It’s tough to keep up with everything during a class, especially online. You’re often forced to choose between fully focusing on the lecture or scribbling notes, risking missing key points either way. This problem is intensified in virtual classrooms, where distractions are aplenty. Trying to take notes on top of that can feel nearly impossible!
Luckily, Microsoft Word offers a solution that lets you be present in class while still capturing all the important information – the Dictate tool. It’s pretty neat! Let’s see how it works.
what is the dictate tool?
The Dictate feature in Microsoft Word turns your spoken words into text on the page. It’s available on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and even in the web version, meaning you can use it on just about any device.
Dictate supports nearly 20 languages right now, with more being added. Here’s a list:
- English (United States)
- Chinese (China)
- English (Canada)
- English (United Kingdom)
- German (Germany)
- Italian (Italy)
- Spanish (Spain)
- Spanish (Mexico)
- Danish
- Dutch (Netherlands)
- English (Australia)
- English (India)
- Finnish
- French (Canada)
- Japanese
- Norwegian (Bokmål)
- Portuguese (Brazil)
- Swedish (Sweden)
Keep in mind, some languages (from Dutch to Swedish) are still in preview. This means that dictation might not be perfect and punctuation might be limited.
The Dictate feature is free on Microsoft Word for Web. However, if you want to use it on the desktop apps for Windows or Mac, you need a Microsoft 365 subscription.
using dictate for notes
To start using Dictate, open Microsoft Word. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can use the desktop app. If not, open Word online in your browser (Chrome, Edge, or Firefox) and log in to your Microsoft account.
Go to the “Home” tab in the ribbon menu.
In the Home tab, find and click on “Dictate.” It might look like just a microphone icon, but hovering over it should say ‘Dictate’. Click the icon to begin dictating.
If you are using a windows PC, you can use the keyboard shortcut Alt + ` (backquote) to start dictation.
If it’s your first time using Dictate in the browser, a pop-up will ask for microphone access. Click ‘Allow’.
A small pop-up with a microphone icon will appear when Dictate is active. It’ll have a red dot when it’s listening and you can move it around.
To change the language of dictation, click the gear icon (settings) on the Dictate pop-up.
A dictation settings window will pop up. Use the dropdown menu next to ‘Spoken Language’ to pick the language you need.
You can add punctuation by saying the words like “comma,” “period,” or “new line.” However, for note-taking, it’s better to turn on auto-punctuation. This can be enabled in the Dictate settings.
Toggle the ‘Enable Auto-Punctuation’ option. While it might not be perfect with all languages, it will make your notes much easier to read.
Dictate also has a sensitive phrase filter enabled by default. It will replace potentially sensitive words with asterisks (****).
Word might underline some words, indicating a possible mishearing. Click on it and see suggestions or select ‘ignore’ if it’s correct.
You can make corrections using your keyboard without stopping the dictation.
Click the microphone icon on the pop-up to pause, or click the ‘X’ on the Dictate pop-up to stop dictation.
Dictation might pause if Word is not the active window on your screen. Keep your meeting and word windows side-by-side to avoid this.
Now you can easily take notes in your online classes! Make sure that you are using your speakers instead of your headphones. Of course, you can use this tool for in-person classes as well.