# Memorization tools

> Hide your lines, use first-letter cues, listen to the full scene, and loop until it sticks.

- URL: https://www.offbook.com/help-center/guides/memorization-tools

Category: Guides, in the [Offbook Help Center](https://www.offbook.com/help-center).

Video: [Hide your lines](https://www.offbook.com/learn/hide-your-lines) (1:07), [Flashcards](https://www.offbook.com/learn/flashcards) (1:00)

## Hide your lines

The core memorization tool: turn on **Hide your lines** in Scene Controls and your dialogue disappears from the screen while everyone else's stays visible. You have to recall each line from your scene partner's cue, exactly how it works in the room.

## Memorization cues (first letters)

Not ready to go fully blind? Memorization cues replace your lines with just enough to jog your memory:

- **First letters:** show only the first 1-8 letters of each word ("T b o n t b" for "To be or not to be").
- **First word:** show only the first word of each line.
- Optionally keep **punctuation** and **capitalization** visible as extra anchors.

**Tip:** A progression that works: full script → first letters (3 per word) → first letters (1 per word) → hidden. Drop a level whenever you're above ~90% accuracy.

Want to try the method on a monologue before you upload it? Our free [first letter memorization tool](https://www.offbook.com/tools/first-letter-memorizer) turns any text into first-letter cues in your browser. Learning a whole play? See how to [learn lines for a play](https://www.offbook.com/for/theater-actors) with Offbook.

## Hide the entire script

For a final test, hide the whole script: no lines, no cues, just your scene partner's voice. If you can run the scene clean like this, you're off book.

## Listen mode

Listen mode plays the **entire scene** aloud, including your lines. It's perfect for the commute, warm-ups, or absorbing the rhythm of a scene before you start drilling. Audio must be generated for the scene first (it's disabled until then).

## Scene looping

Turn on **Scene looping** and the scene restarts automatically when it ends, so you can run it back-to-back without touching anything.