Glossary
Short definitions for terms used in the app and these guides. Linked pages go deeper where a concept has its own article.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Base | Built-in fallback mode. Other modes can inherit its voice engine, languages, or AI model via Same as Base. Cannot be deleted. |
| Mode | Named profile for how Kalam hears and writes (engine, polish, surroundings, auto-switch). |
| Improve / polish | Optional AI rewrite after transcription — filler removal, punctuation, writing instructions. See AI polish. |
| Context / surroundings | App text, clipboard, selection, or date/time captured to inform polish. See Context awareness. |
| STT | Speech-to-text — the engine that turns audio into a transcript (local, BYOK cloud, or Kalam Cloud). |
| BYOK | Bring your own key — your API keys for Groq, OpenAI, and other providers, stored on device. Setup guide. |
| Kalam Cloud | Max-plan hosted Whisper (and hosted polish AI) — no personal API key; license is the credential. |
| Sensitive app | App on your privacy list that forces local STT, skips context/polish, and blocks voice edit. Guide. |
| Pill | Floating overlay chrome that shows listening, recording, processing, and results. Pill and overlay. |
| VAD | Voice activity detection — decides when speech is present so quiet gaps and noise matter less. Tuned under voice/audio settings. |
| Hold / toggle | Recording styles: hold-to-talk vs press-to-start/stop (hotkeys). |
| Voice command | Spoken punctuation/edit phrase when polish is off (reference). |
| Voice actions | Prefix (and one suffix) on the dictation hotkey that skip or modify inject — notes, search, URL, copy, optional press-enter (reference). |
| Free | Plan tier without paid sync/polish gates; local and BYOK STT still available. |
| Trial | Time-limited Pro-level access issued by Kalam. |
| Pro | Paid BYOK tier — polish, context, sync, voice edit (Windows), and related Pro features. |
| Max | Highest tier — includes Kalam-hosted STT/AI within quotas; displayed as Max (premium_* licenses). |
| Expired | Former paid access that is no longer valid until renewed. |
Plan vs engine
Plan gates polish, context, sync, and hosted AI. Local STT and BYOK cloud STT remain available on Free when you supply keys or download engines.