Typing & Spelling Rate

Author: Amir Soleimani
NVDA compatibility: 2026.1 and later

What this add-on does

This add-on lets you set a faster (or slower) speech rate specifically for:

These rates are independent from your normal synthesizer rate. Your main speech rate is not changed.

Why this add-on exists

Many users prefer a comfortable speech rate for general reading and navigation, but want a higher rate for rapid typing feedback or spelling—especially when editing text. NVDA's standard speech rate is global, so changing it affects everything. This add-on provides separate rates so you can keep your normal rate while still getting fast, crisp feedback when you type or spell.

How it works (technical note)

NVDA speaks using a sequence of speech commands. This add-on injects a RateCommand into the speech sequence only for the specific typing/spelling utterance. It does not change the synthesizer's global rate setting, which helps keep the behavior stable and compatible with other add-ons.

Settings

Open NVDA Settings and locate the add-on's settings panel under the Typing & Spelling Rate panel.

Enable separate typing rate

When checked, the add-on applies your configured typing rate to typing echo output. When unchecked, typing echo uses your normal synthesizer rate.

Enable separate spelling rate

When checked, the add-on applies your configured spelling rate to spelling output. When unchecked, spelling uses your normal synthesizer rate.

Typing rate

Adjusts the rate used for typing echo (characters and words) when Enable separate typing rate is checked.

Also apply to typed words

When checked, the typing rate is applied to both typed characters and typed words. When unchecked, the typing rate is applied only to typed characters.

Spelling rate

Adjusts the rate used for spelling output when Enable separate spelling rate is checked.

Windows OneCore: Boost

If your synthesizer is Windows OneCore, the add-on provides an extra Boost option. OneCore can behave differently at high rates, so Boost gives additional headroom without changing NVDA's global rate slider range.

Test buttons

The panel includes two test buttons:

The sample includes both characters and words (for example: A B C, hello world) so you can judge the rate quickly.

Notes