Slovak typing practice
Learn to touch type in Slovak, free in your browser: lessons built from real Slovak words, passages from six Slovak classics, and the keys for every mäkčeň and dĺžeň on any keyboard.
What you can practise
Smart Lessons in Slovak
Real Slovak words, built around your slowest key. You start on six keys, and Slovak's own letters join as the others come up to speed.
The Slovak alphabet
Every letter in order against the clock, with how to type each Slovak letter on your keyboard.
Typing games in Slovak
Pilot and Spaceship: steer through the gaps or shoot down enemy ships by typing Slovak words.
6 Slovak books
Classic Slovak books, out of copyright, typed a passage at a time.
Slovak letters
Slovak adds seventeen letters to a to z. The dĺžeň, an acute, marks a long sound, and Slovak puts it on l and r as well as the vowels: á, é, í, ó, ú, ý, ĺ, ŕ. The mäkčeň softens a consonant: č, ď, ľ, ň, š, ť, ž. And two are Slovak's own, ä and ô, as in "päť" and "môj". The pangram "Kŕdeľ ďatľov učí koňa žrať kôru" packs many of them into one line.
The Slovak keyboard is QWERTZ, and its number row types ľ, š, č, ť, ž, ý, á, í and é, with the digits on Shift. Ú and ä sit to the right of P, ô to the right of L and ň by Enter; ĺ, ŕ, ó and ď come from a dead key. On a US or UK keyboard, US-International on Windows types the acute vowels, ä and ô, but not the mäkčeň, so add the Slovak layout for those; on a Mac, ABC – Extended types it with Option V.
On a Slovak keyboard
Windows: Slovak · macOS: Slovak · Linux: Slovak
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 |
| ä | Ä | Ä | Ä |
| č | Č | Č | Č |
| ď | Shift ´then D | Shift 'then D | Shift ´then D |
| é | É | É | É |
| í | Í | Í | Í |
| ĺ | ´then L | 'then L | ´then L |
| ľ | Ľ | Ľ | Ľ |
| ň | Ň | Ň | Ň |
| ó | ´then O | 'then O | ´then O |
| ô | Ô | Ô | Ô |
| ŕ | ´then R | 'then R | ´then R |
| š | Š | Š | Š |
| ť | Ť | Ť | Ť |
| ú | Ú | Ú | Ú |
| 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 |
| ä | Shift 'then A | Option Uthen A | Shift '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 |
| í | 'then I | Option Ethen I | 'then I |
| ĺ | Not on this layout | Option Ethen L | 'then L |
| ľ | Not on this layout | Option Vthen L | Shift AltGr .then L |
| ň | Not on this layout | Option Vthen N | Shift AltGr .then N |
| ó | 'then O | Option Ethen O | 'then O |
| ô | Shift 6then O | Option 6then O | Shift 6then O |
| ŕ | Not on this layout | Option Ethen R | '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 |
| ý | 'then Y | Option Ethen Y | 'then Y |
| ž | Not on this layout | Option Vthen Z | Shift AltGr .then Z |
Tips for typing Slovak
Digits are on Shift
The Slovak number row types letters, so 1 to 0 need Shift, or the numeric keypad. Practise numbers on their own until holding Shift for them is a habit.
Ľ and ť are on the top row
Ľ sits where a US keyboard has 2 and ť where it has 5, so the left ring and index fingers reach up for them. "ľudia" and "ťava" are worth a few rounds each.
The right little finger does a lot
Ú, ä, ô and ň are all on the right edge, along with the dead key for ĺ, ŕ, ó and ď. Reach for them and come back to the home row each time, rather than letting the hand drift right.
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 Slovak, in "z", "za" and "zo", so the swap shows up in almost every line.