Before we dive in, I want to first get a few things out of the way.

1. While dictation is very exciting, it doesn’t take the place of learning to use a keyboard if you are able to do so.
2. If you use a screen reader, dictation will not replace the need for you to learn how to use your screen reader.
3. Sometimes too much dictation is a bad thing.
4. Remember that if you use a screen reader while dictating, and you don’t have a headset connected, your dictation experience will not be a good one due to the microphone picking up your screen reader’s voice.
5. Use a headset for best performance with dictation.
6. In this article, I am specifically talking about dictation and not total computer control via voice.
7. This information was directly taken from Microsoft, and you should check that for the most up to date information on this topic. I have edited parts of this article to make it a bit clearer for someone who may be using a screen reader.

Now… Here’s Microsoft.

Use dictation to convert spoken words into text anywhere on your PC with Windows 10

Dictation uses speech recognition, which is built into Windows 10, so there’s nothing you need to download and install to use it.

To start dictating, be sure that you are in an edit box of some kind. This could be an email message, a notepad document, or a word document. Next, press the Windows logo key + H to open the dictation toolbar. Then say whatever’s on your mind.  To stop dictating at any time, say “Stop dictation.”

If you’re using a tablet or a touchscreen, tap the microphone button on the touch keyboard to start dictating. Tap it again to stop dictation, or say “Stop dictation.”

To find out more about speech recognition, read Use voice recognition in Windows 10. To learn how to set up your microphone, read How to set up and test microphones in Windows 10.

Note: To use dictation, your PC needs to be connected to the internet. Also, remember that if you are using a screen reader, you will hear various tips while dictation is running, such as “Say stop dictating when done”. Because of this, you may want to mute your screen reader’s speech while dictating.

Dictation commands

Use dictation commands to tell your PC what to do, like “delete that” or “select the previous word.”

The following table tells you what you can say. In some cases, the command is just an example. Replace it with similar words to get the result you want.

Dictating letters, numbers, punctuation, and symbols

You can dictate most numbers and punctuation by saying the number or punctuation character. To dictate letters and symbols, say “start spelling”, Then say the symbol or letter, or use the ICAO phonetic alphabet.

To dictate an uppercase letter, say “uppercase” before the letter. For example, “uppercase A” or “uppercase alpha.” When you’re done, say “stop spelling.”

Here are the punctuation characters and symbols you can dictate.

Supported languages

Dictation commands are available in US English only.

You can dictate basic text, symbols, letters, and numbers in these languages:

• Simplified Chinese
• English (Australia, Canada, India, United Kingdom)
• French (France, Canada)
• German (Germany)
• Italian (Italy)
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Spanish (Mexico, Spain)

To dictate in other languages, Use speech recognition.

Conclusion

I do use dictation on occasion, but I find that for the most part, typing is more reliable for me. Still, dictation continues to improve each year. Once you get familiar with how your screen reader interacts with this, you will likely feel more comfortable using it for some things. I find that it works best dictating a sentence or two at a time. This way you can quickly check the text that was inserted. I really hope you find this useful and helpful!

Qapla!