If you stop talking for a minute or so it’ll automatically stop processing, or you can just click on the Dictate microphone instead. Then you’ll get a chance to specify which language you’ll be speaking out of a pretty impressive list:Ĭhoose your language if it’s going to be different than the default for the program and just start talking! As you go, you’ll notice that the Dictate icon in Word has changed to show it’s listening and processing:

On a PC? The Home toolbar ribbon is surprisingly similar:Įither way, it’s easy to use the Dictate feature: just click on it. Handy once you get it all figured out, but not noticing the big blue “ Dictate” microphone near the right edge is understandable too with this level of information overload.

To be fair, that’s one busy ribbon with dozens of buttons, icons and features accessible. Should look pretty familiar to you as I imagine this is what you see every time you have to begin a new class essay: Here’s a blank document in Microsoft Word for the Mac. In fact, the dictation in Word is startlingly good if you speak clearly and at a reasonable pace, so much so that I bet you’ll use it more and more as your semester proceeds! Even better, the button’s front and center on the toolbar, you probably just haven’t noticed it. Microsoft has its own equivalent for Windows systems through its Cortana technology, and that also shows up in the dictation features in Microsoft Word. Tip: If there are words you know that you misspell all the time, dictate them and let the computer do the work! 🙂 I use that all the time, from Google searches to first drafts of email messages to friends and colleagues. Don’t have it set up? No worries, here’s a quick tutorial: Setting up voice dictation on your Mac system. It taps into the technology that makes Siri work, but push twice on the function key on your keyboard and you should be able to dictate anywhere you would otherwise be typing in text. The Mac system already has a surprisingly sophisticated voice to text system built in to the operating system.

Dictation in microsoft word mac