Steno Layouts & Supported Languages

A chorded system, or system for short, is a set of rules for Plover that determines the keys, language rules, and default dictionaries in Plover. System Plugins allow Plover to support different machine types and languages other than English.

The American Ward-Ireland Stone Stenotype is the default layout in Plover, and what we teach and recommend by default. However, there are many different chorded systems worldwide and some of them have been implemented in Plover.

Note that not all of these systems have been fully implemented; many of them are probably not going to be implemented in Plover, but they have been listed so that you may use them as a reference should you choose to create your own layout/system.

If you can't find your language in the main language list, you might take a look at the Multilingual Systems section. These systems support multiple languages and are often orthographic (i.e. they are based on spelling rather than pronunciation).

For systems proposed for implementation, check out the issues list.

English
English - Shavian / 𐑖𐑱𐑝𐑾𐑯
Chinese - Cantonese / 粵語
Chinese - Mandarin / 國語 / 普通话
Czech / Čeština
Danish / Dansk
Dutch / Nederlands
Finnish / Suomi
French / Français
German / Deutsch
Greek / Ελληνικά
Hebrew / עברית
Italian / Italiano
Japanese / 日本語
Korean / 한국어
Portuguese / Português
Russian / Русский
Spanish / Español
Swedish / Svenska
Thai / ภาษาไทย
Turkish / Türkçe
Vietnamese / Tiếng Việt
Multilingual Systems

English

English Stenotype

Created by	Ward Stone Ireland
Type	Phonetic
Development	Complete
Plugin	Fully Implemented (Bundled with Plover)
Dictionary	Full Dictionary: 140,000+ Entries (Alternate Theories Available)
Resources	See the Learning Resources page.

The default system in Plover. Used internationally for English-language transcription, invented in the United States in 1913.

Jackdaw

Type	Orthographic
Development	Complete
Plugin	Plover Jackdaw by user202729
Resources	Learn Plover Jackdaw Tutorial

An orthographic system based entirely on spelling rather than phonetics, allowing the user to type any word as long as they know the spelling.

Kinglet

Created by	Zachary Brown
Type	Orthographic
Development	Complete for an older version of Plover
Plugin	Plover 2.5.8 Modified for Kinglet by Benoit Pierre
Resources	Learn Plover Kinglet Tutorial

Kinglet was an attempt to create a spelling-based steno system that would have a theoretical speed equal to Plover (about 1 word per stroke). It succeeds in doing this at the cost of a high degree of finger contortion and accuracy in each individual finger, making it difficult to use.

Michela for English

Type	Phonetic
Development	Dictionary under construction
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Sample: 150 Entries
Resources	Manual and sample dictionary here.

An experimental system based on the Italian Michela system, widely used in Italy. The system uses a piano-style keyboard; it was created for the purpose of extending the application of the Michela keyboard to the English language, drawn from the "Method for the English language" included in the machine's 1878 American patent.

Midi4Text for English

Type	Orthographic
Development	Complete
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)
Resources	Manual and sample dictionary Midi4Text Website.

An English orthographic system that uses a piano-style keyboard based on the Michela system. Unlike the phonetic Michela for English system, this system is based on spelling and does not require a dictionary.

Phenrsteno

Created by	Gregory Chamberlain
Type	Phonetic
Development	Released
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Basic: 15,000+ Entries
Resources	Phenrsteno Wiki

Phenrsteno is a machine shorthand theory implemented as a system for Plover. It's designed for non-rhotic accents—British English in particular—but really anyone might like to use it or adapt it to their own idiolect.

Possum Palantype

Type	Phonetic
Development	Complete
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Basic: 21,000+ Entries
Resources	Learn Palantype! Page

The Possum Palantype is a system invented in the UK which was optimized to have readable shorthand notes (the untranslated output). It has more keys than the Ireland layout. It is still used by some STTRs worldwide for writing in English.

English (Shavian)

Shavian Stenotype

Created by	Lynn (Ruma)
Type	Orthographic
Development	Work in Progress

Shavian is an alternate alphabet for English; the Shavian Stenotype is a steno system designed to be used on a regular English Stenotype keyboard.

Chinese (Cantonese)

SanSan Cantonese Steno (珊々速錄)

Created by	sammdot
Type	Symmetric Toneless Jyutping
Development	Work in Progress
Resources	Steno Explainers

SanSan is a Cantonese steno theory under development. Join the Plover Discord for more discussions about Cantonese steno!

Chinese (Mandarin)

Exun (E讯速录)

Type	Symmetric Toneless Pinyin
Character Set	Simplified
Development	Not Available for Plover

Exun is a Mandarin steno system used in Mainland China. Not much is known about it other than the fact that it is based on pinyin and uses a structure system for individual character input.

Suoheng (索恒速录)

Type	Symmetric Toneless Pinyin
Development	Not Available for Plover

Very little is known about the Suoheng system and there are no plans to implement it in Plover.

Yawei (亚伟速录)

Type	Symmetric Toneless Pinyin
Character Set	Traditional / Simplified
Development	Work in Progress
Resources	Wikipedia Page

Yawei is the most commonly used Chinese stenotype system - it is widely used in Mainland China and Taiwan and uses Pinyin without tones as its main way of inputing characters; learners are required to memorize the positions of homophones based on their position in a frequency-based selection menu for fast character entry.

Czech

Czech Stenograph

Type	Phonetic
Development	Not Available for Plover

The Czech layout that comes built-in on some Stenograph machines, including the latest Luminex II.

Plover Czech

Created by	Ashlynn Anderson (lambdadog)
Type	Phonetic
Development	Alpha Released
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Not registered in Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Not Available

A Czech steno system designed for Plover.

Danish

hjejleOrdbog

Created by	Lars Rune Præstmark (SeaLiteral)
Type	Phonetic
Development	Released
Plugin	Uses the English Stenotype Plugin
Dictionary	Basic: 5,000+ Entries Dictionaries can be found here.

A Danish steno dictionary based on the standard English layout with slight modifications. While the layout is different from the standard English one, this system does not come with a separate system plugin and uses the default English one, so the tape output might not reflect the actual phonetic value of each stroke.

Dutch

Jade's Dutch System

Created by	Jade Geels
Type	Phonetic
Development	Released; not in active development
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Not registered in Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Basic: 3,400+ Entries

Dutch steno system that uses a modified version of the English stenotype layout with one extra G key on the left.

Willem's Dutch System

Created by	Willem Sonke
Type	Phonetic
Development	Released; in active development
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Not registered in Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Basic: 7,700+ Entries

Dutch steno system that uses a modified English stenotype layout. It was made to be as similar as possible to the default English system to minimize confusion between the two; nevertheless, quite a few differences are unavoidable to make the system practical.

Finnish

Finnish Especias

Created by	Lars Rune Præstmark (SeaLiteral)
Type	Phonetic
Development	Released
Plugin	Uses the English Stenotype Plugin
Dictionary	Full orthographic dictionary can be found here.

An orthographic system (spelling-based) for Finnish capable of writing Swedish loadwords. The layout allows writing two "vowels" and two "consonants" per stroke. The available consonants include a few consonant clusters, and the first vowel must be from a list of mostly short vowels and the second vowel is chosen from one of two lists to match the frontness of the first vowel.

French

Grandjean

Created by	Mark Grandjean
Type	Phonetic
Development	Complete
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Full Dictionary: 690,000+ Entries Dictionaries can be downloaded separately here.
Resources	An in-depth explanation of the system can be found here.

The Grandjean Stenotype was created in 1909; it is also known as the "Continential" layout by some manufacturers and is the preferred phonetic system in France (The orthographic Velotype system is more commonly used for transcribing many TV programs and broadcasts).

LaSalle / La TAO

Type	Phonetic
Development	Released
Plugin	Uses the English Stenotype Plugin
Dictionary	Basic: 4,200+ Entries Dictionaries can be found here.

A French steno system based on the English steno layout; primarily used in Quebec.

German

German Palantype

Type	Phonetic
Development	Released
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Not Registered on Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Full Dictionary: 85,000+ Entries

German steno system based on the Possum Palantype layout with two additional keys.

Plover German

Type	Phonetic
Development	Not in active development
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Not Registered on Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Not available

German stenography system for Plover based on the not realtime capable theory of the book "Deutsches System der computerkompatiblen Stenografie". This book can be found in the university library of Dresden and can be read via interlibrary loan. This is also the system that is built into some Stenograph machines.

Regenpfeifer

Created by	Martin Körner (mkrnr)
Type	Phonetic
Development	Work in Progress
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Full Dictionary: 219,000+ Entries
Resources	Dictionary Generator

A German steno system based on a modified English stenotype layout; the -Z key is replaced with -N.

Greek

Greek Stenograph

Type	Phonetic
Development	Not Available for Plover

The Greek layout that built into some Stenograph/Stentura machines. Not much is known about this layout.

Hebrew

Hebrew Stenograph

Type	Phonetic
Development	Not Available for Plover

The Hebrew layout that built into some Stenograph/Stentura machines. Not much is known about this layout.

Italian

Melani

Type	Orthographic
Development	Complete
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)
Resources	Stenolab Website

An orthographic theory for Italian writing based on the Tréal machine. This layout is also found on some Stenograph machines.

Michela

Type	Phonetic
Development	Complete
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Full Dictionary: 94,000+ Entries
Resources	Free theory books are available here and here.

Used by the Italian Senate. A cheap alternative to an official Michela machine is any MIDI keyboard.

Japanese

42triangles' Kana System

Created by	42triangles
Type	Orthographic 1 Mora + 1 Coda
Kanji Conversion	Romaji-only (Relies on User IME)
Development	Complete

Simple kana input system designed to work alongside the English layout to input Japanese without switching steno systems.

Frag's Japanese System

Created by	Frag
Type	Symmetric 2 Mora + 2 Coda
Kanji Conversion	Structure-based
Development	Work in Progress

Japanese steno system developed for Kanji conversion in mind. The system is symmetrical and each side is capable of inputting one kanji using on'yomi; it is designed to be capable of entering one kanji using one stroke. The layout is based on the Georgi machine.

This is the updated version of the Japanese layout available on TypeyType.

Hachidori (はちどり)

Created by	Kathy (Kaoffie)
Type	Symmetric 2 Mora + 2 Coda
Kanji Conversion	Hybrid
Development	Work in Progress

Japanese steno system created to fix all the downsides of Sokutaipu and introduce an intuitive Kanji input system. The system is symmetrical and each side is capable of inputting a full on'yomi; the layout is designed to keep as many keys from the English layout in the same position as possible whilst also maintaining compatibility with as many hobbyist keyboards as possible.

Sokutaipu (ソクタイプ)

Type	Semi-Symmetric 2 Mora + 1 Coda
Kanji Conversion	Pure Kana (Relies on User IME)
Development	Not in active development
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Not Registered on Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Full Dictionary: 365,000+ Entries
Resources	Kana Table

Also known as the Stentura (ステンチュラ) layout. The two sides are symmetric and are each in charge of a syllable, while the thumb is in charge of connecting the two sides; there are also one-side briefs that can be mirrored on the other side or merged.

StenoWord (ステノワード)

Type	Orthographic 1-Syllable
Kanji Conversion	Pure Kana (Relies on User IME)
Development	Not in active development
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Not Registered on Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Full Dictionary: 2,600+ Entries
Resources	Kana Table

The preferred Japanese steno system for NHK live captions; the left hand is for consonants and the right hand is for vowels.

Willem's Kana System

Created by	Willem Sonke
Type	Orthographic 1 Mora + 1 Coda
Kanji Conversion	Romaji-only (Relies on User IME)
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Not Registered on Plugin Manager)
Development	Complete

A way to write Japanese kana in steno. This is not focused on speed; instead it is meant to be easy to learn for English steno users while still being reasonably efficient. It uses the standard English layout.

Korean

Korean CAS

Type	Orthographic (Initial/Medial/Final) with Briefs
Development	Not in active development
Plugin	Plugin Repository under "Korean Modern C" (Not Registered on Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Partial
Resources	Documentation and theory basics can be found here.

The Computer Aided Steno-machine, or CAS, was developed by Korea Steno and features one of the two modern stenography systems for Korean in use today.

Sorizava (소리자바)

Type	Orthographic (Initial/Medial/Final) with Briefs
Development	Not in Development
Plugin	Plugin Repository under "Korean Modern S" (Not Registered on Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Partial

Sorizava, developed by a company of the same name, is the second of the modern stenography systems for Korean in use today and the more recent to have been created.

The Sorizava system is not currently under development. There are partial pieces of an implementation in plover-korean but outside of a partial dictionary no theory materials have been obtained to progress further.

Portuguese

Brazilian Stenotype

Type	Phonetic
Development	Complete
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Basic: 4,000+ Entries (available on the Plover Discord)

Brazilian Portuguese system used by Paulo Paniago. Also included in some Stenograph machines.

Russian

Russian Melani

Type	Phonetic
Development	Not Available for Plover
Resources	Dictionary Sample

Not much is known about this layout; see this discussion about Russian steno.

Russian Stenograph

Type	Phonetic
Development	Not Available for Plover

The Russian layout that built into some Stenograph/Stentura machines. Not much is known about this layout.

Trillo (Трилло)

Type	Phonetic
Development	Complete
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Basic: 15,000+ Entries
Resources	Textbook (in mixed English/Russian)

A realtime theory for Russian writing based on the Tréal machine.

Spanish

Spanish Especias

Created by	Lars Rune Præstmark (SeaLiteral)
Type	Phonetic
Development	Not in active development
Resources	Basic description available on the GitHub Repository.

A layout that allows writing two "vowels" and two "consonants" per stroke. It uses the same layout as Finnish, except for one of the colon keys being replaced with an s to write plurals.

Spanish Grandjean

Type	Phonetic
Development	Relies on existing Grandjean plugin
Plugin	Grandjean Plugin (Download using Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	None publicly available
Resources	Asociacion Española de Estenotipistas

Spanish system based on French Grandjean layout.

Spanish Marino (Método Marino)

Type	Phonetic
Development	Not Available for Plover
Plugin	Uses the English Stenotype Plugin
Dictionary	None publicly available.
Resources	Overview Facebook Page

Spanish theory used in the Argentine Senate, along with Spanish Palantype.

Spanish MQD

Type	Phonetic
Development	Released
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Basic: 11,000+ Entries

Spanish system based on the Melani Italian layout, used at MQD.

Spanish Stenograph

Type	Phonetic
Development	Not Available for Plover

The Spanish layout that comes built-in on some Stenograph machines, including the latest Luminex II.

Spanish System (eo variant)

Created by	Eliseo Ocampos (roskoff)
Type	Phonetic
Development	Released; in active development
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Full Dictionary: 71,000+ Entries
Resources	Documentation can be found on the GitHub repository.

Developed for the default Plover layout, proposes a syllabic system trading-off a little of abbreviations for consistent rules.

Stanley's Spanish Dictionary

Created by	Stanley Sakai (Stanographer)
Type	Phonetic
Development	Released
Plugin	Uses the English Stenotype Plugin
Dictionary	Basic: 12,000+ Entries Available for download here.

Spanish dictionary designed to be used with the English Stenotype layout.

Swedish

Swedish Palantype

Type	Phonetic
Development	Not in active development
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Not Registered on Plugin Manager)
Dictionary	Sample: 87,000+ Entries (Autogenerated)
Resources	Swedish Theory

Swedish steno system based on the English Palantype layout.

Thai

Thai Steno

Created by	Parnikkapore
Type	Orthographic
Development	Work in Progress
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Not Registered on Plugin Manager)

A work-in-progress Thai steno system.

Turkish

Turkish Stenograph

Type	Phonetic
Development	Not Available for Plover

The Turkish layout that comes built-in on some Stenograph machines, including the latest Luminex II.

Vietnamese

Aerick's Vietnamese System

Created by	Aerick
Type	Orthographic
Development	Released; in active development
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Not Registered on Plugin Manager)

Orthographic Vietnamese system designed to input one syllable per stroke.

user202729's Vietnamese System

Created by	user202729
Type	Orthographic
Development	Released
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Download using Plugin Manager)

A Vietnamese steno system based on the English stenotype layout.

Multilingual Systems

Velotype

Type	Orthographic
Development	Released
Plugin	Plugin Repository (Not Registered on Plugin Manager)
Supported Languages	Dutch, English (can be adapted to more)
Resources	Official Website

The velotype is an orthographic system designed to support many European languages. It has also been implemented as a separate app in Qweyboard by kqr.

Plover Wiki — Open Steno Project — Plover Homepage