As the rapid development of the technology of speech recognition, a bunch of dictation software are getting much more popular among computer users especially those who used to spend a lot of time in typing. With the help of dictation software, you can convert your voice into written words automatically. There is no doubt that it will free your hand, speed up your writing and improve your working efficiency.

In the following part, I will share best 6 free user-friendly speech-to-text software for you. All these software are easy to get started, so you needn’t worry they are complicated. All you need is to prepare a microphone and then open your mouth! These dictation tools can be divided into two categories:

1. Jun 30, 2020  The best dictation software should offer always good technical support. Benefits and Cons of Voice-to-Text Software. Save time creating written content. Humans can talk faster than they can type. Reduce risk of RSI (repetitive strain injury) or posture issues. Takes notes and compose articles while your hands can focus on other tasks.
2. Dragon speech recognition software is better than ever. Talk and your words appear on the screen. Say commands and your computer obeys. Dragon is 3x faster than typing and it's 99% accurate. Master Dragon right out of the box, and start experiencing big productivity gains immediately.
3. Best speech to text software in 2020: Free, paid and online voice recognition apps and services. By Nicholas Fearn, Brian Turner 05 February 2020.
4. Download this app from Microsoft Store for Windows 10, Windows 8.1. See screenshots, read the latest customer reviews, and compare ratings for Speech to Text.

The unique ID for this program's bundle is to.talk.osx. This free application is suitable for Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later. The software lies within Communication Tools, more precisely Social & Blogging. This free Mac application is a product of Talk.to FZC. Our built-in antivirus scanned this Mac download and rated it as virus free. Learn To Type Tutor is a Typing tutor,Typing test,Typing game all in one software.Learn To Type Tutor has a lot of typing lesson and typing tutorial for user from a beginner to a typist. And the learn to type process is amusing and effective.

1. Online Speech-to-Text Tool
2. Speech-to-Text Software to Download

Online Speech-to-Text Tool

All this type of speech-to-text tools are free websites used in a browser (Chrome suggested) to turn your voice to text without downloading or installing any software. You just need an internet connection.

1. Google Docs Voice Typing

Nowadays Google Docs gets more popular among office personnel because of its function of cloud synchronization. It’s worth mentioning that there is a dictation tool called voice typing in it. When you don’t want to type, you can click “Tools” and then “voice typing”. Then a microphone box appears. If you are prepared for speaking, just click the mic and it will change into a red button. Please remember to speak clearly at a natural speed and volume, and also make sure you have a good network.

2. Dictation. io

Unlike Google Docs Voice Typing, Dictation. io is often for one-time use. This website has clean interface and design since you just need to click “start” to speak. When I was testing this tool, it worked rather accurately. Thus, I highly recommend this dictation tool if you want to dictate for once or you’re looking for a rare language since this tool supports more than 120 languages. Also, when you finish your dictation, you can copy your work into anywhere, save it as text format, tweet it, email it or print it.

3. Speechnotes

Speechnotes is the last online speech-to-text tool I want to share with you. This free tool not only works along with Google Chrome but also Android devices. Speechnotes claims to be a free alternative to Dragon Naturally Speaking by providing the best free online dictation tool and offering the most accurate results.

When you start speaking, just click the microphone at the bottom-right , and it will turn your voice into words automatically. There exists a disadvantage about this service, that is, some ads in the interface. However, they don’t influence your user experience. Especially, ensure that you have copied your document since it won’t save it after you leave the website.

Speech-to-Text Software to Download

1. Windows Speech Recognition (plus Cortana)

Windows Speech Recognition is a free and built-in application in windows system. It’s easy to set up it. You just need to type “speech recognition” in the search bar, select “start speech recognition” and follow the procedure.

After successful setup, the voice box appears. Click on the speaker and it will turn into blue. Now it’s time for you to speak, and what you have just spoken will convert into written words. During my process of testing, I must admit that it didn’t respond so quickly and its accuracy is comparatively lower than the others like the two which I am going to share with you next. If you are looking for a staring program about dictation software, Windows Speech Recognition plus Cortana, an AI assistant, can be a good choice. If you want to know more about its operation, please click here for windows 7&8 and for windows 10.

2. Speech to Text Converter

Speech to text Converter is a very simple but powerful dictation tool to convert voice into plain text. Compared with Windows Speech Recognition, it has faster reaction speed and higher accuracy. Every time you want to open it, just type “speech to text converter” in the search bar and you’ll find it quickly. It’s worth mentioning that the words in the box cannot be edited or saved, but you can copy them anywhere you need. Given its faster reaction and high accuracy rate, it’s definitely worthwhile for you to download.

3. Dictate

Dictate is an add-in for Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Outlook. After downloading and installing, Dictation ribbon will appear in your Office software. In addition to the function of speech to text, what you speak can be turned into another language in written words. For example, you need to write French, but you can only speak English. Don’t worry! Dictate can help you. Just settle the language options from English to French, your requirement will be satisfied. I’m sorry to tell you that this add-in is only supported on Windows versions of Office. If your computer is equipped with windows system and office software, Dictate can be a considerable choice for you.

Conclusion

As you can see, each dictation tool or software above has its own features and advantages. They can satisfy different people with different requirements. All in all, online dictation tools can be used without downloading and installing, and what I highly recommend is Dictation. io due to its concise interface. As for the dictation software belong to the second category, I commend Speech to Text Converter for its high accuracy rate and fast reaction speed. But finally, it’s up to you to choose one since you may have different demand. The most important is that all these speech-to-text tools I share today are free.

Bonus Tips

1. When you need punctuation in sentences, you can say period/comma/question mark/exclamation/semicolon and etc.

2. Be prepared with a good-quality microphone and internet connection, which guarantee your success of converting speech to text.

3. Try your best to speak like a broadcaster. This doesn’t mean that you should speak like a robot, but you ought to speak as clearly and naturally as possible. Also, it’s better for you to keep practice, in order to train the software to be familiar with your speech habits. When you have done this, your working efficiency can be ensured.

4. If you have any trouble in using these software or have any other better suggestions, don’t hesitate to contact us or give us comment below.

5. If you are looking for a free tool to convert DRM-protected Audible aax/aa audiobooks to DRM-free MP3, you can try Epubor Audible Converter. All you need to do is to drag and drop the audiobooks to the software, click the Convert button to start the conversion. For more detailed information, you can read Ultimate Ways to Convert AAX to MP3 [Infographic].

Michelle loves reading very much. She seeks the methods to enjoy eBooks and audiobooks more freely and wants to share everything new she has got with you.

If you have mobility or motor impairments, repetitive stress injuries, or you find typing on a keyboard difficult in any way, there's an alternative. Dictation lets you talk instead of type, and voice-to-text transcribes what you say into words on the screen. It's among the Mac's many accessibility features. All you have to do is set it up and get going.

How to enable and use Dictation

Basic dictation is essentially always enabled by default — you just need to activate it.

1. Click into a text area like a document or the address bar of your web browser.
2. Double-press the Fn key. A microphone will appear on your screen and if it's receiving audio, you'll see activity inside of it.

3. Speak the text you want to type. You can speak various punctuation and symbols, including brackets, percent signs, and more. You can also say phrases like 'caps on' to turn on capital letters.

4. Click Done under the microphone icon or press the Fn key once when you're finished dictating.

The more you use Dictation, the more it learns how you speak — like your accent and cadence. It may seem finicky at first, but as you use it more, it'll get better and better. Apple has a great starter guide on how to dictate punctuation and formatting, as well.

How to change your Dictation language

Did you know that you can dictate your text in multiple languages? Here's how.

1. Open System Preferences from your Dock or Applications folder.

2. Click Keyboard.

3. Click Dictation.

4. Click the drop-down next to Language.

5. Click Add Language…

6. Click the checkboxes next to languages that you wish to add.

7. Click OK.

Best Free Software For Mac

To use those languages, you can switch to the default dictation option at any time by going to System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation Language and selecting your current language from the dropdown menu.

How to enable and use Enhanced Dictation

Enhanced Dictation enables you to dictate without an internet connection, and dictate continuously; this means that your words will convert to text more quickly since they're being processed locally on your device.

1. Open System Preferences from your Dock or Applications folder.

2. Click Keyboard.

3. Click Dictation.

4. Click the checkbox next to Use Enhanced Dictation. Enhanced Dictation will take several minutes to download if you haven't done so already.

Once enabled, you can use Enhanced Dictation the same way you would regular dictation. Press the Fn key twice when your cursor is in a text field. If the microphone shows up, speak what you want to be typed and click Done or press the Fn key once.

How to change the Dictation keyboard shortcut

While the Fn key on your Mac's keyboard is the default trigger for dictation, you can change that in the Dictation section of the keyboard preference pane

1. Open System Preferences from your Dock or Applications folder.

2. Click Keyboard.

3. Click Dictation.

4. Click the drop-down menu next to Shortcut.

5. Click an option in the list or click Customize to create your own (seems like only the arrow keys work).

How to enable/disable Dictation Commands

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Dictation Commands allow you to do things with your text just by speaking. For example, you can select a whole paragraph, go back to the beginning, or replace a phrase with another phrase.

You can only use Dictation Commands with Enhanced Dictation enabled.

1. Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
2. Click System Preferences.

3. Click Accessibility.

4. Click Dictation in the menu on the left. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.

5. Click Dictation Commands…

6. Click the checkbox next to each dictation command you'd like to disable. They're all enabled by default.

7. Click Done in the bottom right corner of the window.

Reading through the Dictation Commands list is a great way to learn all the things you can do with text just by speaking to your Mac. You can also click the checkbox next to Enable advanced commands, which will enable system commands.

How to enable the dictation keyword phrase

Want to feel like you're in a sci-fi movie? Enable the dictation keyword phrase and you'll be able to use dictation commands even when you're not dictating. So you can be all 'computer, replace 'boots' with 'cats',' and the phrase will be replaced in your text. It's a bit finicky, but when it works, it's so cool!

You have to have Enhanced Dictation enabled for this to work.

1. Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
2. Click System Preferences.

3. Click Accessibility.

4. Click Dictation in the menu on the left. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.
5. Click the checkbox next to Enable the dictation keyword phrase.

6. Enter a keyword phrase if you want to change it from 'Computer'. (But if you leave it as 'Computer', you sound like the captain of a spaceship!)

Now when your cursor is in a text field, you can just say the keyword phrase and your dictation command and it'll do it.

How to enable a sound when a command is recognized

You have to have Enhanced Dictation enabled for this to work.

1. Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
2. Click System Preferences.

3. Click Accessibility.

4. Click Dictation in the menu on the left. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.

5. Click the checkbox next to Play sound when command is recognized.

How to enable/disable output mute during dictation

If you accidentally open a website with an autoplay video or you're listening to music but want to dictate something quickly, you can mute audio output during dictation so that you don't have to manually fiddle around with volume.

You must have Enhanced Dictation enabled to use this feature.

1. Click the Apple menu button on the top left of your screen.
2. Click System Preferences.

3. Click Accessibility.

4. Click Dictation in the menu on the left. You'll have to scroll down a bit to find it.

5. Click the checkbox next to Mute audio output while dictating.

Dictation accessibility in macOS Catalina

In macOS Catalina, Apple has opted to change things up a bit regarding dictation and accessibility. While there was previously a section for accessibility options for dictation in System Preferences, those capabilities have been folded into the new Voice Control accessibility feature. Voice Control is a greatly expanded set of capabilities that allow you to control every aspect of your Mac, including text entry, with your voice.

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Apple AirPods 2(From $159 at Apple)

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Questions?

Dictation questions? Let us know in the comments below!

Updated July 2019: Updated instructions for macOS Mojave and added a section about what's happening with dictation accessibility in macOS Catalina.

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