Free Speech to Text Online
Convert spoken words to text using speech recognition. 20+ languages. Free, fast, and works entirely in your browser with no sign-up required.
Updated
Speech to Text
Convert spoken words to text using your browser's speech recognition. Support for multiple languages, continuous transcription, confidence scoring, and export options.
Voice Recognition Controls
Continuous mode keeps listening after pauses. Say "period", "comma", etc. for punctuation.
Transcript
0 words, 0 characters
Words
0
Characters
0
Duration
00:00
Language
English
Transcription History
Tips for Better Recognition
- Speak clearly and at a moderate pace
- Use a good quality microphone if possible
- Minimize background noise
- Position the microphone at an appropriate distance
- Select the correct language for best results
- Enable continuous mode for longer dictation sessions
- You can edit the transcript text directly while still recording
Voice Punctuation Commands
About Speech to Text
This tool uses the Web Speech API built into modern browsers to convert your spoken words into text. It supports continuous transcription and multiple languages.
Features:
- Real-time speech recognition with interim results
- Support for 45+ languages and dialects
- Continuous and single-result listening modes
- Confidence scoring for each recognized segment
- Voice commands for punctuation and formatting
- Auto-capitalization after sentences and line breaks
- Edit transcript while still recording
- Recording timer and word count stats
- Export as .txt or .srt subtitle format
- Save and load transcription history (stored locally)
Browser Support:
- Chrome (desktop and Android) - Full support
- Edge - Full support
- Safari - Partial support
- Firefox - Not supported
Privacy Note: Speech recognition uses your browser's built-in speech API. Audio may be processed by your browser's cloud services (like Google for Chrome) for transcription. Your transcript is not stored or sent to our servers. History is saved only in your browser's local storage.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Speech to Text?
The Speech to Text is a free online tool that convert spoken words to text using speech recognition. 20+ languages. It runs entirely in your browser with no installation or sign-up needed.
What languages does Speech to Text support?
Speech to Text supports over 20 languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, and many more.
Is the Speech to Text free to use?
Yes, the Speech to Text is 100% free with no registration, no hidden fees, and no usage limits. All processing happens locally in your browser, ensuring complete privacy.
Is my data safe with this tool?
Absolutely. The Speech to Text processes everything client-side in your browser. No data is uploaded to or stored on any server. Your content remains private on your device at all times.
Does the Speech to Text work on mobile devices?
Yes, the Speech to Text is fully responsive and works on smartphones and tablets. You can use it on any device with a modern web browser -- no app download required.
Do I need to create an account to use this tool?
No account or registration is needed. Simply open the Speech to Text in your browser and start using it immediately. There are no sign-up walls or usage restrictions.
Can I process large amounts of text?
Yes, the Speech to Text handles text of any length with fast, real-time processing. Since everything runs in your browser, performance depends on your device but works well for most use cases.
How do I use the Speech to Text?
Simply enter your input in the provided field, adjust any settings to your preference, and the tool will process it instantly. You can then copy the result to your clipboard or download it.
Which browsers are supported?
The Speech to Text works in all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Opera. For the best experience, use the latest version of your preferred browser.
How do I add punctuation when dictating with speech to text?
You speak the punctuation out loud. With voice punctuation commands enabled, just say the name of the mark while talking and it gets inserted for you: "period", "comma", "question mark", "exclamation mark", "colon", "semicolon", and "dash". For layout, say "new line" or "new paragraph" to break the text. The first letter after a sentence-ending mark and the start of each new line are capitalized automatically, so the transcript reads like written prose instead of a run-on stream of words. There is no need to pause your speech to insert anything. If you forget a command, open the Voice Punctuation Commands panel for the full list. Try dictating a sentence and ending it with the word "period" to see it appear correctly punctuated.
How accurate is browser speech to text and what do the confidence scores mean?
Accuracy depends on your microphone, background noise, your accent, and how well the selected language matches what you are saying. To help you judge it, enable Show confidence scores and the tool labels each finalized segment using the value the recognition engine returns: High means 90% or above and is usually correct, Medium covers 70% to 89% and is worth a quick proofread, and Low is below 70% and likely contains an error. An average confidence figure also appears above the transcript. Low scores often point to noise, a distant mic, or the wrong dialect being selected, so they tell you exactly where to re-record or fix text. Because the transcript stays editable even while recording, you can correct any word by hand. Turn on confidence scores to see how the engine rates your dictation.
Can I export a speech to text transcript as subtitles for a video?
Yes. Alongside copying to the clipboard and downloading a plain .txt file, this tool exports your transcript as an .srt subtitle file. Each spoken segment is given timestamps derived from when it was actually recognized during the session, so the captions line up roughly with the moment you said each phrase. That makes it a quick way to rough out subtitles for a screen recording, voiceover, or talking-head video that you can then refine in your video editor. Note that the .srt export only works once you have at least one finalized segment, since the timings come from real recognition events rather than guesses. For the tidiest captions, dictate at a steady pace and edit any low-confidence segments before exporting. Record your narration, then click the .srt button to download ready-to-use subtitles.
Why doesn't speech to text work in Firefox or work fully in Safari?
This tool relies on the Web Speech API, the speech-recognition feature built directly into the browser, and not every browser exposes it. Recognition is complete in Chrome on desktop and Android and in Edge, which is why those are recommended. Safari only offers partial support, so results can be less reliable there, and Firefox does not currently expose the speech recognition API at all, so the tool simply cannot run in it. When your browser lacks support, the page detects this and shows a clear message rather than failing silently. The fix is to open the tool in Chrome or Edge, where dictation, continuous mode, and confidence scoring all function. If recognition will not start, switch to a supported browser and grant microphone access when prompted.
Does choosing the right language or dialect improve speech recognition?
Yes, and it matters more than people expect. The tool offers 45+ languages and regional dialects, including several varieties of English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, and Arabic, plus Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Japanese, Korean, German, and many more. The recognition engine tunes itself to the accent and vocabulary of the dialect you pick, so selecting English (India) instead of English (US), or Spanish (Mexico) instead of Spanish (Spain), can noticeably reduce errors when that matches how you speak. A mismatched dialect is a common cause of low confidence scores and odd word choices. Set the language before you start recording, since it cannot be changed mid-session. Pick the dialect closest to your own accent, keep background noise down, and speak at a moderate pace for the cleanest transcript.
Embed This Tool
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About Speech to Text
Speech to Text turns your voice into written text in real time. Click Start Recording, grant microphone access, and your spoken words appear in an editable transcript box as you talk — with a live "Hearing" preview of the words still being processed before they're finalized. It's built for anyone who thinks faster than they type: writers drafting by voice, students capturing lecture notes, professionals dictating emails, and people who find a keyboard tiring or inaccessible.
The tool runs on the Web Speech API that's built into modern browsers, so there's nothing to install and no account to create. Recognition works best in Chrome (desktop and Android) and Edge, where support is complete. Safari offers partial support, and Firefox does not currently expose the speech recognition API, so the tool will tell you if your browser can't run it.
How dictation and punctuation work
You don't have to stop talking to add punctuation. With voice punctuation commands enabled, say the name of a mark and it's inserted for you — "period", "comma", "question mark", "exclamation mark", "colon", "semicolon", "dash", "open quote" and "close quote", plus "new line" and "new paragraph" for spacing. The first letter after a sentence-ending mark is capitalized automatically, and so is the start of each new line, so the output reads like written prose rather than a raw stream of words.
Two listening modes shape longer sessions. Continuous mode keeps the microphone active through natural pauses, restarting recognition behind the scenes so a long dictation doesn't cut off when you take a breath. The single-result mode stops after one phrase, which is handy for short snippets like a search query or a single sentence. A recording timer and live word and character counts run the whole time.
Reading the confidence scores
Browser speech recognition returns a confidence value for each finalized segment — an estimate of how sure the engine is that it heard you correctly. Turn on Show confidence scores and every segment is labelled:
- High — 90% confidence or above, usually accurate.
- Medium — 70% to 89%, worth a quick proofread.
- Low — below 70%, likely to contain an error.
An average confidence figure appears above the transcript too. Low scores often point to background noise, a distant microphone, or the wrong language being selected, so they're a useful signal for where to re-record or edit. The transcript stays fully editable at any time — you can fix a word by hand even while recording continues.
Exporting, history, and privacy
Finished transcripts can be copied to the clipboard, downloaded as a plain .txt file, or exported as an .srt subtitle file with timestamps derived from when each segment was spoken — convenient for captioning a video. The Save button stores a transcription, along with its language, duration, and word count, in your browser's local storage; you can reload or delete past entries from the History panel, which keeps up to your most recent transcriptions on that device.
A privacy note worth understanding: because this tool relies on the browser's built-in speech engine, the audio may be sent to that browser vendor's cloud service for transcription — for example, Chrome routes audio through Google's recognition service. That processing is handled by your browser, not by this site. Your transcript text is never uploaded to or stored on our servers, and your saved history lives only in your browser's local storage.
The Speech to Text tool covers 45+ languages and regional dialects, including multiple varieties of English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese, and Arabic, alongside Hindi, Japanese, Korean, German, and many more. Choosing the dialect closest to your accent — say, English (India) instead of English (US) — noticeably improves accuracy. For the cleanest results, speak at a moderate pace, keep background noise down, and position your microphone a steady distance away.