in the [Letterpress-derived word list](https://github.com/words/an-array-of-english-words)already used by PeakTock’s drill generator. It found 13,670 of 274,937 entries containing HE. Dictionary sizes and inclusion rules differ, so this number describes PeakTock’s reference list, not every English dictionary. **Data attribution.** Frequency estimates use Robyn Speer’s [wordfreq 3.1.1](https://pypi.org/project/wordfreq/3.1.1/). See its [source notices](https://github.com/rspeer/wordfreq/blob/master/NOTICE.md)and [bibliography](https://github.com/rspeer/wordfreq?tab=readme-ov-file#sources-and-supported-languages). PeakTock’s derived estimates and supporting calculation data are shared under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); that license does not apply to the rest of this article. ## 3\. Where HE appears inside words H then E can begin a word in _her_, end one in _the_, or sit inside _when_. Each context changes how the fingers enter and leave the right-index-to-left-middle exchange. The examples below are ordered by estimated everyday frequency. 1. 01 **the** End the result 2. 02 **he** Whole word he types 3. 03 **they** Start they know 4. 04 **when** Middle when typing 5. 05 **their** Start their keyboard 6. 06 **there** Start there is 7. 07 **her** Start her result 8. 08 **she** End she types 9. 09 **them** Start help them 10. 10 **other** Middle other words Short words such as _he_, _the_, _her_, and _she_ make the pair easy to repeat. Longer words such as _whether_, _together_, and _another_ test the same transition inside a larger movement. ## 4\. Why can HE become EH? Two ready hands create speed, but they can also scramble the order. If E lands before H, H then E becomes E then H . This is an **order reversal**, also called a **transposition**. Expected order H then E Right index, then left middle Possible reversal E then H The E press arrives first An E then H result records the two presses in the wrong order. The drill shows the reversal, but it does not show whether preparation, timing, or another factor produced it. __Possible HE error patterns and what to check__ | What you notice | What to check | What to try | | ---------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | EH instead of HE | The E press arrives before H. | Slow down until H reliably lands first. | | A pause after H | Check whether the pause returns in several HE words. | Try a slower pass and keep the gap between H and E even. | | A nearby key replaces H or E | Check your starting position before the first press. | Reset your fingers on the home row and use a light reach. | | H or E is slow in many pairs | Compare HE with other pairs that use H or E. | Switch to key-level practice only when the wider comparison supports it. | The drill can show the order, timing, and corrections in one run. It cannot prove why an error happened or define a universal “most common” HE mistake. ## 5\. Practise keeping H first **Try the handoff in four contexts** 1. he 2. her 3. the 4. whether **Observe:** does H stay first when the left hand prepares E, or does the order reverse as the word gets longer? **Next:** if HE alone repeats the pause or reversal, use the focused drill below. If H or E is slow in several other pairs, compare the individual keys before choosing another HE set. --- Canonical HTML: