react-speech-recognition is a React library that wraps the Web Speech API and exposes a clean hook-based API for voice-driven UI.

If your app needs speech-to-text input, command shortcuts, or accessibility-friendly interactions, this package gives you a fast starting point.

Package Snapshot

As of March 2, 2026, the npm package reports:

• latest version: 4.0.1
• license: MIT
• description: Speech recognition for your React app
• npm page: https://www.npmjs.com/package/react-speech-recognition
• repository: https://github.com/JamesBrill/react-speech-recognition

Install

npm install react-speech-recognition

Basic Usage

import React from "react"
import SpeechRecognition, { useSpeechRecognition } from "react-speech-recognition"

export default function Dictaphone() {
  const { transcript, listening, resetTranscript, browserSupportsSpeechRecognition } =
    useSpeechRecognition()

  if (!browserSupportsSpeechRecognition) {
    return <p>Your browser does not support speech recognition.</p>
  }

  return (
    <div>
      <p>Microphone: {listening ? "on" : "off"}</p>
      <button onClick={() => SpeechRecognition.startListening()}>Start</button>
      <button onClick={() => SpeechRecognition.stopListening()}>Stop</button>
      <button onClick={resetTranscript}>Reset</button>
      <p>{transcript}</p>
    </div>
  )
}

Practical Features You Will Use

• transcript: current recognized speech text
• listening: microphone active state
• startListening and stopListening: microphone control
• resetTranscript: clear local transcript state
• commands: phrase matching for voice actions

Production Notes

1. Browser support for native Web Speech API is uneven, so test your real target devices.
2. Use a polyfill strategy if your app needs broader cross-browser consistency.
3. Handle microphone permission denial with clear fallback UI.
4. Avoid auto-starting mic without user intent; require explicit interaction.

Final Take

react-speech-recognition is a practical choice when you want to add voice input quickly in React without building speech recognition plumbing from scratch.