Practical overview
When it fits
Use it when a React web app needs microphone-based text input and the implementation can account for native browser support or configure a polyfill.
Who it is for
- React developers adding speech input or dictation to a web interface.
- Teams building voice-enabled controls that use recognized text within React components.
Documented uses
- Display microphone speech as a transcript in a React component.
- Add start, stop and reset controls for speech input.
- Configure a documented speech-recognition polyfill for a more consistent cross-browser approach.
Requirements & limits
- The current hook-based version requires React 16.8 or later.
- The default implementation relies on the Web Speech API, whose browser support is limited.
- Native browser implementations can differ in transcription, accuracy and formatting.
- A documented Azure polyfill setup requires a region and subscription key or authorization token.
- The project identifies the library as MIT licensed.
Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.
Add a basic microphone transcript component
Install the library and use its hook and controls to display microphone speech as text in a React component.
Before you start
- A React application using React 16.8 or later.
- A browser with Web Speech API speech-recognition support for the native setup.
Steps
Install the package with npm install --save react-speech-recognition.
Import SpeechRecognition and useSpeechRecognition in a React component.
Call the hook to access transcript, listening state, resetTranscript and browserSupportsSpeechRecognition.
Provide start, stop and reset controls and render the transcript; handle the unsupported-browser state.
Expected outcome
A React component can show the transcript and provide microphone start, stop and reset controls.
Guide limitations
- Native Web Speech API support is limited; the project says desktop Chrome has the best native experience.
- Transcription and formatting may vary between native browser implementations.
Configure the documented Azure speech polyfill
Set up the Azure example so the library can use a speech-recognition polyfill.
Before you start
- A React web app.
- The Azure Speech Service region and a subscription key or authorization token.
- The web-speech-cognitive-services and microsoft-cognitiveservices-speech-sdk packages.
Steps
Install web-speech-cognitive-services and microsoft-cognitiveservices-speech-sdk in the web app.
Provide the Azure Speech Service region and subscription key or authorization token to the polyfill configuration.
Create the Azure speech recognition implementation with createSpeechServicesPonyfill.
Apply the resulting implementation using SpeechRecognition.applyPolyfill.
Expected outcome
The library is configured to use the Azure speech-recognition polyfill; the README illustrates this with a push-to-talk component.
Guide limitations
- The Azure example requires valid service credentials and a region.
- The guide documents configuration but does not establish service pricing or application-specific compatibility.
Sources & review
Source record details
- Source availability
- Active
- Sources checked
- 14 October 2026
- Original website title
- JamesBrill/react-speech-recognition · Official homepage title · retained in its source language