--- title: "Speech recognition is not working · NoaLingua" description: "Usually Chrome has no on-device speech pack for that language, or only a short-command model. The panel names which, and can switch to the online route." url: "https://noalingua.com/answers/speech-recognition-not-working/" language: "en" modified: "2026-09-09" license: "CC BY 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" --- Answer # When speech recognition will not work in Chrome Four different causes, and the one that explains a score of a single word Usually because Chrome has no on-device speech pack for that language on this machine, or has only a short-command model built for two-word instructions. The panel names which of the four causes applies rather than failing silently, and offers the online route where you have allowed it. Short answer Chrome supplies the speech model, not NoaLingua. The panel names which of the four causes applies. In the last case, say-it-back and scored shadowing are not possible, but shadowing without scoring — the Ctrl+H whole-video mode — still works. It plays the line, stops, gives you a timed gap to repeat it, and moves on. No microphone is involved at all. ### Why it sometimes recognises only one word Chrome ships three sizes of speech model, and for most languages other than English only the smallest exists — a command grammar built for instructions like "next slide". A sentence-repetition exercise scored by a model designed for two words produces a score that means nothing. The panel now says this before you try, not only after: "short-command model, single words only". And if you have allowed online recognition, it chooses the online route for whole sentences by itself rather than letting you fail into it. ### The online route, and exactly what it sends Try online is available the whole time now, not only after a local attempt has returned nothing — because on a language whose only offline model cannot handle a sentence, waiting to fail first means sitting through a dead end to be offered the thing that works. Clicking it redirects that attempt and does not consume any of your four tries. What it sends is the audio of your voice, to Chrome's speech service. Nothing else: not the subtitles, not the video, not your words, not your cards. Make online default sits under the button and is the same switch as Settings → Study → Online speech recognition. ### The tone that used to lie to you There was a safety timer so nobody sat staring at "Opening microphone…", and it played the go-ahead tone even when Chrome had reported nothing. On the online route, which needs a network round trip, that meant people started speaking before anything was listening — and lost the beginning of the sentence every time. The tone now plays only when recording is genuinely confirmed. When it is not, the panel says so instead of playing a signal it cannot honour. Get NoaLingua — free, and every feature included Dual subtitles on YouTube and Netflix, clickable words on any page and in any PDF, shadowing and spaced review — 28 languages, no account, and your deck stays on your own machine. [Add to Chrome — Free Add to Chrome](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ocimolffhgpeeoifjpjhgikgfbnmlkdh) Opens the Chrome Web Store listing **NoaLingua — beyond dual subs: video, web, PDF** — free, no account, Chrome 138 or newer. - **Free** — every feature, not a trial - **No account** — nothing to sign up for - **Two dropdowns** — that is the whole setup ## More questions people ask NoaLingua Can I download the speech pack in advance? Yes — Settings → Study → Speech on this device has the status and a Download button. It is Chrome's pack, shared with the whole browser, and it does not count against the extension's storage. Is my voice recorded anywhere? No. Scores and the words that did not pass are stored so a pattern can be shown over many attempts. Audio is never stored, anywhere, at any point. What about transcribing a video that has no captions? That uses the same on-device recognition and is off until you turn it on. It is clearly labelled as a machine guess rather than a subtitle, and it is wrong most often on names. ## Where this is documented on NoaLingua [Shadowing and say-it-back What each mode needs, and which of them work without a microphone.](https://noalingua.com/features/shadowing/)[Troubleshooting Every message, grouped by where it appears.](https://noalingua.com/docs/troubleshooting/)[Privacy What leaves the device, and under which switch.](https://noalingua.com/privacy/) ### Related NoaLingua answers - [Which Chrome extension scores my pronunciation while I learn?](https://noalingua.com/answers/chrome-extension-scores-pronunciation/) - [What if the video has no subtitles at all?](https://noalingua.com/answers/video-has-no-subtitles/) - [How do I practise speaking a language without a partner?](https://noalingua.com/answers/practise-speaking-without-a-partner/) ## Try it on the next thing you were going to watch anyway. Free, with every feature. No account, nothing to cancel, and your deck stays on your machine. [Add to Chrome — Free Add to Chrome](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ocimolffhgpeeoifjpjhgikgfbnmlkdh) Opens the Chrome Web Store listing **NoaLingua — beyond dual subs: video, web, PDF** — free, no account, Chrome 138 or newer. - [Free, and not a trial Every feature on the free plan — both PDF modes, shadowing, all 30 practice formats.](https://noalingua.com/pricing/) - [No account, no email Nothing to sign up for and nothing to cancel. There is no login screen at all.](https://noalingua.com/privacy/) - [Two dropdowns to set up Pick what you are learning and what you want translations in. That is the whole setup.](https://noalingua.com/getting-started/) - [Your words stay yours Export to Anki, CSV, a spreadsheet or a full JSON profile — free on every plan.](https://noalingua.com/docs/export-import/) [What happens after you install](https://noalingua.com/getting-started/) · [Pricing](https://noalingua.com/pricing/) · [What it cannot do](https://noalingua.com/limits/)