Speech to text for Linux that types into any app
Speech to text for Linux turns what you say into typed text in the app you are using. Talk by LetBe.Ai transcribes on your own machine, types the words below the compositor so Wayland and X11 both work, and tidies each sentence when you pause.
How does speech to text work on Linux here?
Double-tap Ctrl. Talk starts listening, and your words appear live in whatever has focus: a terminal, a browser field, a chat window, an editor. Double-tap Ctrl again to stop. The transcription runs on your own machine, with no cloud, no cost and no waiting.
When you pause, the last sentence is tidied: the fillers go, the punctuation arrives, and it reads the way you meant it. That clean-up step is the only part that leaves your computer, and only the finished sentence is sent.
Double-tap Ctrl, talk, and the sentence is tidied when you pause
- Double-tap Ctrl. Talk starts listening.
- Talk. Your words appear live in whatever has focus: a terminal, a browser field, a chat window, an editor.
- Pause. The last sentence is tidied: the fillers go, the punctuation arrives, and it reads the way you meant it. Only the finished sentence is sent.
- Double-tap Ctrl again to stop.
Does it work on Wayland?
Yes, and on X11. The trigger key and the typing both go through the kernel's input layer, below the compositor, so Talk does not depend on which desktop you run or which windows expose an accessibility interface. If a window accepts keyboard input, Talk can type into it.
Wayland and X11
The trigger key and the typing both go through the kernel's input layer, below the compositor.
Below the compositor
Talk does not depend on which desktop you run or which windows expose an accessibility interface.
Any app
If a window accepts keyboard input, Talk can type into it.
Does your voice leave your computer?
Not for the transcription. The speech recognition runs locally. What is sent, when you pause, is the finished sentence for the clean-up step. If you want a different wording, ask for it in your own words and the sentence is rewritten in that style.
What can you say besides the text?
A few spoken commands, so your hands stay off the keyboard:
- "letbe send" presses Enter.
- "letbe new line" starts a new line.
- "letbe remove" deletes the last sentence.
- "letbe stop" ends dictation.
"letbe" is the command word, and you can change it to any word you like in settings. The trigger is also yours to change: any key or combination of up to three.
How do you install it?
There is a deb package for Debian and Ubuntu based systems, and a one-command installer for Omarchy. Both are on the Linux page, with the one step people forget: log out and back in once after installing, so Talk gets its place in the input layer. Talk is also on the Microsoft Store for Windows.
Speech to text on Linux questions
Does it work on Wayland?
Yes. The trigger key and the typing go through the kernel's input layer, below the compositor, so Talk works on Wayland and on X11 and types into any window that accepts keyboard input.
Does my voice leave my computer?
The transcription runs on your own machine. Only the finished sentence is sent, when you pause, for the clean-up step that fixes fillers and punctuation.
How do I start and stop dictating?
Double-tap Ctrl to start, and double-tap Ctrl again to stop. The words land live in whatever app is focused. You can change the trigger to any key or combination of up to three.
How do I install it?
Download the deb from the Linux page and install it with your package manager, or use the one-command Omarchy installer on the same page. Log out and back in once, then double-tap Ctrl.