keyboard lag

Often when I begin to type a message with a character from the bottom row of the keyboard my iPhone will insert a space instead of the desired character. I then test it by repeatedly pressing the character and then it will be the positive press of the desired bottom row character. For example the "B", "N", etc.

Did the format of the keyboard change? Is this my muscle memory remembering an old format?

Is this some sort of lag upon opening the Messages App and expanding the keyboard?

What settings may I adjust to reduce performance issues or reduce motion or whatever it is?

Are there any setting to set this to a barebones display? Can I adjust the shape and format of the keyboard?

This causes incredible frustration when the one thing it should be able to do it seems that it cannot.

This has been an issue for months and with several previous versions of the iOS.

iPhone 14 Pro, iOS 17.2.1.