The short answer
Most people talk at 130 to 170 words a minute and type at 40 to 80, so dictating is usually two to three times faster than typing. Text normally appears about a second after you let go.
Talking against typing
| Typical speed | |
|---|---|
| Typing, most office workers | 40 to 80 words a minute |
| Typing, very fast typists | 90 to 120 words a minute |
| Talking, normal pace | 130 to 170 words a minute |
That gap is the whole point. Even a fast typist talks faster than they type, and most people talk two to three times faster. Over a working day of emails, messages and documents, that adds up to hours.
How quickly the text appears
After you let go of the key, text usually appears in about a second for a normal sentence or two. Longer dictations take a little longer, because there is more to write up, but you never wait while you are talking: the waiting only starts when you stop.
Your account page shows how quickly your own dictations usually come back.
Measure your own speed
The free speed test measures how fast you type, then how fast you talk, and shows the difference. It takes about two minutes and needs no account.
Once you have taken it, your account page uses your real typing speed to show the time dictating has saved you each month, rather than a guess.
Where the time really goes
Speed is not only words a minute. Dictation also saves the time you would spend:
- Fixing typos, because spelling is handled for you.
- Tidying punctuation, because it is added from the way you speak.
- Rewriting rambles, because fillers and false starts are taken out.
- Switching tone, because the style already fits the app you are in.
Why some people are faster than others
How much time you save depends mostly on how fast you type now. Someone who types 35 words a minute often writes three or four times faster by voice. Someone who types 100 words a minute still saves time, mostly on longer pieces, where talking through a thought beats typing it, and on the tidying the clean-up does for them.
Getting faster with practice
Most people find their first few days of dictation feel a little slower than they expected, simply because talking to a computer is new. After a week it becomes habit:
- You stop slowing down and talk at your normal pace, which is when accuracy is best.
- You learn to say a whole thought before letting go.
- Your dictionary fills up with the names you use, so you correct less.
Related questions
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