If punctuation or symbols appear in the wrong places, the active input source may not match the physical keyboard. This is especially easy to encounter after connecting an imported keyboard or adding another typing language.

Inspect the layout before changing hardware

Open a plain, disposable document and type the affected characters. Avoid using a password field as the test: hidden characters make the result difficult to inspect and can lead to unnecessary account lockouts.

Check the Input menu in the menu bar and note the selected source. Apple explains that input sources are keyboard layouts used for different languages. Their mapping can differ from the labels printed on your keys.

Open Keyboard Viewer from the Input menu to see the current mapping. In System Settings, Keyboard, Text Input, Edit, you can also inspect a source and see how its layout changes with Shift or Option. Compare that display with the characters your test produces.

Test one intended source

Select the layout you expect and repeat the same short sample. Check ordinary letters, punctuation, Shift combinations and any symbols you use frequently. If the result changes consistently with the selected layout, document that before considering replacement parts.

Review language-switching shortcuts if the layout seems to change unexpectedly. You may be invoking a shortcut while using another application's commands. Keep the input sources you genuinely need and learn how to recognise the active one.

If a key produces no input, repeats unpredictably or behaves differently when physically pressed, record that separately. A correct layout does not rule out every hardware problem, and a liquid spill deserves its own assessment.

Finally, repeat the useful test in the application where you first noticed the problem. An application-specific shortcut or text substitution can resemble a layout issue even when ordinary typing in another app is correct.

Source: Apple's input-source and Keyboard Viewer guidance.

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