Long time blog followers might remember a previous post about voice dictation built into specific applications… and while that post is still relevant today, Windows 11 has taken voice dictation in applications a step further, and made it available across (nearly) your entire computer!

Why Use Voice Dictation or Voice Typing?

• Save time!
  Most individuals can speak faster than they can type – using voice dictation can mean that your document/email/etc… is written in a faster time.
• Supports thought transfer!
  Some individuals find it difficult to transfer what they are thinking into written words, whether on physical or digital paper. Often, it’s easier to transfer our thoughts into spoken words, rather than written words.
• Write More!
  Similar to the above, with less of a barrier in thought transferring, and a faster means of getting your ideas out, you can write more! Hopefully reducing how often you lose your “train of thought”.
• Gets you started!
  No really. Sometimes just getting started is the hardest part of writing. With voice dictation, just start talking! Don’t worry about what your opening line is, or your thesis statement, just talk, and edit later.

How to use Voice Typing?

Remember: Voice Typing is available to Windows computers, running Windows Version 11.

You can launch voice typing in one of two ways:

• pressing the Windows logo key and the letter h key at the same time
• selecting the microphone icon (next to the spacebar on the onscreen touch keyboard)

Voice Commands

A voice command is something that you can say, that the computer understands as something to do, not something you want it to type for you. Some of the more common voice commands are:

• “stop listening” = stop voice typing
• “hyphen” = –
• “exclamation point” = !
• “left parentheses” = (
• “right parenthess” = )
• “comma” = ,
• “period” = .
• “smiley face” = 🙂
• “heart emoji” = <3

We know, those last two were the most important ones!

Additional Information

For additional information, including a full list of voice commands, check out this article on Voice Typing, by Microsoft Support.

Are you a Mac User?

Don’t worry, your turn will be coming up!