Glossary
Talon Voice
Talon Voice, usually called Talon, is hands-free input software for writing, coding, browsing and gaming. It runs alongside a speech-recognition engine, and it is used for voice coding, often together with the Cursorless editing language.
Updated October 17, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called Talon.
Talon Voice, usually called Talon, is hands-free input software. Its home page describes it as a tool for hands-free input for writing, coding, browsing and gaming 1. Talon is one of the platforms used for voice coding, and the editing language Cursorless is built to run on it.
It began with a developer's hand pain
According to a 2022 research paper on motor-impaired programmers, the developer of Talon left a full-time job as a software engineer and started building it after developing severe hand pain 2. The paper is about how such programmers use speech recognition, which is why Talon appears there as a tool that people with hand pain adopt.
Platforms: the sources disagree
Talon's home page offers downloads for macOS, Windows and Linux (X11) 3. A 2026 report, however, quotes the developer saying that Talon will imminently remove all Linux support from its public release, as X11 continues to sunset 4. The two sources disagree. Before you plan a Linux setup, check the current download page and the developer's own notes.
Why it matters for dictation and typing
Dictation tools type your words into a text field. Talon is a broader input tool: it accepts commands as well as words, so a single spoken phrase can act on the screen rather than appear as text. If you only need to write prose, the built-in tools covered in our dictation guides are the simpler choice. If you want hands-free control of an editor, Talon is one of the tools built for that.
Related terms
- Cursorless: the editing language that is commonly installed on top of Talon.
- Voice coding: programming by voice, the main use that Talon is known for.
- Voice command: a spoken phrase that makes the software act instead of type.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
- 1.
- 2.
- 3.
- 4.
Related terms
- Voice Typing in Google Docs, Word and Every Other AppThe topic this term belongs to
- Connected experiences (Microsoft 365)Connected experiences are Microsoft 365 features backed by cloud services, and Dictate is one of the experiences that analyze your content. You can turn them off in Manage Settings, but that setting also turns off other services.
- CursorlessCursorless is a spoken language for structural code editing that lets developers code by voice. Every command is an action performed on a target in the code, and it runs on Talon with a VS Code extension.
- Dictate (Microsoft 365)Dictate is the speech-to-text feature in Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Outlook and PowerPoint. It needs a Microsoft 365 subscription, a microphone and a reliable internet connection.
- Dictation (ChromeOS)Dictation on ChromeOS is a built-in accessibility feature that types recognized speech into an editable field. You turn it on with Search + D or the microphone icon in the status tray.
- Site microphone permissionSite microphone permission is the browser's setting for each website that decides whether that site may use your microphone, usually chosen when the browser prompts you. It works alongside the operating system's own microphone setting, so both must allow the microphone before a site can listen.
- Text insertionText insertion is the step where dictation software places recognized words into the text field that has the cursor. It is done either by simulating keystrokes or by pasting the text from the clipboard.
- Transcribe (Microsoft 365)Transcribe is a Word for Microsoft 365 feature that turns an uploaded audio file into text in the Transcribe pane, rather than typing your speech into the document. Its monthly limits depend on your license.
- Vibe codingVibe coding is building software by describing what you want to an AI model and accepting the code it writes, without reviewing that code. Andrej Karpathy introduced the term, and the developer Simon Willison argues for a narrower meaning than the broad one now in use.
- Voice codingVoice coding, also called programming by voice or coding by voice, is writing and editing source code by speaking instead of typing. It needs a speech-recognition engine and a separate platform that turns spoken words into code editing actions.
- Voice typing (Google Docs)Voice typing in Google Docs is a built-in speech-to-text tool that types as you speak. You start it from the Tools menu in a supported browser, and the browser controls the speech-to-text service.
- WaylandWayland is the display system that Linux desktops are moving to in place of the X Window System, called X11. Its compositor delivers input to each app, so a typing tool that worked on X11 may not type on a Wayland desktop.
- Web Speech APIThe Web Speech API is a set of browser interfaces that let a web page start speech recognition and receive the recognized words as text, through an object called SpeechRecognition. Where the recognition runs, on your device or on a server, depends on the browser.
Pages that use this term
- Voice Typing in Google Docs, Word and Every Other AppTopic
- Speech to Text on Linux: Dictation on Ubuntu and MintGuide
- Voice Coding: How to Program by VoiceGuide
- Voice Input for Claude Code, Cursor and AI Coding ToolsGuide
- Dictation for Academics, Researchers and ThesesGuide
- Can you control Linux with voice commands?Question
- How does Talon voice coding work?Question
- CursorlessGlossary
- Voice codingGlossary