Fact · Voice and AI
49.7words per minute
In a 2026 copy task, the participant's silent speech was decoded at an average of 49.7 words per minute, with accuracy of 96.5 percent.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“with silent speech, accuracy reached 96.5% at 49.7 WPM average”
Long-term independent use of an intracortical brain-computer interface for speech and cursor control, Nicholas S. Card et al., Nature Medicine, 2026, Results, copy task comparing silent and vocalized speech.
Open the original (DOI 10.1038/s41591-026-04414-6)- What it measures
- The participant moved from voiced to silent speech, making facial movements without voicing, which he said was less effortful. The copy task compared the two strategies in the same sessions.
- What it does not show
- One participant, sentences shown on a screen, and lower accuracy than the vocalized condition in the same test. It is not a measure of silent speech in general.