The complete 2026 guide
Speech to text.
Your voice, typed into any app.
Speech to text (also called voice typing or dictation) converts spoken words into written text in real time. You can use the tools built into Google Docs or Windows, or add a universal speech to text app like BlabbyAI that works in every app on your computer: Docs, Gmail, Word, Discord, ChatGPT, and anywhere else you type.
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Free to start · 90+ languages · one shortcut
Gmail
recording
You say
“hi maren quick update the draft is done ill send it over tomorrow morning thanks”
Blabby types
01
Basics
What is speech to text?
Speech to text is technology that listens to your voice through a microphone and turns it into written words as you speak. Modern systems run your audio through an AI speech recognition model trained on millions of hours of spoken language, which is why today's tools understand natural speech, accents, and context far better than the voice software of a few years ago.
You will see the same core technology under several names: speech to text, voice typing, voice to text, and dictation all describe speaking instead of typing. Transcription usually means converting a recorded conversation into text afterwards, while dictation means your words appear live in the field you are writing in. BlabbyAI is a dictation tool: you speak, and the text is typed into whatever field you had focused.
The practical appeal is speed. Most people speak at 130 to 150 words per minute but type at around 40, so dictating a first draft, an email, or a chat message is roughly three times faster than typing it.
02
Terminology
Speech to text vs voice typing vs dictation
| Term | What it usually means | Typical example |
|---|---|---|
| Speech to text | The umbrella term for converting voice into text | Any tool on this page |
| Voice typing | Live speech to text inside one specific app | Google Docs voice typing, Windows Win+H |
| Dictation | Speaking to write documents, emails, and notes | BlabbyAI, Word Dictate, Dragon |
| Transcription | Turning recorded audio into text after the fact | Meeting notes from a recording |
03
By app
How to use speech to text in any app
Every guide covers the built-in option for that app, its limits, and how to dictate there with AI accuracy instead.
04
The honest comparison
Built-in speech to text vs a universal tool
Built-in voice typing is free and fine for occasional use, but each tool only works in its one app, and most leave punctuation up to you. A universal dictation app works everywhere with one shortcut.
   |  BlabbyAI (universal) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | Only inside that one app | Every app and text field on your computer |
| Punctuation | Mostly manual voice commands | Automatic, based on your tone and pauses |
| Accuracy | Good in quiet conditions | Whisper large v3 turbo AI model |
| Languages | Varies per app | 90+ with auto-detect |
| AI processing | None | Custom modes: grammar fix, translate, email format |
| Price | Free | Free to start (60 credits weekly), paid for unlimited |
If you dictate in exactly one app a few times a week, the built-in option is enough. If you write in several places every day, a universal tool pays for itself in saved cleanup time. Comparing paid options? See our dictation software comparison.
Automatic punctuation, shown side by side
Basic speech recognition gives you a wall of lowercase words. BlabbyAI's AI adds punctuation, capitalization, and formatting from your tone and pauses, so the text that lands is finished.
BlabbyAI
AI PoweredHi Sarah, I hope you're doing well. Can we schedule a meeting for Thursday at 3:00 PM?
AI-powered transcription
Perfectly formatted
Automatic punctuation
Google Speech-to-Text
Hi Sarah
Basic transcription
No formatting
Manual corrections needed
05
Get started
Start dictating in under a minute
1
Install BlabbyAI
One short onboarding: pick your microphone, try one practice transcription, done.
2
Click any text field
Docs, Gmail, Word, Slack, ChatGPT, your code editor, anywhere you type.
3
Press Ctrl+Space and speak
Press again to stop. Punctuated text is typed into the field you had focused.
+50K
Websites
Works wherever you already write
06
FAQ
Speech to text, answered
Is there a free speech to text?
Yes. Windows has free built-in voice typing (press Win+H), Google Docs has free voice typing under Tools, and BlabbyAI gives every account 60 free credits per week, roughly 2,000 words of AI transcription, with no credit card required.
Can Google Docs do speech to text?
Yes. Open a document in Chrome, go to Tools and select Voice typing, then click the microphone and speak. It only works inside Google Docs in the browser. A universal tool like BlabbyAI works in Docs and every other app with one shortcut.
How do I turn on speech to text in Windows 11?
Press Win+H in any text field to open Windows voice typing. Click the microphone icon and start speaking. For higher accuracy and automatic punctuation across every app, install BlabbyAI and press Ctrl+Space instead.
What is the shortcut for speech to text?
On Windows, the built-in shortcut is Win+H. In Microsoft Word it is Alt+` (backtick) for Dictate. With BlabbyAI, one global shortcut, Ctrl+Space, starts and stops dictation in any app on your computer.
Does speech to text work offline?
Some built-in tools process speech on your device, but most modern AI speech to text, including BlabbyAI, transcribes in the cloud because larger models are far more accurate. You need an internet connection for the best accuracy available today.
What is the most accurate speech to text?
Whisper-class AI models lead current benchmarks: OpenAI's Whisper reached 97.93% word accuracy on clean audio in MLCommons' 2025 benchmark. BlabbyAI runs on Whisper large v3 turbo, so you get that accuracy ceiling in every app you type in.
Write at the speed you speak.
Free to start, works in every app you already use, and powered by the most accurate speech recognition model available today.