The WaySpeak manual

WaySpeak reads words on your screen out loud, and types what you say. Everything happens on your own computer: no account, no monthly fee, and nothing you read or say leaves your computer (unless you choose "Microsoft Online" voice typing).

In the box that opens, choose "Save as PDF" as the printer.

1. Installing and opening WaySpeak

WaySpeak comes from the Microsoft Store, the app store that is built into Windows. Microsoft handles the payment, the download and the updates.

Go to WaySpeak in the Microsoft Store, or open the Microsoft Store app on your computer and search for WaySpeak.
Press the price button to buy it, then Get or Install. Sign in with your Microsoft account if the Store asks.
When it has finished, press Open.

Next time, open WaySpeak from the Start menu: press the Windows key and type WaySpeak. WaySpeak updates itself through the Microsoft Store. To remove it: Windows Settings > Apps, choose WaySpeak, then Uninstall.

WaySpeak has two sizes, and you can switch between them at any time with the View button:

Compact view — three large buttons that stay on top of your other programs: Read, Draw Box and Speak to Type. Use it while you work in something else.
Full view — the same buttons plus the Dictionary and Settings, and a large reading page where you can see the words light up as they are read.

Compact view: a View button, a close button, and three buttons: Read (F7), Draw Box (F9) and Speak to Type (F10). — Compact view.

Full view: buttons along the top, View and Settings at the right, and a large reading page below. — Full view.

2. Reading out loud

Highlight the words you want to hear, in any program: a web page, an email, a document.
Press Read (or the F7 key).

WaySpeak reads them out loud. In full view you can watch along: the word being said is lit up in aqua (light blue), and the sentence around it is shaded.

Nothing highlighted? If the typing line is in a box or document that Windows lets WaySpeak see, it reads from there. If not, it tells you to highlight some words first.

Read the page again: when the reading has finished, press Read in WaySpeak again and it starts from the top.

Full view while reading: one word lit up in aqua and its sentence shaded, with the player controls along the bottom. — Reading, with the word being said lit up.

3. Pause, go back, and change the speed

Pause: press Read again while it is talking. Press it once more to carry on.
Hear something else: to hear something else instead, highlight the new words in your other program and press Read.
Stop: press Stop (or F8).

Along the bottom of the reading page are the player controls:

Back and forward arrows — go back or skip ahead one sentence. Change Sentence to Paragraph to jump a whole paragraph instead.
− Speed + — slower or faster. Speed 0 is normal.
The line with the circle — shows how far through you are. Click or drag it to start reading from another place.
"Sentence 3 of 12" — where you are.

The player controls, shown big, with labels: the back and forward arrows go back or skip ahead; the line with the circle shows how far it has read, and you can click or drag the circle to jump; Sentence 2 of 3 is where you are; Sentence or Paragraph sets how far the arrows jump; minus and plus make it slower and faster, and Speed 0 is normal. — The player controls along the bottom of the reading page, shown bigger. Click or tap a picture to see it full size.

4. Reading words in a picture

Some words cannot be highlighted: a photo, a scanned letter, a picture on a web page. WaySpeak can still read them.

Press Draw Box (or F9).
Drag a box around the words.

WaySpeak finds the words inside the box and reads them out loud.

A web page with a library poster. Label 1 points to the dotted box drawn around the poster. Label 2 points to WaySpeak, which shows the words from the poster and lights up the sentence it is reading. — Example: reading the words on a poster. Click or tap the picture to see it full size.

5. Voice typing

Click where you want the words to go: an email, a document, a search box.
Press F10 (or Speak to Type) and talk normally.
Press it again to stop.

Your words are typed into that program as you talk. The words are typed into the program you were in when you pressed F10, so click into it first.

An email being written by voice. Label 1 points to the email: click where the words should go, and they appear there as you talk. Label 2 points to WaySpeak's Speak to Type button, which says Stop Talking while you talk; press it to stop. — Example: writing an email by talking. Click or tap the picture to see it full size.

Choose the best accuracy: in Settings, set Voice typing accuracy to Offline best (private). It is the most accurate, and adds full stops, commas and capital letters by itself. The first time you press F10 it takes a few seconds to get ready.
Um and uh are left out automatically. You can change this in Settings.
New line: say "new line" or "new paragraph".
Which microphone: WaySpeak listens through the microphone chosen in Windows: Settings > System > Sound > Input. A desk microphone or a headset gives the best results. Bluetooth earbuds such as AirPods switch to "phone call" sound when their microphone is used, which is less clear.

6. The dictionary

Switch to full view (the dictionary shows there).
Highlight one word, on the reading page or in another program.
Press Dictionary (or F6).

The word and its meaning appear, and the buttons change to Speak Word, Spell Word (letter by letter), Read Meaning and Back. Press Back to return.

The dictionary in full view: the word and its meaning, with Speak Word, Spell Word, Read Meaning and Back buttons. — The dictionary.

7. Typing on the reading page

In full view you can click on the reading page and type: fix a word, add words, or write something from nothing. Then press Read to hear it.

If it was reading, it stops while you type.
Ctrl + Z undoes your typing. If new words replaced yours, Ctrl + Z brings yours back.

Full view with a short note typed on the reading page. Label 1 points to the note: click on the reading page and type your own words. Label 2 points to the Read button: then press Read (F7) to hear them. — Example: a short note typed on the reading page. Click or tap the picture to see it full size.

8. Settings

Switch to full view and press Settings. Every setting has a Listen button that explains it out loud. Press Save to keep your changes.

Reading and voice

Voice — who reads to you. Test Voice lets you hear it.
Speed — how fast it reads.
Text size and Line spacing — how big the words are on the reading page, and how far apart the lines are.
Background pattern — Plain, Ruled Lines, Wide Lines or Grid behind the words.
Highlight and focus color — the color of the word being read.
Show a Read button beside selected text — off to start with. Tick it, and a small Read button pops up next to the words you highlight in any program. Press it and WaySpeak reads them, without going back to the WaySpeak window. Some programs do not let WaySpeak see what you highlighted, so the small button may not appear there; use the main Read button (or F7) instead.
Speak in — the language you hear. English is the starting choice: words in another language, such as Spanish, are translated on your computer and read to you in English. Choose Spanish and English is read to you in Spanish. A language is a one-time download, about 30 to 140 MB; WaySpeak asks before it downloads anything.

Appearance

Look — Light, Dark, or Warm Tan.
Button display — what the big buttons show: Icons only, Text only (words), or Icons and text. Choose Text only if the pictures are not clear to you.

Keys and typing

Keyboard shortcuts — Easy (one key, such as F7), Standard (Ctrl and the key), or Off.
Voice typing accuracy — Offline best (most accurate, private), Offline basic (smaller, private), or Microsoft Online (uses the internet and sends your voice to Microsoft).
Leave out um, uh and hmm — ticked to start with.

9. Keyboard shortcuts

These work in any program while WaySpeak is open (with Easy shortcuts):

Key	What it does
`F7`	Read the highlighted words. Press again to pause or carry on.
`F8`	Stop reading.
`F9`	Draw a box to read words in a picture.
`F10`	Start or stop voice typing.
`F6`	Look up the highlighted word in the dictionary (shown in full view).

With Standard shortcuts, hold Ctrl and press the same key.

10. If something goes wrong

I cannot find WaySpeak after installing it: Press the Windows key and type WaySpeak. You can also open the Microsoft Store app and look in Library.
I cannot hear anything: Check that the computer's sound is turned up and coming out of the speakers or headphones you expect. In Settings, press Test Voice.
Voice typing types the wrong words, or very few: Check the microphone in Windows: Settings > System > Sound > Input. Choose your headset or desk microphone, and speak at a normal speed. Set Voice typing accuracy to Offline best.
Voice typing puts the words in the wrong place: Click into the program you want first, then press F10.
"Highlight some words first": Highlight the words with your mouse before pressing Read. For words in a picture, use Draw Box.
Something else: Please tell us on the Contact page. Anything that is hard or confusing is exactly what we need to hear.