What is voice recognition software used for?

Voice recognition software turns your speech into text, or into commands that run a computer. Four uses cover most of it: dictation into documents and messages, voice control of the computer, transcription of recordings, and access for people who find typing hard or painful. The term is also used for a different task, covered in the question on speaker recognition. For the whole subject, see our overview of dictation software and what dictation software is.

Dictation types your speech where the cursor is

Dictation types what you say into the app that has the cursor. Apple says that with Dictation on a Mac you can speak to enter text anywhere you can type it ¹. Speed is one reason people use it. In a controlled study on an iPhone, English text entered by speech reached 153 words per minute, against 52 on the keyboard ². That study used short phrases read aloud, so expect slower results when you compose. Dictation turns speech into text, and the reverse job, reading text aloud, is covered in the question on speech to text and text to speech.

Voice control runs the computer by spoken commands

Voice control is different from dictation. It responds to commands such as opening apps or selecting text. On a Mac, Command mode in Voice Control makes it respond only to commands and ignores words that are not commands ³. In a 1992 study of word-processing tasks, task time fell by an average of 18.67 percent when speech activated commands ⁴.

Transcription turns recordings into text

Transcription is the conversion of recorded audio or video into text afterward. The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes medical transcriptionists who listen to recorded dictation and transcribe it into medical reports ⁵. Transcription tools have their own buying choices, covered in our guide to transcription software.

Transcription is also a separate job from live dictation. Live dictation types as you speak, while transcription works on a finished recording, as the dictation, transcription and voice control comparison explains.

Access is a use for people who find typing hard

You can use voice recognition to reduce how much you type. Microsoft says Windows speech recognition is no longer being developed and is replaced by Voice Access ⁶. The guides in our accessibility section describe how dictation fits different needs, starting with dictation for RSI and carpal tunnel. They describe the tools and do not give medical advice.

On a Mac, Voice Control replaces Dictation

In macOS 27, when Voice Control is turned on, you use Voice Control to dictate text, and standard macOS Dictation is not available ⁷.

Choose the use you need before you choose the software

Each use asks for a different kind of tool, so decide which one you have before you compare products.

• Documents and messages: start with the dictation tool built into your computer or phone, and test it in the apps where you actually write.
• Running the computer: look for voice control, not only dictation, because the two modes behave differently, as the Mac section above shows.
• Recordings: look for transcription software, and check how it handles your audio format and where the audio is stored.
• Typing that is hard or painful: try the built-in tools first, and ask a qualified professional which support fits your situation.

Accuracy decides whether any use works

Recognition is a draft, not a finished text. In a 2018 study of clinical notes, 96.3 percent of speech recognition drafts contained at least one error ⁸. Whatever the use, plan for a read-through, and tell readers that the text may contain errors. The question on what a dictation software disclaimer should say sets out the wording. The guide to dictation software types explains where each kind of tool runs and what happens to the text.