Have you ever used Microsoft Word and wished that you could dictate what you were writing, rather than typing it all out? Most of us actually do this on a regular basis — we use voice dictation suggestions like Google Voice to complete our written work.
Dictating to text is easier and more efficient than typing it word for word, but it’s also less hands-on. It also doesn’t provide any way to edit or even revise your writing, so dictation doesn’t always work. Here’how it works!
Microsoft Dictate
Microsoft’s Dictate is here to prove that the even best text to speech software can be free and be just as good as premium software. Created by Microsoft Garage (a division of the company where employees get to work on their ideas as projects), this feature-rich application boasts the same advanced speech recognition technology that powers the Microsoft Cortana Virtual Assistant.
Dictate is essentially a Microsoft Office add-on and works well with Word, PowerPoint and Outlook. You can install it from the Microsoft store if you don’t already have it pre-installed with a copy of Microsoft 365. Once installed, you can access it through the “Dictation” tab that shows up in the top right of the Ribbon toolbar. The app supports voice commands for most standard operations such as typing or editing text, moving the cursor to a new line and adding punctuations either manually or automatically.
Furthermore, the app offers features such as visual feedback to specify that it is processing speech input. Microsoft dictates also supports dictation with real-time translation 60 different languages. Microsoft Dictate is compatible with Office versions 2013 and above and works well with Windows versions 8.1 and above.
Apps Compatibility: Windows devices only
Price: Free
Download Link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/garage/profiles/dictate/
CaptiVoice – iOS, Chrome
CaptiVoice is a great project to use text-to-speech technology in the education sector. It’s an excellent tool to listen to your class reading materials and anything else you want to read. Suitable for learners and teachers who wish to personalize their studying and work process and overcome language barriers.
CaptiVoice is available both online and offline and you can read ebooks and web pages with it. Several schools, colleges, and professionals from around the world are using Capti Voice. It can also be integrated with cloud storage, popular LMS, and content sources.
For personal use, CaptiVoice offers a free version with various features. You get the high-end voice sample and features with the Pro version. On Android, you can access this text-to-speech app via a Chrome extension and through the web on other browsers.
App Store: iOS | Chrome Extension | Costs: In-app offers. | Review: 4.0 ★★★★☆
Microsoft Word speech to text
Best solution for Microsoft 365 users
REASONS TO BUY
+Included with all Microsoft 365 subscriptions+No installation or setup required+Accurate at distinguishing between text and voice commands+Multiple languages supported
REASONS TO AVOID
-Only with Microsoft 365
Although not a standalone dictation software platform, we believe Microsoft Word’s dictation functionalities merit a spot on this list. Built directly into Microsoft Word, and included with all Microsoft 365 subscriptions, it is a powerful and accurate dictation tool.
The platform relies on vast amounts of training data and artificial neural networks, meaning it is continuously improving its ability to transcribe voice to text. Having tested Microsoft’s dictation software, we’re confident it competes in accuracy and ease of use with the leading dictation software providers.
There are few standout features to mention, but we see this as a strength. Microsoft Word’s dictation software is straightforward to use, with no setup or installations required. It is accessible directly from the Word application, and it only takes one click to begin voice typing.
Several voice commands enable you to take control of the document. These include punctuation marks and formatting tools.
A final thing we like about Microsoft Word’s speech to text software is its support for nine different languages, with many more in the testing stage.
- Read our full Microsoft Word review.
Google Text To Speech App – Android
Google Text to Speech is probably one of the most familiar text-to-speech apps on the list. It’s a free text-to-speech app that can be integrated with several apps and programs. Google Text to Speech is a native Android phone application. You can enable it by going to Settings -> Personal -> Language and Input -> Speech -> Text to Speech Output.
The best feature of Google TTS is its integration with Google Translate. It allows users to translate any text into another language and listen to it. The integration with Google Translate means you can translate in 109 languages.
Other prominent features include Read Aloud (from Google Play Books), TalkBack and accessibility applications (for spoken feedback), speech-to-text capabilities, and more.
Platform: Playstore | Costs: Free plan | Rating: 4.2 ★★★★☆
Voice Aloud Reader TTS Reader – Android
Voice Aloud Reader by Hyperionics Technology is an excellent and user-friendly text-to-speech app. With Voice Aloud, there are various ways it can read the text. Paste the URL or document and it will start converting it into text. The best part is that it automatically parses and reads the relevant text and removes the menu and other stuff.
The app can convert from all kinds of text inputs including documents, HTML files, ebooks, and more. It makes for a great beginner’s text-to-speech app with a good onboarding process. When installed for the first time, it guides the users on how to best use it.
A great feature is the night mode and sleep time. Night mode reduces strain on the eye at night while the sleep timer will stop the app from running automatically after a certain time. Voice Aloud offers a free download from the PlayStore. It’s not available for iOS.
App Store: Playstore | Costs: Free plan | Rating: 4.1 ★★★★☆
Dragon Professional Individual
Best dictation software overall
REASONS TO BUY
+Industry-specific products+Advanced integration of artificial intelligence and deep learning+Lifetime subscriptions so no recurring costs +Best-in-class accuracy
REASONS TO AVOID
-Expensive-Mobile software bought separately
Dragon Professional Individual dictation software is widely recognized as the best in the business. Dragon products are reliable, easy to use, and among the most accurate available.
Having used Dragon dictation software on our laptop, we can attest to its best-in-class performance. In a 300 word test, the software got 299 words correct.
Like most advanced dictation software platforms, Dragon software leverages deep learning technology and artificial neural networks. These technologies enable Dragon to adjust its transcription based on several factors, such as the amount of ambient noise, the speaker’s accent, and even the tone with which they speak.
For businesses, several Dragon dictation products may be suitable. This is because Dragon has gone beyond merely offering one software package for all purposes, and has created dictation software custom-designed for specific industries. The most popular are Dragon Legal, Dragon Medical One, and Dragon Law Enforcement.
The biggest downside of Dragon dictation software is the substantial cost for a license.
T2S Text To Voice – Read Aloud, Android
T2S is one of the most convenient and best text-to-speech apps for Android and on PlayStore. It offers a variety of unique features that make it stand out. The app makes use of Google Text-to-Speech engines as the main API.
What makes T2S stand out from the crowd is its built-in web browser. This means that you can access web pages without copying/pasting or sharing the website links.
Some other unique features of T2S include Copy to Speak (copy text from another app and instantly convert to speech) and Type Speak (convert text to speech as you type). You can adjust voice parameters and add effects to the speech. Along with that, users can also share and export audio files for direct use.
App Store: Playstore | Costs: Ads. In-app offers | Rating: 4.1 ★★★★☆
Otter
Best value dictation software
TODAY’S BEST DEALS VISIT SITE
REASONS TO BUY
+Both desktop and mobile support +Competitive free-forever plan+Import audio and video files
REASONS TO AVOID
-Expensive-Limited customer support
One of the few dictation software platforms that can come close to Dragon is Otter. This popular software package is one of the easiest to use. It comes with several advanced features that separate it from some of the lower-ranked providers in this list.
One of our favorite features is speaker identification. This is ideal for meetings or for when multiple are speaking in succession. When Otter software identifies a change in the speaker, it will signal this in the transcribed text.
Otter also allows you to record from directly within the app, or import audio and video files stored on your device. And unlike Dragon, an Otter subscription includes a mobile version of the software.
There are three Otter plans available. The free-forever plan is competitive and enables you to transcribe up to 600 minutes of audio per month. The Premium Plan includes 6000 minutes of transcription per month and a suite of premium features. A Teams plan offers all features mentioned above plus enterprise-specific features.
Window’s Speech Recognition (WSR):
Window’s Speech Recognition (WSR) is a good software for speech recognition, especially because it is specifically designed to work with Windows, and works best in its newest update with Windows 10. Most people reviewed it as good, not great, but also claimed that it is at par with Google Docs Voice Typing (GDVT) and is a Windows version of the same level.
The advantages specific to WSR are that it has computer automation and related features, because it is especially integrated into and designed for the Windows operating system, it has complete control over the computer and its features, like sleep or shutdown options, etc. In addition, it gives the user text editing options, whereby any mistakes can be there and then corrected.
Though, some downsides include the fact that it is not the most accurate voice recognition software available in the market, as its accuracy is on the weaker side, and it cannot be freely used with other operating systems is need be for a change.
Its unique selling point would be the fact that it can control the whole computer through the software options, and can edit as you go. It is also free of cost, without additional charges, and works fine with Windows 10.
Conclusion
I became adept at dictating in Microsoft Word when I worked for a non-profit that had me journaling all day long. I was often tired, distracted, depressed, didn’t want to open my eyes, but still had to get my work done. It wasn’t until the last month of the job that I discovered dictation. Suddenly everything got so much easier!