If you search for “Hindi typing” you will quickly meet three names: InScript, Remington GAIL and Kruti Dev. They are not three competing fonts. They are three ways of arranging Hindi letters on a keyboard, and the one you learn affects how quickly you can work and which exams and offices you can walk into.
This guide compares them plainly, shows what the same word looks like on each, and ends with a practical way to choose.
The short version
- InScript is the Indian government’s standard layout for Indian scripts, and it is built into Windows. It is portable and logical.
- Remington GAIL is a typewriter-style layout that produces Unicode. It appears in exam instructions, including SSC CHSL typing documents.
- Kruti Dev is a legacy font, and its keyboard follows the Hindi typewriter arrangement. It is what most coaching books and old office workflows assume.
If an exam or employer names a layout, learn that one. If nothing names one and you want a general skill, InScript is the safest default. If you already type on a typewriter or learned Kruti Dev, Remington GAIL lets you keep most of the muscle memory and still produce Unicode.
What each one actually is
InScript is a layout standard, not a font. The Indian scripts share broadly the same key positions, so learning it once helps with Devanagari, Bengali, Tamil and the rest. Consonants sit on the right hand, vowel signs on the left, and the halant key joins consonants into conjuncts. Windows includes it as “Hindi Traditional” (“Devanagari - INSCRIPT” in older versions).
Remington GAIL is a typewriter-family layout. The letters are where a Hindi typewriter put them, and the software turns those keystrokes into Unicode. It has single keys for common conjuncts such as त्र, द्ध, श्र and ज्ञ, and it handles the ि sign in typewriter order: you press it before the consonant.
Kruti Dev is a legacy ASCII font. The file stores English letters and the font draws Devanagari. Its keyboard follows the same typewriter family as Remington, which is why typists move between them easily. The catch is the output: unless you convert it, the text is not Unicode.
The same word on three layouts
The site’s typing pages generate these keystrokes from each layout’s own engine, so they are a fair comparison. Here are a few from the Hindi typing test:
| Word | Kruti Dev | Remington GAIL | InScript |
|---|---|---|---|
| भारत | Hkkjr |
Hkkjr |
Yejl |
| हिन्दी | fgUnh |
fgUnh |
ufvdor |
| कार्य | dk;Z |
dkZ; |
kejd/ |
| शिक्षा | f'k{kk |
f'k{kk |
Mfkd<e |
| विद्यालय | fo|ky; |
fo~ky; |
bfod/en/ |
| ज्ञान | Kku |
Kku |
pd}ev |
| प्रधानमंत्री | iz/kkuea=h |
iz/kkuearzh |
hdjOevcxldjr |
Two things stand out.
First, Kruti Dev and Remington GAIL agree on many words, but not all. कार्य is dk;Z in Kruti Dev and dkZ; in Remington GAIL because the reph is typed in a different place. That single difference is enough to slow down a typist who practised the wrong one.
Second, InScript looks nothing like either. It is not a phonetic or typewriter arrangement; it is its own logical system. That is why it feels strange at first and then becomes very regular.
Where the ि sign goes
This is the detail that trips up almost everyone.
- Typewriter layouts (Kruti Dev, Remington GAIL): you type
िbefore the consonant, because that is where it appears on paper.fdisकि. - InScript: you type
िafter the consonant, in logical order. The display reorders it for you.ufisहिin the InScript sequence forहिन्दी.
If you switch layouts, expect a week of mistakes around this one sign. It is normal.
Reph and rakar
In the typewriter layouts, reph (र् on top) and rakar (्र below) are typed in visual positions that differ between Kruti Dev and Remington GAIL. Remington GAIL puts the reph before the letter it sits on; Kruti Dev types it after. InScript avoids the problem by typing in logical order and letting the software place the marks.
This is the strongest argument for InScript if you are learning from scratch: fewer position rules to remember. It is also the strongest argument for practising the exact layout your exam names if you already have habits.
Which one should you learn?
Learn the layout your exam or employer names. Exam instructions list accepted layouts, and they change. The SSC CHSL 2023 Tier II instructions, for example, list Hindi InScript, Kruti Dev, Remington GAIL and Remington CBI. That is a useful signal about what is common, not a promise about your exam. Check the current official notification for the exam you are taking.
If you are learning for general office work, InScript is a good long-term choice. It is standard, it works across Indian languages, and the text is Unicode from the start.
If you already type on a typewriter or in Kruti Dev, Remington GAIL is the gentlest upgrade. Most letters sit under the same fingers, and you get Unicode output without installing a legacy font.
If a coaching institute or old office hands you Kruti Dev material, learn the Kruti Dev layout but convert the output. The Kruti Dev keyboard lets you type the keys you know and produces Unicode as you go.
How to decide in one sitting
- Open the Hindi typing test.
- Type the same short passage on each layout for two minutes.
- Note your accuracy, not your speed. Speed follows accuracy.
- Pick the layout that felt least confusing, unless an exam forces a different one.
- Practise that layout for a week before judging it.
You can also try the standalone keyboards: InScript, Remington GAIL and Kruti Dev. Each shows the key chart and lets you type without installing anything.
A note on fonts and Unicode
The layout and the font are separate decisions. InScript and Remington GAIL produce Unicode text, which works on phones, websites and in search. Kruti Dev produces legacy text that needs its font to display. If you type Kruti Dev for an exam, convert the practice text afterwards so you can read and search it. The Kruti Dev to Unicode converter does that in one paste.
Choose the layout for your hands and your exam. Choose Unicode for your text. Those two choices do not have to be the same.