An item location system uses voice activation and responsiveness to identify location(s) of item(s) sought by a user. The system may include a continuous speech recognition digital signal processor, a programmable microprocessor interfaced therewith, voice input and user feedback mechanisms, including audio and/or video feedback. Some embodiments utilize audio feedback to the user. The system also includes sufficient software and equipment to create item-identification/corresponding location-identification data pairs by utilizing item identifying bar codes on the items and matching them to location identifying bar codes physically situated on the corresponding locations. The continuous speech recognition engine may utilize Hidden Markov Models to create real time continuous speech recognition and feedback.