diff --git a/src/fenrirscreenreader/core/outputManager.py b/src/fenrirscreenreader/core/outputManager.py
index 7fb55c66..3066f2e1 100644
--- a/src/fenrirscreenreader/core/outputManager.py
+++ b/src/fenrirscreenreader/core/outputManager.py
@@ -133,16 +133,16 @@ class OutputManager:
         """
         if not text:
             return text
-        
+
         # Handle dots at the beginning of words (like .local, .bashrc, .config)
         # Look for non-word character (or start of string), dot, then word characters
-        text = re.sub(r'(?<!\w)\.(\w+)', r'dot \1', text)
-        
-        # Replace dots that appear between word characters with spoken form
-        # Use a loop to handle multiple consecutive dots like www.example.com or a.b.c.d
-        while re.search(r'\b\w+\.\w+\b', text):
-            text = re.sub(r'\b(\w+)\.(\w+)\b', r'\1 dot \2', text)
-        
+        text = re.sub(r"(?<!\w)\.(\w+)", r"dot \1", text)
+
+        # Replace dots between word characters in one pass. The old loop
+        # rescanned the full speech string once per remaining dotted word,
+        # which made large directory listings block the event loop for seconds.
+        text = re.sub(r"(?<=\w)\.(?=\w)", " dot ", text)
+
         return text
 
     def speak_text(
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_output_manager.py b/tests/unit/test_output_manager.py
index 82947cb7..eb2e9e48 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_output_manager.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_output_manager.py
@@ -178,6 +178,19 @@ def test_present_text_records_speech_history_when_enabled():
     speech_driver.speak.assert_called_once()
 
 
+@pytest.mark.unit
+def test_process_mid_word_punctuation_handles_chained_dotted_words():
+    output_manager, _sound_driver, _speech_driver = build_output_manager()
+
+    result = output_manager.process_mid_word_punctuation(
+        ".config archive.tar.gz settings.conf."
+    )
+
+    assert result == (
+        "dot config archive dot tar dot gz settings dot conf."
+    )
+
+
 @pytest.mark.unit
 def test_present_text_does_not_record_when_speech_disabled():
     output_manager, _sound_driver, speech_driver = build_output_manager()