Voice to Text for Professors
Your expertise is in your head, not your fingertips. Blurt lets you dictate research papers, lecture notes, grant proposals, and recommendation letters at the speed of thought. Hold a button, speak your ideas, release. Text appears wherever your cursor is — in Word, Google Docs, Overleaf, your email client, anywhere. No more staring at blank pages. No more typing fatigue after hours of writing. Just talk and write.
The Typing Problem
Research papers that take months to write
You have the data. You have the findings. You've presented them at conferences and explained them to colleagues. But translating all of that into written prose takes forever. You sit at the keyboard, and the ideas that flow so easily in conversation turn into a painful word-by-word extraction. A paper that should take weeks stretches into months of evening typing sessions.
Lecture notes that never get updated
Your lectures have evolved over the years. You've added new examples, refined explanations, cut sections that confused students. But your written notes are three years out of date because who has time to type up revisions? You teach from memory while the outdated PDF sits untouched on the course website. Students deserve better, but the typing backlog never shrinks.
Grant proposals with impossible deadlines
The NSF deadline is in two weeks. You need 15 pages of compelling narrative about why your research matters. You know exactly what to say — you've pitched this idea a dozen times. But converting those pitches into polished proposal prose means nights and weekends at the keyboard. Your fingers can't keep up with your funding ambitions.
Recommendation letters that all sound the same
Twelve students need letters this month. Each one deserves a thoughtful, personalized recommendation. But after the third letter, you're exhausted and recycling phrases. 'Excellent student' appears in every draft. You know specific stories about each student — moments that made them stand out — but typing unique letters for everyone feels impossible. Quality suffers under quantity.
Email replies that pile up unanswered
Students, colleagues, journal editors, department administrators — they all need responses. Your inbox has 47 emails requiring more than a one-line reply. Each one needs a thoughtful paragraph or two. But between teaching, research, and committee meetings, when do you find time to type them all? Monday's emails are still waiting on Friday. Important messages slip through the cracks.
How It Works
Blurt works in every app professors use — Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Overleaf, email clients, learning management systems. Anywhere you can put a cursor.
Hold your hotkey
Press your chosen shortcut. A small indicator shows Blurt is listening.
Speak naturally
Dictate your research findings, lecture content, or email reply. Blurt handles punctuation automatically.
Release and done
Text appears at your cursor. Edit as needed or keep going. No copying, no pasting, no extra steps.
Real Scenarios
Drafting research paper sections by talking through your findings
You're writing the discussion section and know exactly how to interpret your results — you've explained it in lab meetings a dozen times. Hold the hotkey and talk through it: 'These findings suggest that the intervention had a stronger effect in the low-income subgroup, which aligns with previous work by Chen and colleagues but contradicts the 2019 meta-analysis.' Two paragraphs dictated in 90 seconds instead of 15 minutes of typing. First drafts appear at conversation speed.
Creating lecture notes while the ideas are fresh
You just finished a great lecture where a new analogy clicked perfectly with students. Before you forget it, hold the button and capture it: 'The way I explained the tragedy of the commons today — comparing it to the department coffee fund — that worked really well. Students immediately understood the free rider problem.' New teaching notes recorded in real-time, no typing required. Your future self thanks you.
Writing grant proposal narratives at speaking speed
The broader impacts section needs three paragraphs about educational outreach. You've given this pitch to program officers before. Hold and speak: 'This project will train six graduate students in computational methods while partnering with three local high schools to bring hands-on science experiences to underserved communities.' Grant prose flows naturally when you can speak instead of type. Deadlines feel less crushing.
Dictating personalized recommendation letters
Maria needs a letter for her PhD applications. You remember her brilliant thesis defense and that time she helped struggling classmates. Hold the hotkey: 'Maria demonstrated exceptional analytical skills when she independently identified a flaw in our experimental design that had gone unnoticed for two semesters. Her intellectual courage combined with genuine kindness toward peers makes her ideally suited for doctoral study.' Authentic, specific letters in minutes instead of generic templates.
Responding to student emails between meetings
A student asks about extensions and accommodations. You have five minutes before your next committee meeting. Hold and respond: 'Thank you for reaching out about the deadline. Given the circumstances you described, I am happy to grant a one-week extension. Please submit by November 15th and let me know if you need additional support.' Thoughtful replies without the typing time. Inbox zero becomes possible.
Adding feedback comments on student papers
You're grading essays and want to give substantive feedback, not just margin notes. Click where you want to comment, hold the button: 'This paragraph makes a strong claim but needs supporting evidence. Consider citing the Smith study we discussed in week four, and explain how it connects to your argument.' Detailed feedback appears instantly. Students get better guidance because you're not exhausted from typing comments.
Writing peer review reports for journals
The editor needs your review in a week. The manuscript has promise but needs work. Hold and dictate your assessment: 'The methodology is sound but the authors need to address potential confounding variables in section three. Specifically, they should control for participant age and prior exposure to similar interventions.' Thorough reviews without the typing burden. You can be the reviewer you'd want reviewing your own work.
Why professors choose Blurt over built-in dictation
| Blurt | macOS Dictation | |
|---|---|---|
| Activation | Single hotkey, instant start | Click microphone icon or double-tap key |
| Speed | Text appears in under 500ms | 2-3 second delay before transcription |
| Academic vocabulary | Handles discipline-specific terminology | Struggles with technical and academic terms |
| Long-form dictation | Reliable for extended passages | Often cuts off or loses connection |
| Punctuation | Automatic, context-aware punctuation | Requires saying 'period' and 'comma' |
Frequently Asked Questions
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