How does browser speech recognition work?

This tool uses the Web Speech API built into your browser. In Chrome and Edge, audio is sent to Google's or Microsoft's speech recognition service. In Firefox and Safari, support varies by version.

Tips for accuracy

Use a good microphone in a quiet environment for best results.
Speak at a natural, clear pace.
Punctuation is not always recognised - you may need to add it manually.

Privacy note

In Chrome and Edge, your audio is transmitted to Google's or Microsoft's servers for speech recognition. Your transcript is never sent to this website's servers.

Language and dialect support

The Web Speech API supports over 100 language locales, including regional variants such as en-US, en-GB, en-AU, and en-IN. For non-US English, explicitly select the matching locale (e.g., en-AU for Australian English) rather than generic en - this improves recognition of regional vocabulary and pronunciation patterns. If your language is not listed, the tool falls back to the browser's default language.

Punctuation commands (Chrome)

In Chrome on supported languages, you can speak punctuation by name:

"period" or "full stop" -> .
"comma" -> ,
"question mark" -> ?
"exclamation mark" -> !
"new line" or "new paragraph" -> line break

Support varies by language and Chrome version. If spoken punctuation doesn't work, add punctuation manually after dictation.

Limitations

Not continuous real-time transcription: the Web Speech API processes audio in utterances, not a continuous stream. A pause in speech ends the current utterance and triggers a recognition result.
Silence timeout: after several seconds of silence, the API typically stops listening and requires restarting. This varies by browser and OS.
Background noise: the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) significantly affects accuracy. In noisy environments, use a close-microphone headset rather than a built-in laptop mic.