Free Speech to Text Online
Press the microphone and start speaking. Free, no signup.
How to convert speech to text online
To convert speech to text online, press Start dictating, allow your microphone and speak. Your words appear as text in real time, in 45+ languages. Edit the text, then copy it or download a .txt file. This voice to text tool is free, needs no signup and works in Chrome, Edge and Safari.
Pick the language you will speak
Choose it from the list under the microphone. Regional variants such as English (India) or Spanish (Mexico) help with accents and spelling.
Press Start dictating and talk
Allow the microphone when your browser asks. Speak in full sentences at your normal pace, and your words appear in a note as you go.
Copy or download your text
Fix anything by typing straight into the note. Then copy the text to paste elsewhere, or download it as a .txt file.
What is speech to text?
Speech to text is software that turns spoken words into written text. People also call it voice to text, voice typing or dictation; speech recognition is the technology underneath. You talk, and the words are typed for you.
The point is speed. In a study by researchers at Stanford, the University of Washington and Baidu, people entered English text at 153 words per minute by speaking and 52 by typing on a phone keyboard, which is 2.93 times faster. An Aalto University study of 168,000 volunteers put the average typing speed on a keyboard at 52 words per minute. We go through the numbers in Is voice typing faster than typing?
Spoken punctuation commands
Browser speech recognition returns words with little or no punctuation. With Spoken punctuation switched on, this tool turns the commands below into marks and starts each new sentence with a capital letter. It works when you dictate in English. Switch it off if you need to write a command word itself, such as "a period of time".
| Say | You get |
|---|---|
| "comma" | , |
| "period" | . |
| "full stop" | . |
| "question mark" | ? |
| "exclamation mark" | ! |
| "exclamation point" | ! |
| "colon" | : |
| "semicolon" | ; |
| "new line" | a new line |
| "new paragraph" | a blank line, then a new paragraph |
Which browsers support online speech to text?
Online speech to text tools, this one included, use the speech recognition built into the browser. Chrome, Edge and Safari have it; Firefox does not. By default the browser sends your audio to a speech service for recognition, so the tool needs an internet connection (MDN Web Docs).
| Browser | Works? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome (desktop and Android) | Yes | The most reliable choice. Chrome sends audio to Google’s speech service. |
| Microsoft Edge | Yes | Works in current versions. |
| Safari (Mac, iPhone, iPad) | Yes | Safari 14.1 or later on Mac, iOS 14.5 or later. |
| Firefox | No | Release versions of Firefox have no speech recognition. |
Other Chromium-based browsers vary: some expose the feature but don't connect to a speech service. If the tool reports a connection problem, try Chrome.
This free tool vs the Blip AI app
We build Blip AI, a dictation app, so read this comparison with that in mind. The free tool on this page is enough for a quick paragraph you will paste somewhere, for trying voice typing before you install anything, or on a computer where you can't install apps. It is the wrong tool if you dictate all day, because every sentence has to be copied out of this tab.
| Feature | Free online tool | Blip AI app |
|---|---|---|
| Where the text goes | The text box on this page | Wherever your cursor is, in any app |
| How you start | Click a button | Hold a key: Fn on Mac, Ctrl + Win on Windows, Ctrl + Super on Linux |
| Cleanup | Raw words, plus spoken punctuation in English | AI removes filler words and fixes punctuation and formatting |
| Speech engine | Your browser’s speech service | Blip Cloud, or a Whisper model on your device |
| Offline | No | Yes, with a downloaded on-device model |
| Drafting replies | No | Action Mode: say "Hey Blip" and describe the reply |
| Runs on | Chrome, Edge and Safari | Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android |
| Price | Free, no signup | Free for 2,000 words a month; Pro is $15 a month, or $12 a month billed yearly |
Not ready to install anything? Windows has voice typing built in (press Win + H), macOS has Dictation under System Settings → Keyboard, and Google Docs has voice typing in its Tools menu.
What people use speech to text for
- Prompts for ChatGPT, Claude and CursorLong prompts are quicker to say than to type.
- Voice in Claude CodeWhat the built-in /voice command can and can’t do.
- EmailDictate replies instead of typing each one.
- Voice notes into tasksTalk through your day, end up with a task list.
- Speech to text on LinuxWayland, X11 and every option that works.
- Is voice typing faster than typing?What the research measured.
Speech to text FAQ
- Is this speech to text tool free?
- Yes. The online speech to text tool is free, with no signup, no install and no word limit from Blip. It runs on the speech recognition built into your browser.
- Is voice to text the same as speech to text?
- Yes. Speech to text, voice to text, voice typing and dictation all mean software that turns spoken words into written text. Speech recognition is the technology underneath.
- Which languages does the speech to text tool support?
- The language list has 45+ languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese, plus regional variants. It is the set Chrome supports; other browsers may recognise fewer, and the tool tells you if a language is unavailable.
- Is my audio private?
- Your audio is handled by your browser’s speech service, which in most browsers runs on the browser maker’s servers, such as Google’s in Chrome. The tool does not send your audio or your text to Blip’s servers. Your draft is saved only in this browser so a refresh doesn’t lose it, and Clear removes it.
- Why doesn’t speech to text work in Firefox?
- Release versions of Firefox do not include the Web Speech recognition API that online speech to text tools rely on. Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Safari, or use a desktop dictation app such as Blip AI, which works in every app including Firefox.
- Does online speech to text work offline?
- No. Browsers normally send audio to a speech service over the internet, so this tool needs a connection. The Blip AI app has an on-device option: download a Whisper model in the app to dictate offline.
- Can I use speech to text in any app, not just this page?
- Yes, with a dictation app. Blip AI runs on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android: hold a key, speak, and polished text is typed wherever your cursor is, such as Slack, Gmail, Notion, ChatGPT or a terminal. Windows (Win + H) and macOS (Dictation) also have basic voice typing built in.
- Can this tool transcribe an audio or video file?
- No. This tool turns live speech from your microphone into text. It does not accept audio or video files.