Voice to Text for Autism

Communication preferences vary widely among autistic individuals. Some find typing more comfortable. Others find that speaking flows more naturally than the mechanical process of typing. If you're in the second group, Blurt offers an alternative: hold a button, speak your thoughts, release. Your words appear as text. No keyboard required. This isn't about what you should prefer. It's about having options that match how you actually communicate best.

First 1,000 words free Works in any app on macOS Minimal, non-intrusive interface

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The Typing Problem

Typing creates sensory friction that speaking doesn't

The physical sensation of typing, the sound of keys clicking, the visual focus required to watch the screen, the tactile feedback of each keystroke. For some autistic people, these sensory inputs add up to cognitive load that makes written communication more draining than it needs to be. Speaking can bypass some of that sensory overhead, letting you focus on what you want to say rather than the mechanics of getting it onto screen.

The translation from thought to typed word feels unnatural

You know what you want to communicate. But the process of converting that thought into finger movements, one letter at a time, can feel disconnected from how you naturally express ideas. Some autistic people experience typing as an extra translation layer that distorts what they're trying to say. Speaking can feel more direct, more connected to the actual thought, less filtered through mechanics.

Sustained typing is exhausting in ways speaking isn't

Written communication that requires extended typing sessions can be depleting. The coordination, the sensory input, the need to monitor spelling and grammar, the physical positioning. For some, speaking the same content would take a fraction of the energy. This isn't about typing skill. It's about which modality costs you less to maintain over time.

Your verbal expression captures nuance your typing loses

When you speak, your thoughts flow with natural pacing and emphasis. When you type, you might find yourself writing in shorter, simpler sentences because the effort of typing complex thoughts is prohibitive. If your verbal communication is richer than your written communication, that's not a writing problem. It's a mismatch between your natural expression style and the input method.

The visual busyness of typing interfaces is overwhelming

Text editors, email clients, messaging apps. They're full of buttons, menus, formatting options, notifications. For some autistic people, this visual complexity makes the act of writing more difficult than it should be. Voice input can reduce interface engagement to a single action: hold button, speak, release. Less visual noise, less decision fatigue.

How It Works

Blurt is designed to be simple and predictable. The same action produces the same result, every time.

Hold your hotkey

Press and hold your chosen key combination. A small, consistent indicator appears showing that Blurt is listening. The same visual feedback every time.

Speak at your own pace

Say what you want to write. You can pause to think. You can speak in fragments or complete sentences. Blurt handles punctuation automatically so you don't need to say 'period' or 'comma'.

Release and text appears

Let go of the key. Your words are inserted at your cursor, wherever that happens to be. Predictable, consistent, the same every time.

Real Scenarios

Choosing voice when typing feels like too much

You need to respond to an email but the thought of typing out a full reply is exhausting today. With Blurt, you hold the button and speak your response naturally. 'Thanks for sending this over. I reviewed the proposal and have a few questions about the timeline in section three. Can we discuss on Thursday?' The words appear, correctly punctuated, ready to send. You communicated what you needed without the typing overhead.

Matching communication to energy levels

Some days, typing is fine. Other days, it takes more effort than you have available. Blurt gives you the option to switch modalities based on how you're doing. When typing works, type. When speaking would be easier, speak. Having the choice means you're not forced into one mode when it's not working for you.

Expressing complex thoughts without simplifying them

You have a detailed explanation to give. If you had to type it, you might break it into simpler chunks or skip nuances because the typing effort isn't worth it. With voice, you can express the full thought: 'The issue isn't that the function is slow, it's that it's being called redundantly in a loop, and each call triggers a database query that could be batched.' Your verbal fluency becomes written fluency.

Reducing interface interaction

You're working in a visually complex application and need to add some text. Normally you'd navigate to a text field, position your cursor, and start typing while the rest of the interface demands attention. With Blurt, you put your cursor where text should go and speak. Minimal interface engagement, minimal visual processing required.

Consistent, predictable text entry

Blurt works the same way every time. Same hotkey, same indicator, same behavior. There are no modal dialogs, no varying states to track, no surprises. For anyone who values consistency and predictability in their tools, this sameness is a feature. You know exactly what will happen before you do it.

Documentation and longer writing

Writing documentation, emails, or longer content can be draining when it requires sustained typing. Speaking allows you to get content out of your head and onto the page without the mechanical overhead. You can always edit afterward, but the hard part, getting the initial content written, happens at the speed of speech.

macOS includes built-in dictation. Here's how Blurt compares for users who prefer minimal, predictable interfaces.

	Blurt	macOS Dictation
Activation	Single customizable hotkey, same every time	Double-tap Control or click menu icon
Visual feedback	Small, consistent indicator in the same location	Modal interface that varies by context
Punctuation	Automatic, no need to speak punctuation	Requires saying 'period' and 'comma' aloud
Behavior consistency	Same behavior in every app, every time	Varies by application and context
Transcription quality	AI-powered, handles natural speech patterns	Good but can struggle with non-standard pacing
Price	$10/month or $99/year (first 1,000 words free)	Free with macOS

Frequently Asked Questions

I prefer typing. Is there something wrong with that?

Not at all. Many autistic people prefer typing. It provides time to compose thoughts, control over pacing, and avoids the social aspects of verbal communication. Blurt is for people who find speaking more natural than typing. If typing works better for you, that's completely valid. This tool exists for people with the opposite preference.

How do I know if voice typing would help me?

Consider: Do you find it easier to explain something verbally than to write it out? Does typing feel more draining than speaking? Do you ever avoid written communication because the typing overhead is too high? If yes to any of these, voice typing might be worth trying. The free tier gives you first 1,000 words free to experiment.

Will Blurt understand me if I speak with unusual pacing or rhythm?

Blurt uses AI transcription that handles varied speech patterns. You can pause mid-sentence, speak in bursts, or take time between thoughts. The transcription adapts to how you naturally speak rather than requiring you to speak in a particular way.

Is the interface predictable and consistent?

Yes. Blurt is designed to behave the same way every time. Same hotkey produces same indicator in same location. Release always inserts text at cursor. No modal dialogs, no varying states, no context-dependent behavior changes. If consistency matters to you, Blurt was built with that in mind.

Can I use Blurt in quiet mode around others?

Blurt handles quiet speech well. Many users speak at a low conversational volume, not much louder than thinking aloud. If you're in a shared space, you can speak quietly and Blurt will still capture your words accurately.

What's the free tier and is it enough to evaluate whether this helps?

The free tier provides first 1,000 words free permanently, no credit card required. That's enough to test voice typing across different situations and see if it reduces your communication friction. If it helps, Pro is $10/month or $99/year for unlimited words.

Does Blurt work with Windows or just Mac?

Blurt is macOS only. We focused on creating the best possible Mac experience with native menu bar integration and system-level keyboard shortcuts. Windows and Linux versions are not currently available.

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