Typing a long message, a script or a page of notes takes time. Saying it takes much less. Voice typing turns your speech into text as you talk, so you can get a first draft down quickly and fix it afterwards.
You don't need to install anything. Spokly's free voice typing tool works in your browser: press a button, speak, and watch the words appear. This guide covers how to set it up, how to get better results, and when a different tool is the better choice.
What you need
- Chrome or Edge. Voice typing uses the speech recognition built into the browser. Chrome and Edge offer it to web pages; many other browsers don't, or only partly.
- A microphone. The one in your laptop or headset works. A headset is usually clearer because it's close to your mouth.
- An internet connection. In Chrome and Edge, speech recognition is usually done by the browser maker's speech service (Google or Microsoft), so your voice is sent there to be turned into text. Spokly itself never receives your voice or the text. If your audio must stay entirely on your device, use the audio to text tool with a recording instead; it runs fully in your browser.
Step by step: type with your voice
- Open voice typing on the Spokly home page.
- Choose your language from the list. This matters: the browser listens for the language you choose.
- Press the record button. The first time, your browser asks for permission to use the microphone. Click Allow.
- Start speaking. Words appear as you talk; the last few may change as the browser becomes more sure of what you said.
- Press the button again to stop.
- Edit the text in the box, then Copy it or Download TXT.
You can stop and start as often as you like. New words are added after the text that's already in the box, so you can dictate in several takes. Clear empties the box when you want to start over.
Pauses are fine. Browsers stop listening on their own after a short silence; Spokly starts listening again automatically until you press stop, so you can take a breath or think about your next sentence.
Fixing microphone permission
If nothing happens when you press the button, or you see a message that microphone access was blocked, the browser or your computer is blocking the microphone.
In the browser
- Click the icon to the left of the web address (a lock or a settings icon).
- Find Microphone and set it to Allow.
- Reload the page and try again.
On your computer
- Windows: open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone. Make sure microphone access is on, and that your browser is allowed to use it.
- Mac: open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, and turn it on for Chrome or Edge.
Also check that the right microphone is selected. In Chrome, the microphone choice is in the same site settings where you allowed access. If you have a headset and a webcam with built-in microphones, the browser might be listening to the wrong one.
Languages and dialects
Spokly's language list has 33 languages and dialects, including Modern Standard Arabic and Egyptian, Gulf, Levantine, Iraqi, Maghrebi and Sudanese Arabic, plus English, French, Spanish, German, Turkish, Hindi, Urdu, Indonesian and many more.
When you pick a language, Spokly asks the browser for the matching regional setting. For example, Egyptian Arabic asks for Arabic as spoken in Egypt. How well each language and dialect is recognized depends on the browser's speech service, not on Spokly. If the browser doesn't support a language, you'll see a message saying so.
A few tips:
- Choose the language before you start. Switching mid-sentence doesn't work well.
- Mixing languages is hard. If you switch between Arabic and English in one sentence, expect to fix some words afterwards.
- For dialects, speak naturally. Forcing a formal style usually doesn't help recognition and makes your text sound stiff.
Punctuation: what to expect
Punctuation is where voice typing differs most between browsers and languages. Depending on the browser and language, punctuation might be added automatically, partly, or not at all. Spoken commands such as saying "comma" or "period" may be typed as words instead of symbols.
What works reliably:
- Speak in complete sentences with a short pause at the end of each one. It makes the text easier to punctuate later.
- Dictate first, punctuate after. Get the words down, then go back and add commas, full stops and paragraph breaks by hand. It's quicker than fighting with commands.
- Use the editing time to tidy. Remove repeated words and "um"s, and split long sentences.
Tips for better accuracy
- Get close to the microphone and keep the distance steady.
- Reduce background noise. Close the window, turn off the TV, and mute notifications.
- Speak at a natural pace, clearly finishing each word. Speaking very slowly doesn't help.
- Say names clearly, and expect to check them. Names, brands and technical terms are the most common mistakes.
- Keep sessions short. Dictate a paragraph, check it, then continue. Fixing mistakes is easier while you still remember what you said.
A simple routine for dictating a script
Voice typing works best when you separate thinking, talking and editing. Here's a routine that works well for video scripts, posts and emails:
- Write three or four bullet points first. Just the ideas you want to cover, in order. They keep you from wandering.
- Dictate one point at a time. Talk about the first bullet as if you were explaining it to a friend, then stop.
- Glance at the text, don't fix it yet. Check that the words are roughly right, then move on to the next point.
- Edit at the end. Once everything is down, fix names and mistakes, add punctuation and cut what you don't need.
- Read it out loud once. If it's a script, reading it aloud tells you quickly which sentences are too long.
This keeps your flow going while you speak, and you'll find editing goes faster when you do it all at once.
Editing faster after dictation
A few habits make the cleanup quicker:
- Use search and replace for a name or word that was misheard the same way several times.
- Fix the start of each paragraph first. If the first sentence is clear, the rest usually needs less work.
- Delete instead of rewriting. Spoken drafts often say the same thing twice. Removing the weaker version is faster than polishing both.
- Download a copy before big edits with Download TXT, so you can go back to the original wording if you need it.
When to use voice typing (and when not to)
Voice typing is great for:
- first drafts of emails, posts and scripts;
- notes and to-do lists while your hands are busy;
- captions and short descriptions;
- writing in a language where your typing is slow.
It's not the best choice for:
- Recordings you already have. Use the audio and video to text tool instead; it reads the file directly and works fully on your device. Our guide on free transcription without uploading explains how.
- Long meetings or interviews. Record them, then transcribe the recording.
- Private material that must not leave your computer, because the browser's speech service processes your voice.
If you dictate ideas for a longer piece, such as a blog post, see how to turn a podcast episode into a blog post. The same editing steps work for dictated drafts.
Spokly's AI writing tools, which will turn dictated notes into finished posts and articles, are coming soon. Voice typing itself is free and works today.
FAQ
Is voice typing free?
Yes. There's no sign-up and no limit. The speech recognition is provided by your browser.
Why doesn't it work in Firefox or Safari?
Voice typing depends on speech recognition that the browser offers to web pages. Chrome and Edge provide it; other browsers may not, or may support it only partly. Use Chrome or Edge for the best results.
Is my voice recorded or stored by Spokly?
No. Spokly never receives your voice or your text. In Chrome and Edge, the browser may send your voice to its maker's speech service to turn it into text, under that company's privacy policy.
Can I save my text?
Yes. Use Copy to paste it anywhere, or Download TXT to save a text file. The text isn't saved anywhere else, so copy or download it before you close the tab.