Use text to speech in word

• You can use speech-to-text on Microsoft Word through the «Dictate» feature.
• With Microsoft Word’s «Dictate» feature, you can write using a microphone and your own voice.
• When you use Dictate, you can say «new line» to create a new paragraph and add punctuation simply by saying the punctuation aloud.
• If you’re not satisfied with Word’s built-in speech-to-text feature, you can use a third-party program like Dragon Home.
• Visit Business Insider’s Tech Reference library for more stories.

While typing is certainly the most common way to create and edit documents in Microsoft Word, you’re not limited to using a keyboard. 

Word supports speech-to-text, which lets you dictate your writing using voice recognition. 

Speech-to-text in Word is convenient and surprisingly accurate, and can help anyone who has issues typing with a typical keyboard. 

You can use speech-to-text in Microsoft Word in the same way on both Mac and PC.

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How to use speech-to-text on Word using Dictate

Make sure you have a microphone connected to your computer. This can be built-in, like on a laptop, or a separate mic that you plug into the USB or audio jack. 

It doesn’t matter which type you use, though the best kind of mic to use is a headset, as it won’t need to compete with as much background noise as a built-in microphone.

1. In Microsoft Word, make sure you’re in the «Home» tab at the top of the screen, and then click «Dictate.»

Text-to-speech Microsoft Word 

Having a text-to-speech (TTS) tool on MS Word can be quite helpful, and as it turns out, there are a couple of different options you can check out. Using these app will improve accessibility, and they can save you so much time. 

Microsoft Word’s text-to-speech—Read Aloud and accessibility for all users

If you are a Microsoft Word user and want to improve accessibility, one of the simplest ways to achieve it is by using text-to-speech software. The best thing about it is that the TTS app Read Aloud is included in the Microsoft Office package. 

Read Aloud allows you to hear the words you are typing, or rather, for the AI to read the text aloud once you’re done. It is a great way to hear how the text sounds, and you can relax and listen to the content as if it were an audiobook. 

The TTS tool works on Word, Outlook, OneNote, and PowerPoint.

How to turn on text-to-speech on Microsoft Word

The first thing you will need to do is enable the Read Aloud tool in Microsoft Word. To do this, you will need to click on More Commands, which you will find in the drop-down menu in the left part of the Quick Access Toolbar. 

From there on, you should click on Word Options, hover your cursor over Choose command from, and click on All Commands. This will allow you to find the Speak and add it to the menu. 

As soon as you do this, the Speak button will appear in the top left corner, and all you need to do is highlight the text and click on the button to turn it on. You can also use Ctrl+A to select the entire text, or press the shift key and down arrow to select new lines.

The different voices that are available for text-to-speech

The text-to-speech tool included in the Microsoft Office package offers a couple of different voices you can use. Microsoft’s Read Aloud is a great feature, and it is similar to the Narrator function available in the newer versions of Windows. 

However, these options can often be limiting. If you are looking for more customization options, more variety, languages, and voices, you might want to check out the alternatives. There are several TTS tools available on the market, and one of the best options is Speechify. 

Speechify can do everything Read Aloud does, but even better! The app offers so many incredible voices, and you can pick and choose what suits you the best. One of the newest features Speechify offers is using Gwyneth Paltrow’s voice for text-to-speech. 

Yes, you read that right. The well-known actress can now be your virtual assistant and read Word documents to you. It only makes the entire speech feature sound even more realistic, and you will feel as if you were listening to an audiobook. 

Speechify is available on different platforms including Apple’s iPhones, Android devices, Mac, and Windows.

How to change the speed and pitch of the voice in text-to-speech

Having a chance to customize the sound can make a world of difference for users, and Speechify offers just that. Besides having to choose between numerous voices, accents, and languages, you can also select speech rate or speed. 

The reason why this is so important is that it allows you to experience different docs in a different way. For example, you might want to quickly run over the entire document you wrote, and all you need to do is move the slider on the app to increase the speed. 

At the same time, you can fully enjoy the experience and listen to the story at a regular speed (or even slower). Adjusting the pitch is another thing users might like, but when you have an incredible actress such as Gwyneth Paltrow, it might be unnecessary. 

Some ideas of how you could use text-to-speech in your own life

TTS tools can be quite helpful and bring so many improvements in your everyday life. One of the main reasons people use text-to-speech is that it can help them multitask. You can use it on emails, documents, or even social media, you are free to do anything else while listening. 

At the same time, text-to-speech tools are designed to improve accessibility. If someone has a learning disability like dyslexia, visual impairments, or anything else that can make reading difficult, using TTS software can make a world of difference by being able to hear text spoken out loud to you in a natural voice instead of needing to read it.

Even if you just prefer listening to texts instead of reading them, Speechify can easily help. The app will convert any type of text into audio in just a couple of clicks. Text-to-speech tools can often read alt texts as well, which is more than helpful.

FAQ

How do you use text to speech in Microsoft Word?

You will need to click on the drop-down menu (Quick Access Toolbar) and navigate to More Commands. There, you will see an option to select “more commands,” and you will see “word options.” 

Within this dialog box, you will be able to include “all commands,” and find Speak on the list. Once you add the button to the list, it should appear in the top left corner. After that, all you need to do is highlight the text, and click on the Speak icon. 

How do you make Microsoft Word read aloud?

There is an option in the Review tab to enable Read Aloud. There, you will find all controls necessary to use the feature. This includes play, pause, and the ability to move from one paragraph to the other. You can also use third-party apps like the internationally popular TTS app Speechify to read your Word documents to you out loud in natural-sounding voices.

Does Windows 10 have text-to-speech?

Yes. Microsoft Windows 10 and 11 have text-to-speech tools, and the speak feature is called the Narrator. To enable the Narrator, you will need to go to Settings (or Control Panel), Ease of Access, and click on Narrator. 

The app will work on any type of document, including web pages. You can start or stop the app using Windows key + Ctrl + Enter keyboard shortcut or Speak command.

You can also use Speechify on your Windows 10 computer to read all types of documents, web pages, and more.

Master the skill of speech to text in Microsoft Word and you’ll be dictating documents with ease before you know it. Developed and refined over many years, Microsoft’s speech recognition and voice typing technology is an efficient way to get your thoughts out, create drafts and make notes.

Just like the best speech to text apps that make life easier for us when we’re using our phones, Microsoft’s offering is ideal for those of us who spend a lot of time using Word and don’t want to wear out our fingers or the keyboard with all that typing. While speech to text in Microsoft Word used to be prone to errors which you’d then have to go back and correct, the technology has come a long way in recent years and is now amongst the best text-to-speech software.

Regardless of whether you have the best computer or the best Windows laptop, speech to text in Microsoft Word is easy to access and a breeze to use. From connecting your microphone to inserting punctuation, you’ll find everything you need to know right here in this guide. Let’s take a look…

How to use speech to text in Microsoft Word: Preparation

The most important thing to check is whether you have a valid Microsoft 365 (opens in new tab) subscription, as voice typing is only available to paying customers. If you’re reading this article, it’s likely your business already has a Microsoft 365 enterprise subscription. If you don’t, however, find out more about Microsoft 365 for business via this link (opens in new tab). 

The second thing you’ll need before you start voice typing is a stable internet connection. This is because Microsoft Word’s dictation software processes your speech on external servers. These huge servers and lighting-fast processors use vast amounts of speech data to transcribe your text. In fact, they make use of advanced neural networks and deep learning technology, which enables the software to learn about human speech and continuously improve its accuracy. 

These two technologies are the key reason why voice typing technology has improved so much in recent years, and why you should be happy that Microsoft dictation software requires an internet connection. 

Once you’ve got a valid Microsoft 365 subscription and an internet connection, you’re ready to go!

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word

Simple but crucial. Open the Microsoft Word (opens in new tab) application on your device and create a new, blank document. We named our test document “How to use speech to text in Microsoft Word — Test” and saved it to the desktop so we could easily find it later.

Step 2: Click on the Dictate button

Once you’ve created a blank document, you’ll see a Dictate button and drop-down menu on the top right-hand corner of the Home menu. It has a microphone symbol above it. From here, open the drop-down menu and double-check that the language is set to English.

One of the best parts of Microsoft Word’s speech to text software is its support for multiple languages. At the time of writing, nine languages were supported, with several others listed as preview languages. Preview languages have lower accuracy and limited punctuation support.

Step 3: Allow Microsoft Word access to the Microphone

If you haven’t used Microsoft Word’s speech to text software before, you’ll need to grant the application access to your microphone. This can be done at the click of a button when prompted.

It’s worth considering using an external microphone for your dictation, particularly if you plan on regularly using voice to text software within your organization. While built-in microphones will suffice for most general purposes, an external microphone can improve accuracy due to higher quality components and optimized placement of the microphone itself.

Step 4: Begin voice typing

Now we get to the fun stuff. After completing all of the above steps, click once again on the dictate button. The blue symbol will change to white, and a red recording symbol will appear. This means Microsoft Word has begun listening for your voice. If you have your sound turned up, a chime will also indicate that transcription has started. 

Using voice typing is as simple as saying aloud the words you would like Microsoft to transcribe. It might seem a little strange at first, but you’ll soon develop a bit of flow, and everyone finds their strategies and style for getting the most out of the software. 

These four steps alone will allow you to begin transcribing your voice to text. However, if you want to elevate your speech to text software skills, our fifth step is for you.

Step 5: Incorporate punctuation commands

Microsoft Word’s speech to text software goes well beyond simply converting spoken words to text. With the introduction and improvement of artificial neural networks, Microsoft’s voice typing technology listens not only to single words but to the phrase as a whole. This has enabled the company to introduce an extensive list of voice commands that allow you to insert punctuation marks and other formatting effects while speaking. 

We can’t mention all of the punctuation commands here, but we’ll name some of the most useful. Saying the command “period” will insert a period, while the command “comma” will insert, unsurprisingly, a comma. The same rule applies for exclamation marks, colons, and quotations. If you’d like to finish a paragraph and leave a line break, you can say the command “new line.” 

These tools are easy to use. In our testing, the software was consistently accurate in discerning words versus punctuation commands.

Summary

Microsoft’s speech to text software is powerful. Having tested most of the major platforms, we can say that Microsoft offers arguably the best product when balancing cost versus performance. This is because the software is built directly into Microsoft 365, which many businesses already use. If this applies to your business, you can begin using Microsoft’s voice typing technology straight away, with no additional costs. 

We hope this article has taught you how to use speech to text software in Microsoft Word, and that you’ll now be able to apply these skills within your organization.