Voice to Text for Excalidraw
Hand-drawn diagrams need labels, but typing breaks your sketching flow. Whether you're annotating architecture diagrams, adding quick explanations to whiteboard sketches, or labeling flowchart elements, switching from drawing to typing disrupts your visual thinking. Blurt lets you speak directly into Excalidraw. Hold a button, say what you want to label, release. Text appears instantly at your cursor. Your hands stay on the drawing tools, your mind stays on the diagram.
The Typing Problem
Labeling diagram elements interrupts your drawing momentum
You're sketching out a system architecture, shapes flowing naturally from your thoughts. But every box needs a label. Database. API Gateway. Load Balancer. Each label requires switching from mouse to keyboard, breaking the spatial thinking that makes whiteboarding effective. By the time you've typed three labels, you've lost the mental map of where the next component should go.
Quick explanations take forever to type out
You've drawn an arrow showing data flow and need to add a quick note: 'Async webhook triggered on status change.' It's a 5-second thought that takes 30 seconds to type. You consider leaving it unlabeled, but then the diagram won't make sense when you share it. So you type, lose your place, and try to remember what you were about to draw next.
Hand-drawn sketches need real words, not Lorem ipsum
Excalidraw's hand-drawn aesthetic is perfect for early-stage thinking. But placeholder text undermines the whole point. You want to capture actual ideas while they're fresh. 'User clicks Submit' not 'Action goes here.' The typing overhead means you default to vague labels that won't help future-you understand the diagram.
Collaborative whiteboarding gets bottlenecked by typing
You're in a remote brainstorming session, sharing your Excalidraw board. Ideas are flowing faster than you can label them. Your teammate says 'add a box for the notification service' and by the time you've drawn the box and typed the label, three more ideas have been suggested and forgotten. The meeting's energy dissipates waiting for your fingers.
Technical annotations require precise terminology
You're documenting an API flow and need labels like 'OAuth2 callback' and 'JWT validation middleware.' Technical terms are longer and require more precision than casual text. Each label becomes a mini typing exercise, complete with backspaces to fix typos. The cognitive load of spelling technical terms correctly pulls you out of diagram thinking entirely.
How It Works
Blurt works anywhere you can type in Excalidraw. Text elements, labels, annotations, sticky notes. If there's a cursor, Blurt works.
Click to add text or select an element
Start a new text element, or click into an existing label. Anywhere you'd normally type in Excalidraw.
Hold your hotkey and speak
Press your chosen shortcut and say what you want to type. Blurt handles punctuation automatically.
Release and continue sketching
Text appears instantly. No delay, no extra steps. Your hands never left the mouse or stylus.
Real Scenarios
Architecture diagram annotations
You're sketching a microservices architecture. Draw the database box, click to add text, hold your hotkey, say 'PostgreSQL primary with read replicas.' Next box. 'Redis cache layer.' Next box. 'Message queue for async jobs.' Labels flow as fast as you can draw shapes. The diagram stays ahead of your thinking instead of behind it.
Flowchart step descriptions
You're mapping a user journey through your app. Each step needs a description. Draw the step, hold your hotkey, speak: 'User enters email and clicks Continue.' Next step. 'System validates email format and checks for existing account.' Detailed flowchart steps captured at speaking speed.
Quick explanatory notes during brainstorming
Ideas are coming fast in your planning session. You sketch a rough concept and need to capture the 'why' before it fades. Hold your hotkey: 'This handles the edge case where payment fails but order was already submitted.' Note captured in 3 seconds. Back to sketching the next idea.
Technical documentation diagrams
You're creating a diagram for your engineering wiki. Precision matters. Draw the component, hold your hotkey, say 'Kubernetes ingress controller with TLS termination.' Technical terms transcribed correctly. No typos to fix. The documentation gets written because it's not a typing chore.
Live whiteboarding during meetings
You're sharing your Excalidraw during a team call. Someone asks 'Can you add a note about why we chose this approach?' Hold your hotkey, speak their answer back: 'Chosen for horizontal scalability and cost efficiency at high traffic volumes.' Note added while they're still talking. Meeting momentum preserved.
Wireframe annotations for developers
You're sketching a UI wireframe and need to add implementation notes. Click near the button, hold your hotkey: 'Disabled state until form validates. Show spinner on click.' Developer context added instantly. The handoff document writes itself as you sketch.
Data flow diagrams with detailed labels
You're documenting how data moves through your system. Each arrow needs context. Hold your hotkey: 'Encrypted at rest, TLS in transit, 24-hour retention policy.' Next arrow. 'Real-time sync via WebSocket, fallback to polling.' Complex data flows captured without typing fatigue.
Why Excalidraw users choose Blurt over built-in dictation for whiteboard work
| Blurt | macOS Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| Activation | Single customizable hotkey | Double-tap Fn or click microphone |
| Response time | Text appears in under 500ms | 2-3 second delay, sometimes fails silently |
| Technical vocabulary | Handles 'Kubernetes', 'OAuth', 'WebSocket' correctly | Struggles with technical and programming terms |
| Workflow integration | Works without disrupting Excalidraw focus | System UI appears, breaks concentration |
| Reliability | Consistent transcription quality | Inconsistent, requires retries |
Frequently Asked Questions
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