Stenotype

A specialised text-entry method that uses a keyboard with fewer keys than a standard QWERTY layout, where multiple keys are pressed simultaneously (chording) to represent phonetic sounds, syllables, or entire words. Stenotype enables trained operators to achieve speeds of 200-300 words per minute, making it essential for real-time captioning of live events, court reporting, and broadcast captioning. Unlike touch-typing where each letter requires a separate keypress, stenotype represents each word as a single chord event, dramatically reducing the number of keystrokes needed. Learning stenotype traditionally requires 1-3 years of intensive training, though projects like the Open Steno Project are working to make the skill more accessible through open-source tools and QWERTY-based practice.