Czech typing practice
Learn to touch type in Czech, free in your browser: lessons built from real Czech words, passages from Babička to Švejk, and the keys for every háček and čárka on a Czech, US or UK keyboard.
What you can practise
Smart Lessons in Czech
Real Czech words, built around your slowest key. You start on six keys, and Czech's own letters join as the others come up to speed.
The Czech alphabet
Every letter in order against the clock, with how to type each Czech letter on your keyboard.
Typing games in Czech
Pilot and Spaceship: steer through the gaps or shoot down enemy ships by typing Czech words.
6 Czech books
Classic Czech books, out of copyright, typed a passage at a time.
Czech letters
Czech writes fifteen letters beyond a to z. The čárka, an acute, marks a long vowel: á, é, í, ó, ú, ý. The háček softens a consonant or a vowel: č, ď, ě, ň, ř, š, ť, ž. And ů, u with a kroužek (ring), is a long u inside a word, as in "dům". The pangram "Příliš žluťoučký kůň úpěl ďábelské ódy" uses every one of them.
The Czech keyboard is QWERTZ, and its number row types ě, š, č, ř, ž, ý, á, í and é, with the digits on Shift. Ú and ů sit to the right of P and L; ó, ď, ť and ň come from a dead key, plain for the čárka and with Shift for the háček. On a US or UK keyboard, US-International on Windows types only the čárka (' then a for á), so add the Czech layout for the háček; on a Mac, ABC – Extended types it with Option V and the ring with Option K.
On a Czech keyboard
Windows: Czech · macOS: Czech · Linux: Czech
Add it in Windows under Settings > Time & language > Language & region, in macOS under System Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources, in Linux under Settings > Keyboard > Input Sources.
| Letter | Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| á | Á | Á | Á |
| č | Č | Č | Č |
| ď | Shift ´then D | Shift 'then D | Shift ´then D |
| é | É | É | É |
| ě | Ě | Ě | Ě |
| í | Í | Í | Í |
| ň | Shift ´then N | Shift 'then N | Shift ´then N |
| ó | ´then O | 'then O | ´then O |
| ř | Ř | Ř | Ř |
| š | Š | Š | Š |
| ť | Shift ´then T | Shift 'then T | Shift ´then T |
| ú | Ú | Ú | Ú |
| ů | Ů | Ů | Ů |
| ý | Ý | Ý | Ý |
| ž | Ž | Ž | Ž |
On a US or UK keyboard
Windows: United States-International · macOS: ABC – Extended · Linux: English (US, intl., with dead keys)
Add it the same way. On US-International ' and " become dead keys: type a space after one for the mark itself.
| Letter | Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|---|
| á | 'then A | Option Ethen A | 'then A |
| č | Not on this layout | Option Vthen C | Shift AltGr .then C |
| ď | Not on this layout | Option Vthen D | Shift AltGr .then D |
| é | 'then E | Option Ethen E | 'then E |
| ě | Not on this layout | Option Vthen E | Shift AltGr .then E |
| í | 'then I | Option Ethen I | 'then I |
| ň | Not on this layout | Option Vthen N | Shift AltGr .then N |
| ó | 'then O | Option Ethen O | 'then O |
| ř | Not on this layout | Option Vthen R | Shift AltGr .then R |
| š | Not on this layout | Option Vthen S | Shift AltGr .then S |
| ť | Not on this layout | Option Vthen T | Shift AltGr .then T |
| ú | 'then U | Option Ethen U | 'then U |
| ů | Not on this layout | Option Kthen U | Shift AltGr 0then U |
| ý | 'then Y | Option Ethen Y | 'then Y |
| ž | Not on this layout | Option Vthen Z | Shift AltGr .then Z |
Tips for typing Czech
Digits are on Shift
The Czech number row types letters, so 1 to 0 need Shift, or the numeric keypad. Give numbers a session of their own until holding Shift for them stops feeling odd.
Háček letters live on the top row
Ě, š, č, ř and ž sit where a US keyboard has 2 to 6. Reach up with the finger that would type that digit and come straight back to the home row; "řeč" and "čeština" are good words to repeat.
Ď, ť and ň take two steps
They share one dead key: hold Shift, press it for the háček, let go, then type the letter. Ó is the same key without Shift. Expect these to be slower at first; they are rare, so don't let them hold up the rest.
Learn where Z is
On QWERTZ the Z sits where QWERTY has Y, typed with the right index finger, and Y moves to the bottom left. Z is common in Czech, in "z", "za" and "zase", so the swap matters more than it looks.