Voice Typing in Gmail

Why Dictate Emails in Gmail?

The average professional sends 40 emails per day and spends nearly 2.5 hours doing it. Much of that time goes to the mechanical act of typing — hunting for the right words, correcting typos, and formatting text. Email content itself is conversational. You're essentially talking to someone in writing. So why not actually talk?

With Steno, you can dictate Gmail emails at 130+ words per minute — roughly three times faster than the average typing speed of 40 WPM. A typical email that takes 4 minutes to type takes about 90 seconds to dictate. Over a full workday, that's over an hour saved on email alone. You can calculate your own potential savings with our time saved calculator.

Voice-typed emails also tend to sound more natural and conversational, because you're speaking the way you'd actually communicate with someone. There's less over-editing, fewer stilted phrases, and a more authentic tone that recipients respond to better.

How to Set Up Steno for Gmail

Gmail Workflows You Can Voice Type

Compose New Emails by Voice

Click Compose, then click on the To field and dictate the recipient's name (or type it). Click on the subject line, hold your hotkey, and speak the subject. Then click on the body, hold the hotkey again, and dictate the full email. You can break longer emails into multiple dictation segments — each time you hold and release, text is appended at your cursor position.

Reply to Threads Quickly

Email replies are often short and conversational — perfect for voice typing. Open the thread, click Reply, hold your hotkey, and say your response. A reply like "Thanks for sending this over. I've reviewed the proposal and have a few questions — can we set up a call for Thursday afternoon?" takes about 5 seconds to dictate versus 20 seconds to type.

Draft Long-Form Emails

Project updates, client communications, and detailed proposals can run several paragraphs. Dictating these at speaking speed saves significant time. Use Steno's voice commands to say "new paragraph" when you want to start a new section, keeping your email well-structured as you speak.

Process Your Inbox Faster

Inbox zero becomes achievable when replies take seconds instead of minutes. Open an email, read it, click Reply, dictate your response, and send. Move to the next one. The rhythm of read-dictate-send is significantly faster than read-type-edit-send, especially for the dozens of routine emails that don't require deep thought.

Dictate Subject Lines

A good subject line makes your email more likely to be read and acted upon. But crafting the right words on a keyboard can feel like pulling teeth. With voice typing, you can speak a natural, descriptive subject line in a second — "Follow up on Q2 budget review meeting" — without the friction of typing it out letter by letter.

Pro Tips for Voice Typing in Gmail

Frequently Asked Questions