Setting Up Vietnamese Keyboard Input: The Complete Telex Guide

You can't practice Vietnamese dictation without a Vietnamese keyboard. Telex is the most popular input method — here's how to set it up on every platform. ## What Is Telex? Telex lets you type Vietnamese using a standard QWERTY keyboard by adding extra keystrokes for diacritics and tones. No special hardware needed. ## The Telex Rules | Type | Get | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | aa | â | taam → tâm | | aw | ă | awn → ăn | | ee | ê | teen → tên | | oo | ô | toon → tôn | | ow | ơ | mow → mơ | | uw | ư | tuw → tư | | dd | đ | ddi → đi | ### Tone Marks | Type after vowel | Tone | Example | | --- | --- | --- | | s | Sắc (rising) á | bas → bá | | f | Huyền (falling) à | baf → bà | | r | Hỏi (questioning) ả | bar → bả | | x | Ngã (tumbling) ã | bax → bã | | j | Nặng (heavy) ạ | baj → bạ | ## Setup by Platform ### Windows Go to Settings → Time & Language → Language → Add a language → Vietnamese. Select the Telex keyboard. Switch with Win+Space. ### macOS System Preferences → Keyboard → Input Sources → Add (+) → Vietnamese → Vietnamese Telex. Switch with Ctrl+Space or the menu bar icon. ### iOS Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard → Vietnamese → Telex. ### Android Most keyboards (Gboard, SwiftKey) support Vietnamese. Go to keyboard settings → Languages → Add Vietnamese. ## Practice Tip Type these 10 words to get comfortable: xin chào, cảm ơn, tạm biệt, vâng, không, tôi, bạn, ăn, uống, đi. Once these feel natural, you're ready for WELE dictation.