Tips9 min

How to dictate without errors: 12 tips that work

Punctuation, names, accents and noise: everything that makes voice dictation go right or wrong, and how to fix it.

For: People getting started with voice dictationPublished: 2026-09-28

Voice dictation has improved enormously, but we have all seen absurd sentences come out of a microphone. Most of those errors are not the technology's fault but how and where we speak. With a few habits, text comes out almost perfect the first time.

Before speaking: set the stage

The first step is telling the program which language you will speak. Browser speech recognition does not guess the language: if it is set to Spanish and you speak English, the result will be a mess. In VoiceScribe you choose the language from a menu before starting.

Then, the place. An echoey room, a window open to the street or a TV on confuse the microphone. You do not need a studio: just get closer to the microphone and away from the noise.

1. Choose the right language before dictating.
2. Move away from noise: TV, fans, traffic.
3. Keep the microphone about 20–30 cm from your mouth.
4. Use a headset if you work somewhere noisy.

While speaking: rhythm and full sentences

The most common mistake is speaking word by word, slowly, stressing every syllable. It seems logical, but speech recognition understands full sentences at a natural pace better, because it uses context to decide which word it heard.

Think of the idea before saying it. If you hesitate mid-sentence, the system writes the hesitation too ("uh", "um"). Pause, think, then say the whole sentence.

5. Speak at your normal speed without exaggerating.
6. Say full sentences; pause between ideas.
7. Avoid filler words: "like", "you know", "um".
8. If you make a mistake, finish the sentence and fix it later.

Punctuation: say it or let AI add it

With browser dictation you can say "comma", "period" or "new paragraph" and they usually become symbols. It works, but you have to think about punctuation while speaking.

With VoiceScribe AI Dictation you do not: AI listens to intonation and adds commas, periods, question marks and capitals automatically. For long texts, it is the most comfortable option.

9. For short messages, say punctuation out loud.
10. For long texts, use AI Dictation and forget about punctuation.

Afterwards: check what the machine cannot know

No system can guess how to spell your client's surname, your company name or a technical term from your field. Always check names, numbers and dates before sending.

It also helps to quietly reread the whole text. In ten seconds you catch a misheard word that changes the meaning.

11. Check names, numbers, dates and addresses.
12. Reread the whole text before sending.

Accents: no need to change how you speak

Modern speech recognition understands a wide range of accents. You do not need to neutralize yours. What helps is speaking clearly and not swallowing word endings.

Frequently asked questions

Why does it write words in another language?

Almost always because the dictation language is set wrong. Change it before speaking.

How do I add question marks?

With AI Dictation they appear from your intonation. With browser dictation you can say "question mark".

Does it learn from my corrections?

Browser dictation does not learn from you. That is why checking names at the end is worth it.

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