Writing by voice on Windows.

This guide is about one thing: writing by speaking instead of typing, on a Windows PC. It isn't a diagnosis, a treatment or a learning programme. For advice on support at school, college or work, talk to your school or employer, or to a dyslexia organisation.

Free tools come first, because Windows and Microsoft 365 already do a lot. Voktik, the app we make, comes at the end, with a plain list of what it does and doesn't do.

Windows voice typing: talk in any text box

1. Click in the box you want to write in: a document, an email, a form.
2. Press Windows key + H and wait until it's listening.
3. Say what you want to write. Say "stop listening" when you're done.

It's built into Windows 11 and free. It needs the internet and a microphone. Open the gear icon on the voice typing bar and switch on automatic punctuation, so full stops and commas go in from the way you speak. The voice typing launcher adds a microphone button beside text boxes, so you can start with a click.

Useful things to say: "delete that" removes what you just said, "select that" selects it, and "undo that" undoes the last change. More in how to dictate on Windows 11.

Microsoft 365 Dictate, and hearing your writing read back

Dictate. With a Microsoft 365 subscription, Word has a Dictate button on the Home tab, and Outlook has one on the Message tab. You can say punctuation such as "comma", "question mark" and "new line". It needs the internet.

Immersive Reader. Once you've written something in Word, select the View tab, then Immersive Reader. Its Read Aloud reads your document to you and highlights each word as it goes. Hearing your own words back is a simple way to check they say what you meant. Microsoft lists Immersive Reader in Word for Microsoft 365 and in Word 2019, 2021 and 2024.

Voktik: speak, and get tidy text

Hold Ctrl+Win, say what you want to write, and let go. The text goes wherever your cursor is.

What it does:

• Adds the punctuation for you, and capital letters, from the way you speak.
• Takes out the ums and ers, repeats and false starts.
• Follows corrections you say as you go: "meet on Tuesday, no, Wednesday" comes out as "meet on Wednesday".
• A dictionary for words it gets wrong, such as names, places and course or work terms. Add them once and they come out right. Free.
• History keeps what you dictated on your PC, with what you said beside what Voktik wrote, so you can find it again or copy the plain version. Free.
• Hands-free for longer pieces: double-tap Ctrl+Win, or press Ctrl+Win+Space. Free.

What it doesn't do:

• It doesn't read text aloud. Use Immersive Reader (above) for that.
• It doesn't check the spelling of text you type. It only writes what you say.
• It doesn't work offline, and it needs a Google sign-in.
• It doesn't rewrite your ideas. It tidies what you said and keeps your words.

Tips for writing by voice

• Say it, then read it back. Dictate the whole piece first, then read or listen to it once.
• Think in sentences. Say one sentence, pause, then the next. Punctuation comes out better.
• Don't fix as you go. Stopping to correct each word breaks your flow. Edit at the end.
• Add names early. Put the names and terms you use most into your dictionary on day one.

Access to Work, for help at work

Access to Work is a government grant that can help you get or stay in work if you have a condition or disability, and GOV.UK lists dyslexia among the conditions it covers. It can pay for specialist equipment and assistive software. You don't need a diagnosis to apply, and the grant doesn't have to be paid back.

It covers England, Scotland and Wales (Northern Ireland has a separate system), for people aged 16 or over in paid work, or about to start or return to it within 12 weeks. Check the full rules and apply at gov.uk/access-to-work.

FAQ

Can Windows read my writing back to me?

Word's Immersive Reader has Read Aloud, which reads your document and highlights each word. Voktik doesn't read text aloud.

Does Voktik check my spelling?

No. It writes what you say, with punctuation and capitals added. It doesn't check text you type yourself.

Is Voktik free?

There's a free plan of 2,000 words a week, every week. Pro removes the weekly limit and adds extra styles and features.