You probably type most of your notes. But what if that's actually the wrong tool for capturing ideas? Here's what research tells us about voice vs. typing for thought capture.

The Speed Difference

Let's start with the obvious: speaking is faster than typing. Much faster.

150

Words per minute (speaking)

Words per minute (average typing)

3.75x

Speed advantage

But speed isn't just about efficiency. When capturing fleeting ideas, speed determines whether you capture the thought intact or just the faded echo of it.

The Cognitive Load Problem

Typing requires more cognitive resources than speaking. Think about what your brain does when you type:

• Hold the thought in working memory
• Translate thought to words
• Map words to key positions
• Execute motor commands
• Monitor for errors
• Correct mistakes

Speaking, by contrast, uses pathways that are deeply automatic—you've been doing it since you were two. The cognitive overhead is dramatically lower, leaving more mental resources for the actual thinking.

Research Finding

Studies on cognitive load show that dictation preserves more of the original thought than typing. Typists tend to simplify and shorten their ideas because of the effort involved—losing nuance in the process.

— Kellogg, R.T., "Training writing skills: A cognitive developmental perspective"

Flow State & Thought Fidelity

Here's something less obvious: typing interrupts the flow of thought in a way speaking doesn't.

When you speak, your thoughts flow continuously. One idea connects to the next naturally. The transcription happens at the speed of thought.

When you type, each keystroke creates a tiny interruption. Your brain constantly switches between "what am I thinking?" and "what key do I press?" These micro-interruptions fragment the thought stream.

Speaking Flow

"So the idea is that if we — and this is related to what I was thinking about yesterday — if we could somehow make the onboarding more like a conversation than a form, users would feel more..."

Natural, connected, exploratory

Typing Flow

"Onboarding idea: make it more conversational"

Truncated, simplified, lost nuance

The Context Capture Advantage

Voice captures more than words—it captures context. Enthusiasm, uncertainty, emphasis. When you listen back to a voice note, you remember not just what you thought, but how you felt about it.

"This is DEFINITELY the solution" lands differently than "this is definitely the solution." Typed text loses that signal.

When Typing Wins

Voice isn't better for everything. Typing has advantages for:

• Structured content: Tables, lists, formatted documents
• Editing: Revising and refining text
• Quiet environments: Libraries, shared offices
• Technical notation: Code, equations, symbols

The optimal approach uses voice for capture and typing for editing. Get the raw thought out at speech speed, refine it later with keyboard precision.

The Practical Takeaway

When to Use Voice

✓ Capturing initial ideas
✓ Thinking through problems
✓ On the move (walking, driving, commuting)
✓ When you need to preserve your train of thought
✓ Brainstorming and free association

When to Use Typing

✓ Editing and refining
✓ Creating structured documents
✓ Quiet environments
✓ Technical or formatted content
✓ Final outputs (emails, docs, posts)

Capture Ideas at the Speed of Thought

Thoughtmarks is built voice-first—capture ideas 3x faster than typing, with AI handling the organization so you can focus on thinking.

14-day free trial. $5/week, $15/month, or $60/year.