speech to text online microsoft

Microsoft Sam TTS Generator is an online interface for part of Microsoft Speech API 4.0 which was released in 1998.

• Select your voice. Note that BonziBUDDY voice is actually an "Adult Male #2" with a specific pitch and speed.
• Select your pitch and speed. All voices have lower and upper pitch and speed limits.
• Enter your text and press "Say it". Wait for generated audio appear in audio player. It should be done nearly instantly, as the interface tries to generate audio at x16777215 real-time.
• To save generated audio, right click on audio player and press "Save audio as..."

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What is text to speech?

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In this overview, you learn about the benefits and capabilities of the text to speech feature of the Speech service, which is part of Azure AI services.

Text to speech enables your applications, tools, or devices to convert text into human like synthesized speech. The text to speech capability is also known as speech synthesis. Use human like prebuilt neural voices out of the box, or create a custom neural voice that's unique to your product or brand. For a full list of supported voices, languages, and locales, see Language and voice support for the Speech service .

Core features

Text to speech includes the following features:

More about neural text to speech features

Text to speech uses deep neural networks to make the voices of computers nearly indistinguishable from the recordings of people. With the clear articulation of words, neural text to speech significantly reduces listening fatigue when users interact with AI systems.

The patterns of stress and intonation in spoken language are called prosody . Traditional text to speech systems break down prosody into separate linguistic analysis and acoustic prediction steps governed by independent models. That can result in muffled, buzzy voice synthesis.

Here's more information about neural text to speech features in the Speech service, and how they overcome the limits of traditional text to speech systems:

Real-time speech synthesis : Use the Speech SDK or REST API to convert text to speech by using prebuilt neural voices or custom neural voices .

Asynchronous synthesis of long audio : Use the batch synthesis API to asynchronously synthesize text to speech files longer than 10 minutes (for example, audio books or lectures). Unlike synthesis performed via the Speech SDK or Speech to text REST API, responses aren't returned in real-time. The expectation is that requests are sent asynchronously, responses are polled for, and synthesized audio is downloaded when the service makes it available.

Prebuilt neural voices : Azure AI Speech uses deep neural networks to overcome the limits of traditional speech synthesis regarding stress and intonation in spoken language. Prosody prediction and voice synthesis happen simultaneously, which results in more fluid and natural-sounding outputs. Each prebuilt neural voice model is available at 24 kHz and high-fidelity 48 kHz. You can use neural voices to:

• Make interactions with chatbots and voice assistants more natural and engaging.
• Convert digital texts such as e-books into audiobooks.
• Enhance in-car navigation systems.

For a full list of platform neural voices, see Language and voice support for the Speech service .

Improve text to speech output with SSML : Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) is an XML-based markup language used to customize text to speech outputs. With SSML, you can adjust pitch, add pauses, improve pronunciation, change speaking rate, adjust volume, and attribute multiple voices to a single document.

You can use SSML to define your own lexicons or switch to different speaking styles. With the multilingual voices , you can also adjust the speaking languages via SSML. To improve the voice output for your scenario, see Improve synthesis with Speech Synthesis Markup Language and Speech synthesis with the Audio Content Creation tool .

Visemes : Visemes are the key poses in observed speech, including the position of the lips, jaw, and tongue in producing a particular phoneme. Visemes have a strong correlation with voices and phonemes.

By using viseme events in Speech SDK, you can generate facial animation data. This data can be used to animate faces in lip-reading communication, education, entertainment, and customer service. Viseme is currently supported only for the en-US (US English) neural voices .

We plan to retire the traditional/standard voices and non-neural custom voice in 2024. After that, we'll no longer support them.

If your applications, tools, or products are using any of the standard voices and custom voices, you must migrate to the neural version. For more information, see Migrate to neural voices .

Get started

To get started with text to speech, see the quickstart . Text to speech is available via the Speech SDK , the REST API , and the Speech CLI .

To convert text to speech with a no-code approach, try the Audio Content Creation tool in Speech Studio .

Sample code

Sample code for text to speech is available on GitHub. These samples cover text to speech conversion in most popular programming languages:

• Text to speech samples (SDK)
• Text to speech samples (REST)

Custom neural voice

In addition to prebuilt neural voices, you can create custom neural voices that are unique to your product or brand. All it takes to get started is a handful of audio files and the associated transcriptions. For more information, see Get started with custom neural voice .

Pricing note

Billable characters.

When you use the text to speech feature, you're billed for each character that's converted to speech, including punctuation. Although the SSML document itself isn't billable, optional elements that are used to adjust how the text is converted to speech, like phonemes and pitch, are counted as billable characters. Here's a list of what's billable:

• Text passed to the text to speech feature in the SSML body of the request
• All markup within the text field of the request body in the SSML format, except for <speak> and <voice> tags
• Letters, punctuation, spaces, tabs, markup, and all white-space characters
• Every code point defined in Unicode

For detailed information, see Speech service pricing .

Each Chinese character is counted as two characters for billing, including kanji used in Japanese, hanja used in Korean, or hanzi used in other languages.

Model training and hosting time for custom neural voice

Custom neural voice training and hosting are both calculated by hour and billed per second. For the billing unit price, see Speech service pricing .

Custom neural voice (CNV) training time is measured by ‘compute hour’ (a unit to measure machine running time). Typically, when training a voice model, two computing tasks are running in parallel. So, the calculated compute hours are longer than the actual training time. On average, it takes less than one compute hour to train a CNV Lite voice; while for CNV Pro, it usually takes 20 to 40 compute hours to train a single-style voice, and around 90 compute hours to train a multi-style voice. The CNV training time is billed with a cap of 96 compute hours. So in the case that a voice model is trained in 98 compute hours, you'll only be charged with 96 compute hours.

Custom neural voice (CNV) endpoint hosting is measured by the actual time (hour). The hosting time (hours) for each endpoint is calculated at 00:00 UTC every day for the previous 24 hours. For example, if the endpoint has been active for 24 hours on day one, it's billed for 24 hours at 00:00 UTC the second day. If the endpoint is newly created or suspended during the day, it's billed for its accumulated running time until 00:00 UTC the second day. If the endpoint isn't currently hosted, it isn't billed. In addition to the daily calculation at 00:00 UTC each day, the billing is also triggered immediately when an endpoint is deleted or suspended. For example, for an endpoint created at 08:00 UTC on December 1, the hosting hour will be calculated to 16 hours at 00:00 UTC on December 2 and 24 hours at 00:00 UTC on December 3. If the user suspends hosting the endpoint at 16:30 UTC on December 3, the duration (16.5 hours) from 00:00 to 16:30 UTC on December 3 will be calculated for billing.

Personal voice

When you use the personal voice feature, you're billed for both profile storage and synthesis.

• Profile storage : After a personal voice profile is created, it will be billed until it is removed from the system. The billing unit is per voice per day. If voice storage lasts for a period of less than 24 hours, it will be billed as one full day.
• Synthesis : Billed per character. For details on billable characters, see the above billable characters .

Text to speech avatar

When using the text-to-speech avatar feature, charges will be incurred based on the length of video output and will be billed per second. However, for the real-time avatar, charges are based on the time when the avatar is active, regardless of whether it is speaking or remaining silent, and will also be billed per second. To optimize costs for real-time avatar usage, refer to the tips provided in the sample code (search "Use Local Video for Idle"). Avatar hosting is billed per second per endpoint. You can suspend your endpoint to save costs. If you want to suspend your endpoint, you can delete it directly. To use it again, simply redeploy the endpoint.

Monitor Azure text to speech metrics

Monitoring key metrics associated with text to speech services is crucial for managing resource usage and controlling costs. This section will guide you on how to find usage information in the Azure portal and provide detailed definitions of the key metrics. For more details on Azure monitor metrics, refer to Azure Monitor Metrics overview .

How to find usage information in the Azure portal

To effectively manage your Azure resources, it's essential to access and review usage information regularly. Here's how to find the usage information:

Go to the Azure portal and sign in with your Azure account.

Navigate to Resources and select your resource you wish to monitor.

Select Metrics under Monitoring from the left-hand menu.

Customize metric views.

You can filter data by resource type, metric type, time range, and other parameters to create custom views that align with your monitoring needs. Additionally, you can save the metric view to dashboards by selecting Save to dashboard for easy access to frequently used metrics.

Set up alerts.

To manage usage more effectively, set up alerts by navigating to the Alerts tab under Monitoring from the left-hand menu. Alerts can notify you when your usage reaches specific thresholds, helping to prevent unexpected costs.

Definition of metrics

Below is a table summarizing the key metrics for Azure text to speech services.

Reference docs

• REST API: Text to speech

Responsible AI

An AI system includes not only the technology, but also the people who use it, the people who are affected by it, and the environment in which it's deployed. Read the transparency notes to learn about responsible AI use and deployment in your systems.

• Transparency note and use cases for custom neural voice
• Characteristics and limitations for using custom neural voice
• Limited access to custom neural voice
• Guidelines for responsible deployment of synthetic voice technology
• Disclosure for voice talent
• Disclosure design guidelines
• Disclosure design patterns
• Code of Conduct for Text to speech integrations
• Data, privacy, and security for custom neural voice
• Text to speech quickstart
• Get the Speech SDK

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Additional resources

Speech to Text - Voice Typing & Transcription

Take notes with your voice for free, or automatically transcribe audio & video recordings. amazingly accurate, secure & blazing fast..

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Automatically transcribe (& optionally translate) recordings, audio and video files, YouTubes and more, in no time. Learn more.

Speechnotes is a reliable and secure web-based speech-to-text tool that enables you to quickly and accurately transcribe & translate your audio and video recordings, as well as dictate your notes instead of typing, saving you time and effort. With features like voice commands for punctuation and formatting, automatic capitalization, and easy import/export options, Speechnotes provides an efficient and user-friendly dictation and transcription experience. Proudly serving millions of users since 2015, Speechnotes is the go-to tool for anyone who needs fast, accurate & private transcription. Our Portfolio of Complementary Speech-To-Text Tools Includes:

Voice typing - Chrome extension

Dictate instead of typing on any form & text-box across the web. Including on Gmail, and more.

Transcription API & webhooks

Speechnotes' API enables you to send us files via standard POST requests, and get the transcription results sent directly to your server.

Zapier integration

Combine the power of automatic transcriptions with Zapier's automatic processes. Serverless & codeless automation! Connect with your CRM, phone calls, Docs, email & more.

Android Speechnotes app

Speechnotes' notepad for Android, for notes taking on your mobile, battle tested with more than 5Million downloads. Rated 4.3+ ⭐

iOS TextHear app

TextHear for iOS, works great on iPhones, iPads & Macs. Designed specifically to help people with hearing impairment participate in conversations. Please note, this is a sister app - so it has its own pricing plan.

Audio & video converting tools

Tools developed for fast - batch conversions of audio files from one type to another and extracting audio only from videos for minimizing uploads.

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Dictation Notepad

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Speech to Text online notepad. Professional, accurate & free speech recognizing text editor. Distraction-free, fast, easy to use web app for dictation & typing.

Speechnotes is a powerful speech-enabled online notepad, designed to empower your ideas by implementing a clean & efficient design, so you can focus on your thoughts. We strive to provide the best online dictation tool by engaging cutting-edge speech-recognition technology for the most accurate results technology can achieve today, together with incorporating built-in tools (automatic or manual) to increase users' efficiency, productivity and comfort. Works entirely online in your Chrome browser. No download, no install and even no registration needed, so you can start working right away.

Speechnotes is especially designed to provide you a distraction-free environment. Every note, starts with a new clear white paper, so to stimulate your mind with a clean fresh start. All other elements but the text itself are out of sight by fading out, so you can concentrate on the most important part - your own creativity. In addition to that, speaking instead of typing, enables you to think and speak it out fluently, uninterrupted, which again encourages creative, clear thinking. Fonts and colors all over the app were designed to be sharp and have excellent legibility characteristics.

Example use cases

• Voice typing
• Writing notes, thoughts
• Medical forms - dictate
• Transcribers (listen and dictate)

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Fast turnaround - results within minutes. Includes timestamps, auto punctuation and subtitles at unbeatable price. Protects your privacy: no human in the loop, and (unlike many other vendors) we do NOT keep your audio. Pay per use, no recurring payments. Upload your files or transcribe directly from Google Drive, YouTube or any other online source. Simple. No download or install. Just send us the file and get the results in minutes.

• Transcribe interviews
• Captions for Youtubes & movies
• Auto-transcribe phone calls or voice messages
• Students - transcribe lectures
• Podcasters - enlarge your audience by turning your podcasts into textual content
• Text-index entire audio archives

Key Advantages

Speechnotes is powered by the leading most accurate speech recognition AI engines by Google & Microsoft. We always check - and make sure we still use the best. Accuracy in English is very good and can easily reach 95% accuracy for good quality dictation or recording.

Lightweight & fast

Both Speechnotes dictation & transcription are lightweight-online no install, work out of the box anywhere you are. Dictation works in real time. Transcription will get you results in a matter of minutes.

Super Private & Secure!

Super private - no human handles, sees or listens to your recordings! In addition, we take great measures to protect your privacy. For example, for transcribing your recordings - we pay Google's speech to text engines extra - just so they do not keep your audio for their own research purposes.

Health advantages

Typing may result in different types of Computer Related Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI). Voice typing is one of the main recommended ways to minimize these risks, as it enables you to sit back comfortably, freeing your arms, hands, shoulders and back altogether.

Saves you time

Need to transcribe a recording? If it's an hour long, transcribing it yourself will take you about 6! hours of work. If you send it to a transcriber - you will get it back in days! Upload it to Speechnotes - it will take you less than a minute, and you will get the results in about 20 minutes to your email.

Saves you money

Speechnotes dictation notepad is completely free - with ads - or a small fee to get it ad-free. Speechnotes transcription is only $0.1/minute, which is X10 times cheaper than a human transcriber! We offer the best deal on the market - whether it's the free dictation notepad ot the pay-as-you-go transcription service.

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Transcription

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• Pay as you go - no subscription
• Audio & video recordings
• Speaker diarization in English
• Generate captions .srt files
• REST API, webhooks & Zapier integration

Compare plans

Privacy Policy

We at Speechnotes, Speechlogger, TextHear, Speechkeys value your privacy, and that's why we do not store anything you say or type or in fact any other data about you - unless it is solely needed for the purpose of your operation. We don't share it with 3rd parties, other than Google / Microsoft for the speech-to-text engine.

Privacy - how are the recordings and results handled?

- transcription service.

Our transcription service is probably the most private and secure transcription service available.

• HIPAA compliant.
• No human in the loop. No passing your recording between PCs, emails, employees, etc.
• Secure encrypted communications (https) with and between our servers.
• Recordings are automatically deleted from our servers as soon as the transcription is done.
• Our contract with Google / Microsoft (our speech engines providers) prohibits them from keeping any audio or results.
• Transcription results are securely kept on our secure database. Only you have access to them - only if you sign in (or provide your secret credentials through the API)
• You may choose to delete the transcription results - once you do - no copy remains on our servers.

- Dictation notepad & extension

For dictation, the recording & recognition - is delegated to and done by the browser (Chrome / Edge) or operating system (Android). So, we never even have access to the recorded audio, and Edge's / Chrome's / Android's (depending the one you use) privacy policy apply here.

The results of the dictation are saved locally on your machine - via the browser's / app's local storage. It never gets to our servers. So, as long as your device is private - your notes are private.

Payments method privacy

The whole payments process is delegated to PayPal / Stripe / Google Pay / Play Store / App Store and secured by these providers. We never receive any of your credit card information.

More generic notes regarding our site, cookies, analytics, ads, etc.

• We may use Google Analytics on our site - which is a generic tool to track usage statistics.
• We use cookies - which means we save data on your browser to send to our servers when needed. This is used for instance to sign you in, and then keep you signed in.
• For the dictation tool - we use your browser's local storage to store your notes, so you can access them later.
• Non premium dictation tool serves ads by Google. Users may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Ads Settings . Alternatively, users can opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting https://youradchoices.com/
• In case you would like to upload files to Google Drive directly from Speechnotes - we'll ask for your permission to do so. We will use that permission for that purpose only - syncing your speech-notes to your Google Drive, per your request.

Dictate text using Speech Recognition

On Windows 11 22H2 and later, Windows Speech Recognition (WSR) will be replaced by voice access starting in September 2024. Older versions of Windows will continue to have WSR available. To learn more about voice access, go to Use voice access to control your PC & author text with your voice .

You can use your voice to dictate text to your Windows PC. For example, you can dictate text to fill out online forms; or you can dictate text to a word-processing program, such as WordPad, to type a letter.

Dictating text

When you speak into the microphone, Windows Speech Recognition converts your spoken words into text that appears on your screen.

 To dictate text

Say "start listening" or click the Microphone button to start the listening mode.

Open the program you want to use or select the text box you want to dictate text into.

Say the text that you want dictate.

Correcting dictation mistakes

There are several ways to correct mistakes made during dictation. You can say "correct that" to correct the last thing you said. To correct a single word, say "correct" followed by the word that you want to correct. If the word appears more than once, all instances will be highlighted and you can choose the one that you want to correct. You can also add words that are frequently misheard or not recognized by using the Speech Dictionary.

To use the Alternates panel dialog box

Do one of the following:

To correct the last thing you said, say "correct that."

To correct a single word, say "correct" followed by the word that you want to correct.

In the Alternates panel dialog box, say the number next to the item you want, and then "OK."  

Note:  To change a selection, in the Alternates panel dialog box, say "spell" followed by the number of the item you want to change, and then "OK."

To use the Speech Dictionary

Say "open Speech Dictionary."

Do any of the following:

To add a word to the dictionary, click or say Add a new word , and then follow the instructions in the wizard.

To prevent a specific word from being dictated, click or say Prevent a word from being dictated , and then follow the instructions in the wizard.

To correct or delete a word that is already in the dictionary, click or say Change existing words , and then follow the instructions in the wizard.

Note:  Speech Recognition is available only in English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.

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How to Use Speech to Text on Windows 11: A Step-by-Step Guide

September 11, 2024

Michael Collins

How to Use Speech to Text on Windows 11

Getting Windows 11 to convert your speech to text is a piece of cake. First, you’re going to want to enable the speech recognition feature. Then, you’ll set up the microphone and start dictating away on your favorite app or program. Just follow the simple steps below, and you’ll be good to go!

In a few minutes, you can get Windows 11 to transcribe your words into text. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

Step 1: Enable Speech Recognition

First, you need to turn on the speech recognition feature in Windows 11.

Go to the Start menu, type "Settings," and hit enter. From there, navigate to "Accessibility" and find "Speech." Toggle on "Speech Recognition."

Step 2: Set Up Your Microphone

Next, you’ll need to ensure your microphone is ready to pick up your voice.

In the same "Speech" menu, click on "Set up a microphone" and follow the on-screen instructions. This will help Windows understand your voice better.

Step 3: Open the App or Program

Now, open the app or program where you want to use the speech-to-text feature.

This could be Microsoft Word, Notepad, or even your web browser. Make sure the cursor is in the text field where you want the words to appear.

Step 4: Start Dictating

Press the Windows key + H to start the dictation mode.

You’ll see a small toolbar pop up, indicating that Windows is ready to transcribe your speech into text. Start speaking clearly and naturally.

Step 5: Correct Errors as Needed

Sometimes, the software might misinterpret what you’re saying.

You can manually correct any mistakes using your keyboard, or you can say commands like "delete that" to erase the last word or phrase.

After completing these steps, Windows 11 will transcribe your spoken words into text right in the application you’re using. It’s a handy way to get your thoughts down quickly!

Tips for Using Speech to Text on Windows 11

• Speak Clearly : Ensure you speak clearly and at a moderate pace for better accuracy.
• Quiet Environment : Minimize background noise to improve the software’s ability to recognize your words.
• Use Commands : Learn dictation commands such as "new line" or "delete that" to control the text editing process.
• Regular Updates : Keep your Windows 11 updated to benefit from the latest improvements in the speech recognition feature.
• Practice : The more you use it, the better it gets at understanding your voice and accent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the speech to text feature available in all versions of windows 11.

Yes, the speech-to-text feature is available in all versions of Windows 11. However, some advanced features may require specific hardware.

Can I use speech to text in any application?

Most applications that accept text input can use the speech-to-text feature. However, the experience might be more seamless in apps that are optimized for this feature, like Microsoft Word.

How do I correct mistakes while dictating?

You can correct mistakes by using voice commands like "delete that" or manually using the keyboard.

Does speech recognition work offline?

Basic speech recognition works offline, but for enhanced accuracy and additional features, an internet connection is recommended.

Can I train the software to better recognize my voice?

Yes, you can improve accuracy by completing the voice training in the "Speech" settings menu.

Step-by-Step Summary

• Enable Speech Recognition.
• Set Up Your Microphone.
• Open the App or Program.
• Start Dictating.
• Correct Errors as Needed.

And there you have it! Using speech to text on Windows 11 is a straightforward process that can save you tons of time and effort. Whether you’re writing an essay, jotting down some quick notes, or composing emails, this feature can make your life a whole lot easier.

Don’t forget to speak clearly and practice regularly to get the best results. If you found this guide helpful, why not explore more features of Windows 11 to enhance your productivity even further? Happy dictating!

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• How to Enable Voice Typing in Windows 11: A Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Use Voice to Text on iPhone 14: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Apple dictation app: A Comprehensive Guide to Seamless Voice Typing
• How to Increase Microphone Volume in Windows 11: A Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Create a Speech Bubble in Photoshop CS5: A Step-by-Step Guide
• How to Make Microphone Louder in Windows 11: Easy Steps to Boost Volume
• How to Fix Microphone on Windows 11: A Comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide
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