A dead key produces no character on its own. You press and release it, then press a base letter to combine them. On the Czech layout the háček and čárka are dead keys used to add accents to letters that lack a dedicated key.

Where are the accented vowels on the Czech layout?

The most common accented vowels sit directly on the number row with no Shift: 8 gives á, 9 gives í, 0 gives é, plus ě, š, č, ř, ž, ý on keys 2 to 7. To type the digits themselves you hold Shift.

What is the difference between háček and čárka?

Háček is the caron, the small v-shape that makes č, ř, š, ž, ě, ň, ď, ť. Čárka is the acute accent that lengthens vowels into á, é, í, ó, ú, ý. Each is a separate dead key on the Czech layout.

How do I type ů versus ú?

They are two different letters. The ring-accented ů has its own dedicated key to the right of L, while ú with an acute has its own key to the right of P. Both appear directly on the Czech QWERTZ layout.

Does this tool change my keyboard?

No. It is a read-only reference that explains where characters live on the Czech layout. It does not remap or install anything, and it runs entirely in your browser.

Czech Keyboard Layout Reference

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The Czech keyboard uses a QWERTZ base with its accented letters spread across the number row and two dead keys for the rest. This reference shows where every diacritic lives and how to build the ones that need a dead key.

How it works

On the standard Czech (QWERTZ) layout the frequent accented vowels and consonants sit directly on the number row: 2=ě 3=š 4=č 5=ř 6=ž 7=ý 8=á 9=í 0=é. Because those keys carry letters, typing the actual digits requires Shift. The letters ú and ů have their own dedicated keys near P and L.

Everything else is produced with a dead key. The háček (caron, ˇ) dead key followed by a base letter gives č ř š ž ě ď ť ň ó, and the čárka (acute, ´) dead key followed by a vowel gives á é í ó ú ý. A dead key shows nothing until you press the base letter that follows it.

Tips

If a character you type appears as a stray accent floating before the next letter, you have hit a dead key but not yet pressed its base letter — finish the combination. Remember that ů (ring) and ú (acute) are distinct letters with distinct keys, a common point of confusion.

Notes

Use this when switching to a Czech layout for the first time or when typing the occasional Czech name on a borrowed machine. The tool is reference-only and runs locally in your browser.