How to use it

Click Start dictation. The first time, your browser asks for permission to use the microphone. Choose Allow.
Speak normally, in full sentences. Words in grey are still being recognised and settle within a second or two.
Click Stop dictation (or press Esc) when you're done. Fix any mistakes by typing in the box.
Click Copy text to paste it anywhere, or Download .txt to save a file.

Your text is saved in this browser as you go, so closing the tab or reloading the page doesn't lose it.

Spoken punctuation

In English, say these words and they turn into punctuation:

Say	You get
"period" or "full stop"	.
"comma"	,
"question mark"	?
"exclamation point" or "exclamation mark"	!
"colon" / "semicolon"	: / ;
"new line"	a line break
"new paragraph"	a blank line

Sentences start with a capital letter automatically. Because the tool listens for these words, saying "period" in the middle of a sentence ("a period of time") also becomes a full stop. Fix those by typing.

Which browsers work

Browser	Works?
Google Chrome (computer and Android)	Yes
Microsoft Edge	Yes
Safari (Mac, iPhone, iPad)	Yes
Firefox	Not reliably. Use one of the others, or your device's built-in dictation.

You need a microphone and, for most browsers, an internet connection, because the browser's speech service does the recognition.

Is it private?

Your text is stored only in your own browser. Dicktation doesn't receive your audio or your text. To turn speech into text, your browser sends the audio to its maker's speech service: Google for Chrome, Apple for Safari, Microsoft for Edge. Their privacy policies apply to that audio. Don't dictate anything you wouldn't say near a smart speaker.

Dictation everywhere else

Every computer and phone has free dictation built in. These guides show how to use it, and which words to say for punctuation and editing.