And, of course, I'll provide a detailed review of our top picks for the best dictation software. Here, I'll walk you through the different types of speech-to-text software, why you should give them a try, and provide tips on getting the best results. The technology is so prevalent, it's even built into your favorite devices and apps. Accuracy is above 90% right out of the gate, it's fast, it supports multiple languages, and most dictation apps include commands that boost productivity. I spent hours 'training' my voice, only to still have every third or fourth word either missed or mistranscribed.įortunately, today's dictation software is more Tesla than Model T. I was an early adopter, filled with hope that I could talk and let the software effortlessly capture my words. The idea, as the name implied, was that you could speak naturally.īut even this much-refined software left a lot to the imagination. It was 1997, and a Massachusetts company had released dictation software called Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a big improvement over their previous version where you had to pause after each word. When the first modern version of dictation software arrived on the scene, Titanic was the top-grossing movie.