Phonetic Indic keyboards now available for Windows 10
What you need to know
- Microsoft released smart phonetic keyboards for 10 Indian languages.
- The keyboards support transliterating Indic text.
- The keyboards will increase typing speed and accuracy by at least 20 percent, according to Microsoft.
Microsoft released phonetic keyboards for ten Indian languages on Windows 10. These new keyboards are a part of the May 2019 update for Windows 10 and are available in Hindi, Bangla, Tamil, Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati, Odia, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.
The keyboards support transliterated Indic text which allows users to type with Latin characters and have text automatically converted from one script to another. Microsoft shared an example in their blog post announcing the release of the keyboards:
For instance, if we type 'Bharat' in Latin characters, the Phonetic keyboard will transliterate final output to भारत (Hindi), ভারত (Bengali), ભારત (Gujarati) or ਭਾਰਤ (Punjabi) depending on the target language."
Microsoft states that these keyboards will improve typing speed and accuracy by at least 20 percent.
These new tools will be available in addition to the current keyboards that are available for Windows 10. Their addition to Windows 10 will save many users from having to install third-party keyboard solutions.
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Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.
Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.
