How to use the Speech to Text tool
- Choose your languagePick the language and accent you’ll speak, such as English (India) or Hindi.
- Start dictationClick “Start dictation” and allow microphone access when your browser asks.
- Speak naturallySay “comma”, “full stop”, “question mark” or “new line” to add punctuation (English).
- Copy or downloadClick Stop, correct anything in the text box, then copy the text or download it as a .txt file.
Features
- Live transcriptionSee words appear while you speak, with the current phrase shown in grey until it’s final.
- Many languagesEnglish (US, UK, India, Australia), Hindi, Tamil, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese and many more.
- Voice punctuationDictate commas, full stops, question marks and new lines in English.
- Keeps listeningDictation continues automatically after short pauses until you click Stop.
- Editable resultFix words directly in the text box at any time, even while dictating.
Why dictate instead of typing?
Most people speak around 130–150 words per minute but type only about 40. Dictation is great for drafting emails, essays, notes and messages quickly, for capturing ideas on the move, and for anyone who finds typing difficult or painful.
Voice commands for punctuation
| Say | You get |
|---|---|
| “comma” | , |
| “full stop” or “period” | . |
| “question mark” | ? |
| “exclamation mark” | ! |
| “colon” / “semicolon” | : / ; |
| “new line” | a line break |
| “new paragraph” | a blank line |
Voice punctuation works for English. For other languages, add punctuation by typing in the text box.
Tips for accurate results
- Choose the right language and accent; “English (India)” understands Indian English much better than “English (US)”.
- Speak clearly at a normal pace, in full sentences.
- Use a headset or keep the microphone close, and reduce background noise.
- Read the text back and correct names and technical words, which are the most common errors.
Browser support and privacy
This tool uses the speech recognition built into your browser. It works in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Safari; Firefox doesn’t support it yet. Important: in Chrome, your voice is sent to Google’s speech recognition service, and in Edge to Microsoft’s, to be converted to text. Safari may process speech on Apple’s servers or on your device. Our website never receives your audio or your text. Avoid dictating passwords or highly sensitive information.
Want to hear text read aloud instead? Try Text to Speech. To keep an audio copy of what you say, use the Voice Recorder.