Steno Start Lite
Freeno payment
Free forever. No account needed.
- 135-word Lite dictionary
- 100 short practice sentences
- Guided 22-key keyboard
- Hints and instant feedback
- Search the Lite dictionary
- Progress saved on your device
Steno, without the machine
Learn steno, one chord at a time.
Steno Start teaches the 22-key steno keyboard on your phone, then hands you real sentences to practise. Hints, instant feedback and a dictionary you can make your own. No machine, no account, no subscription.
Free to try · Works offline · No ads · One payment for Pro
steno start
PRACTICE
SENTENCE 1 / 100
we have enough milk
S
T
P
H
*
F
P
L
T
D
A
O
E
U
K
W
R
R
B
G
S
Z
One chord, one word. Order does not matter.
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Start from zero
The Guide explains the 22 keys. Every sentence then highlights one target word and shows the chord it needs.
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Nothing to sign up for
No account, no analytics, no advertising. Your progress lives on your device and stays there.
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An open dictionary
The 500-word teaching dictionary is published openly under CC BY-SA 4.0, with the sources and build behind it.
How it works
Three things to understand.
Then you are writing.
Steno is not a faster keyboard to type on. It is a different way to spell: several keys at once, one outline, one word. Steno Start teaches that shift slowly enough to stick.
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01
See the keyboard
Twenty-two keys, two hands, four vowels. Steno Start labels every key and shows you which fingers belong where.
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02
Build a chord
Tap the keys one at a time or press them together. A chord is written as one outline, and one outline is one word.
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03
Read it back
The app shows the stroke in steno order, then asks you to write the next word in a real sentence.
A look inside
Large keys. Short sentences.
No clutter.
The practice screen holds the sentence, the target word and the keyboard in one view. On a tablet the keyboard scales up and the layout adapts to portrait or landscape.
What is inside
Everything you need to
decide if steno is for you.
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The whole 22-key layout
Every key is named and colour-coded by hand, vowel and asterisk. The keyboard adapts to phones and tablets, in portrait or landscape.
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Real sentences, not word lists
The free set has 100 short sentences. Pro adds another 607, so a new chord is immediately used in context.
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Hints when you need them
Reveal the target chord, the sentence strip or a plain-English concept tip. Then hide them again and try from memory.
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Look up any word
Pro search finds a word by spelling or an outline by stroke. Translate a whole sentence into a chord sequence as you type.
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Timed tests and trouble chords
Pro keeps a log of the chords you keep missing, then builds practice around them. Timed tests show what has actually stuck.
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Bring your own dictionary
Import a steno dictionary from a URL or a local JSON file. Imported entries stay on your device and can be practised one chord at a time.
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Works on a train
The sentences, hints and your progress are all local. The only time the app needs a connection is when you ask it to fetch a dictionary.
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One payment, not a meter
Download for free and keep Lite forever. One in-app purchase unlocks Pro. There is no subscription and no recurring charge.
Open data
The dictionary is open, too.
All 500 beginner words, their outlines and the sources behind them are published under CC BY-SA 4.0. Download the JSON, inspect the provenance, use it in your own project.
Free and Pro
Try the basics for free.
Pay once if you want the rest.
No account, no subscription and no advertising. Lite is a real course, not a three-day trial. Pro adds the full dictionary and the tools that make practice deliberate.
Steno Start Pro
£3.99one-off
One payment. Unlocks the rest for good.
- 500-word Pro dictionary
- 707 practice sentences in total
- Word lookup and full outline search
- Timed tests and trouble-chord log
- Import your own steno dictionary
- Everything in Lite
Prices shown by the App Store or Google Play at checkout may vary by country. Pro is a one-time in-app purchase.
Questions
The things people ask
before they start.
Still unsure? Send us a message and a real person will answer.
Do I need a steno machine?
No. Steno Start is a phone and tablet trainer: it shows the 22-key layout and lets you tap or touch chords on screen. To write at speed you will still need a steno keyboard or machine and software that runs it. Steno Start is a learning aid, not a system keyboard.
What exactly is steno?
Stenography is a chorded way of writing. Instead of typing one letter at a time, you press several keys together and the result is a word, a sound or a brief. Court reporters, captioners and live subtitlers use it to keep up with speech.
Is Steno Start a full steno course?
No. It is a guided introduction for someone who wants to understand the keyboard and try the skill before buying hardware or committing to a course. It teaches a 500-word beginner dictionary and gives you plenty of sentences to practise, but it does not promise professional speed.
Which devices does it run on?
Steno Start is built for Android phones and tablets, iPhone and iPad. The store listings are being prepared. The site will link to both as soon as they are live.
How much does Pro cost?
Pro is one in-app purchase of £3.99 in the UK. The store shows the exact price in your country before you buy. There is no subscription and no recurring charge.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Lessons, sentences, hints and progress are stored on your device. The app only uses the network when you ask it to import a dictionary from a URL.
Can I use my own Plover dictionary?
You can import a Plover-style JSON dictionary in Pro, from a URL or a local file. It stays on your device. Steno Start is independent and is not affiliated with Plover or Open Steno, and imported outlines are yours to check.
What happens to my progress if I uninstall?
Progress is stored locally, so uninstalling removes it unless your phone restores it from a backup. The app has a Reset local progress option if you want to start again deliberately.
Is any of this open source?
The 500-word teaching dictionary is published under CC BY-SA 4.0, with a manifest, provenance records and the sources used. You can download it, inspect it, reuse it and share it. The app itself is not open source.
Start with the free sentences.
Learn the keyboard, try a few sentences and see whether steno clicks. If it does, one payment unlocks the full dictionary and the practice tools.
Get it onGoogle Play · coming soon
Download on theApp Store · coming soon
Free to download. Steno Start Lite and 100 sentences are free.