Glossary
Voice profile
A voice profile is the set of files that dictation software keeps for one user, with settings such as the microphone they use and their custom words. It is not the same as speaker recognition, which identifies who is speaking.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called user profile, speaker profile.
A voice profile is the stored set of files a dictation program uses to process one person's speech. Nuance defines a Dragon user profile this way: a set of files that Dragon uses to process your speech, which stores information such as the type of microphone you use and your custom words 1. Vendors also call it a user profile, and some use the term speaker profile.
A voice profile is about the dictation setup, not the speaker's identity
The name is easy to confuse with speaker recognition. IEEE Technology Navigator defines speaker recognition as identifying or verifying a person's identity from the characteristics of their voice, and distinguishes it from speech recognition 2. In short, speech recognition asks what was said, and speaker recognition asks who said it.
A voice profile belongs to the first group. It holds the settings and words that help the software write one user's speech accurately. If a product uses the phrase "speaker profile," check whether it means dictation settings or a voice model used to identify a person, because the two have different privacy consequences.
An example: moving to a new computer
Suppose you have dictated for years with a desktop product and buy a new computer. The profile holds your custom words and microphone settings, so moving or backing it up saves you from starting again. In Dragon Professional 16 in standalone mode, the software backs up your user profile automatically every 5 saves by default 3. The page does not say where that backup is stored, so look for the location in your version's help before you rely on it.
The example is only an illustration. Transfer steps differ between products and versions, so follow the vendor's own instructions.
Profiles are stored on your computer, so you control them
Profiles are personal data, and where they sit matters. Nuance says user profiles stay on your local drive after you uninstall Dragon, and that you can remove them yourself if you want to 4. If you share a computer or leave a workplace, delete the profile as well as the program.
Where to read more, and related terms
For the Dragon setup, read how to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking and the versions and editions of Dragon. To separate the two kinds of recognition, read the question on voice recognition and speaker recognition, and for the privacy side of voice data, see voice biometric data. Whether you need to train the software is covered in the question on training dictation to your voice.
A voice profile is part of how dictation software learns a user. Words added to the profile are the custom vocabulary, and the profile's settings may come along when you move to a new device.
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Related terms
- Dictation Software: How to Choose the Right AppThe topic this term belongs to
- AI dictationAI dictation is dictation in which a language model edits the recognized text after speech recognition, removing filler words, fixing punctuation and sometimes rewording a sentence. It can change your meaning, so check the result before you send it.
- Bring your own key (BYOK)Bring your own key (BYOK) is a setup in which you supply your own API key for an AI or speech provider. The app then sends requests through your account with that provider, so your agreement with the provider governs the data.
- Cloud dictationCloud dictation sends your recorded speech to a remote server, which recognizes it and returns the text. It usually needs an internet connection, and your audio leaves your device, so check the provider's policy before you dictate sensitive material.
- Custom vocabularyA custom vocabulary is a list of words, names and phrases that you add to dictation software so it recognizes and spells them as you intend. It matters most for names, jargon and product terms the recognizer has not learned.
- Dictation softwareDictation software is a program that recognizes your speech and types the words where your cursor is, as you say them. It comes built into many phones and computers and is also sold as separate apps.
- Dragon Medical OneDragon Medical One, abbreviated DMO, is Nuance's speech recognition product for clinicians who dictate notes into health records. Microsoft now combines it with DAX Copilot in a product called Dragon Copilot.
- Dragon NaturallySpeakingDragon NaturallySpeaking, usually called Dragon, is a speech recognition program for dictating text on a computer. Dragon Systems released it in 1997, and Nuance has sold it in several editions since.
- Dragon Professional AnywhereDragon Professional Anywhere is a subscription edition of Dragon that Nuance sells for professional and enterprise users. It is often shortened to Dragon Anywhere, a name that also belongs to Nuance's mobile app, so check which product a listing means.
- Free tierA free tier is the no-cost version of a dictation app, with limits such as a weekly word cap, fewer modes or no AI processing. Read those limits before you rely on it, because a free plan can run out in the middle of your work.
- Nuance CommunicationsNuance Communications was a speech technology company best known for the Dragon family of speech recognition products. Microsoft announced that it had completed its acquisition of Nuance on March 4, 2022.
- Perpetual licenseA perpetual license is a software license you pay for once. It lets you keep using that version without renewing. Updates, support and new major versions are often separate, time-limited or paid extra.
- PowerScribePowerScribe is a family of radiology reporting products in which a radiologist dictates an imaging report by voice. It began as a Nuance dictation application, and Microsoft completed its purchase of Nuance in 2022, so Microsoft now sells the line.
Pages that use this term
- Do Dictation Apps Train AI on Your Voice?Guide
- How Apple Dictation Works: On-Device, Server and AIGuide
- Can AI models leak what you dictated?Question
- Can you train Voice Access to recognize your voice?Question
- Does Apple Dictation learn your voice?Question
- Does Otter.ai use your recordings to train its AI?Question
- How do you uninstall Dragon NaturallySpeaking completely?Question
- How does a voice recognition security system work?Question
- Is voice recognition the same as speaker recognition?Question
- What is the best microphone for Dragon NaturallySpeaking?Question
- Where is the Dragon NaturallySpeaking user profile stored and how do you back it up?Question
- Why does Dragon NaturallySpeaking not recognize my microphone?Question
- Biometric dataGlossary
- Custom vocabularyGlossary
- On-device speech recognitionGlossary
- PowerScribeGlossary
- Speaker verificationGlossary
- VoiceprintGlossary