Speech to Text (browser dictation)
Browser APIFile & Data ConversionDictate into text with the speech recognition built into your browser.
Heads up: this tool uses a service built into your browser, and your browser vendor may process the input on its own servers. The tool page explains this before you start.
In Chrome and most other browsers that offer this feature, speech recognition is performed by the browser vendor's servers (in Chrome, that means Google): your audio is sent to the vendor while you dictate. This tool is therefore not covered by Ovatly's "files never leave your device" promise. Ovatly itself records nothing and receives nothing; the transcript produced by the vendor's service appears here in your browser. The microphone starts only when you press the button below.
- 1Read the notice at the top first: in most browsers recognition happens on the browser vendor's servers, so audio leaves your device while you dictate.
- 2Choose the language you will speak.
- 3Press Start dictation and allow microphone access when the browser asks.
- 4Speak; finished sentences are added to the transcript. Press Stop when you are done, then copy the text.
Press Start dictation and say "Remember to water the plants before Friday." While you speak, the words show in grey as a rough draft; when the sentence is final it turns into regular text in the transcript: "Remember to water the plants before Friday." The line under the transcript shows the confidence the browser reported for that sentence, as a rough guide only.
- Firefox does not include the Web Speech recognition service at all, so this tool plainly says so there instead of pretending to listen. Chrome, Edge and Safari provide it.
- Recognition quality depends on the vendor's service, your microphone and background noise; names and unusual words are the most common errors.
- The confidence number comes from the browser and is not consistent between browsers; the tool labels it as a rough guide.
To your browser vendor's recognition service (in Chrome, that is Google), because that is where this browser feature does its work. Ovatly records nothing and receives nothing; the vendor's transcript appears in your browser. This is stated on the page before the microphone can start.
About this tool
The Speech to Text tool turns your voice into a written transcript using the speech recognition built into your browser. Dictate notes, messages or a first draft and copy the text wherever you need it, in any of the offered languages.
Related tools
Part of Ovatly's free tools in File & Data Conversion.