Echo Preferences
Enable key echo
Orca's key echo setting controls what happens each time you press a key. To enable key echo, check the "Enable key echo" checkbox. Doing so causes additional checkboxes to become available through which you can choose exactly which keys should and should not be echoed to best suit your needs.
Default value: checked
Enable alphabetic keys
This option controls whether or not keys like a, b, and c should be spoken when pressed.
Default value: checked
Enable numeric keys
This option controls whether or not keys like 1, 2, and 3 should be spoken when pressed.
Default value: checked
Enable punctuation keys
This option controls whether or not keys like %, ;, and ? should be spoken when pressed.
Default value: checked
Enable space
This option controls whether or not Space should be spoken when pressed.
Default value: checked
Enable modifier keys
This option controls whether or not Shift, Ctrl, Alt and Meta should be spoken when pressed.
Default value: checked
Enable function keys
This option controls whether or not F1 through F12 should be spoken when pressed.
Default value: checked
Enable action keys
This option controls whether or not BackSpace, Delete , Return, Esc, Tab, Page Up, Page Down, Home, and End should be spoken when pressed.
Default value: checked
Enable non-spacing diacritical keys
This option controls whether or not "dead keys" used to generate accented letters should be spoken when pressed.
Default value: not checked
Enable echo by character
Enabling this option causes Orca to echo the character you just typed.
While echo by character seems quite similar to the key echo of alphabetic, numeric, and punctuation keys, there are important differences, especially with respect to accented letters and other symbols for which there is no dedicated key:
Key echo causes Orca to announce what you just pressed.
Character echo causes Orca to announce what was just inserted.
Thus to have accented characters spoken as you type them, you should enable character echo.
Default value: not checked
Enabling both key echo and character echo
If you like key echo and you frequently type accented characters, consider enabling both. Orca's character echo logic attempts to filter out characters which were spoken as a result of key echo, thus minimizing the likelihood of "double speaking" as you type.
Enable echo by word and Enable echo by sentence
Checking the Enable echo by word checkbox causes Orca to echo the word you just typed. Similarly, checking the Enable echo by sentence checkbox causes Orca to echo the sentence you just typed.
Default value: not checked