# Speech to text for Windows > Latch is speech to text for Windows that types where you are working. Tap Ctrl+Win, speak, and tap it again. The words appear at your cursor in mail, chat, a document, or your editor, already punctuated and cleaned up, so there is no transcript to fix. Live speech to text, in the app you are already in. Last updated 2026-10-04. HTML version: https://latchvoice.less.style/speech-to-text ## Example You say: "is the build green, question mark. I think it is, but let me check, exclamation mark" Latch pastes: > Is the build green? I think it is, but let me check! ## There are three kinds of speech to text. - **Engines and APIs.** Cloud speech recognition built for developers who add transcription to their own software. You write code and pay per minute of audio. - **File and meeting transcription.** Tools that turn a recording, an interview, or a call into a transcript, often with timestamps and speaker labels. - **Live dictation.** You speak and the text appears where you are typing. This is what Latch does. ## Speech to text that ends in the right place. - **The text appears where you work.** No page to open and nothing to copy out of. Latch pastes at the cursor of any Windows app with a text cursor, then puts your clipboard back the way it was. - **[Not a verbatim transcript](https://latchvoice.less.style/dictation-software-that-removes-ums-windows.md).** Speech to text normally returns exactly what was said, ums included, and leaves the clean-up to you. Latch cleans before it pastes: hesitations dropped, corrections resolved, numbers compact. - **Punctuation and layout handled.** Latch punctuates for you. Name a mark (“question mark”) or say “new paragraph” and it is applied, not typed. Capitalization follows the cursor: mid-sentence the text continues in lowercase, a new sentence starts with a capital. - **[Any language, take by take](https://latchvoice.less.style/voice-dictation-with-translation-windows.md).** The speech language is detected on every take, so you never open a language menu. Add a Translate row to speak in one language and paste in another. - **Long takes and short ones.** Tap Ctrl+Win to latch recording on, up to 10 minutes. Or hold it for a short line and let go. Say nothing and nothing is pasted or counted: the badge says “No speech heard”. - **A take is never lost.** If the connection drops or the service is busy, the take stays on your PC for up to 24 hours and the badge shows Retry. You do not have to say it again. ## Which kind of speech to text do you need? | What differs | Speech-to-text API | File and meeting transcription | Free online speech-to-text pages | Latch | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Made for | Developers adding transcription to their own software | Turning recordings, interviews, and calls into transcripts | Trying speech to text in a browser tab | Writing by voice in any Windows app | | You get | Text returned to your code, per request | A transcript, often with timestamps and speaker labels | Text in the page, which you copy out | Cleaned text pasted at your cursor | | You need to | Write and maintain code | Upload a file and wait | Keep the tab open and copy the result | Press Ctrl+Win | | Price | Billed per minute of audio | Per minute or by subscription | Free, often supported by ads | 60 free minutes a month, then $8 for unlimited | ## Who it fits Good fit: - You want live speech to text while you write, not a file converted afterwards. - You are tired of copying text out of a speech-to-text page. - You write in more than one language. - You want punctuated, cleaned-up text instead of a verbatim transcript. Not a good fit: - You need to transcribe recordings, meetings, or phone calls. Latch has no file upload, speaker labels, or timestamps. - You want to build speech recognition into your own software. Latch is an app, not an API. - You need to work offline. Each take is processed online. - You are on a Mac, Linux, iPhone, or Android. Latch is Windows only for now. ## Speech to text for the writing you do all day. - [Email](https://latchvoice.less.style/voice-dictation-for-email-windows.md): Reply to a thread in one take. - [Slack and Teams](https://latchvoice.less.style/voice-typing-for-slack-and-teams.md): Answer without leaving the message box. - [Documents](https://latchvoice.less.style/voice-dictation-for-documents-windows.md): A first draft at the speed you think. - [Coding](https://latchvoice.less.style/voice-dictation-for-coding-windows.md): Prompts, commit messages, and comments. ## Questions ### What is speech to text? Technology that recognizes spoken language and writes it as text, also called speech recognition. It powers dictation, captions, and voice assistants. Latch uses it for dictation: you speak, and text is pasted at your cursor. ### Is speech to text the same as dictation? Dictation is speech to text used live to write. Many speech-to-text tools return a verbatim transcript. Latch goes a step further and cleans the text before it is pasted. ### How accurate is it? Accuracy depends on your microphone, the room, and how clearly you speak, as with any tool. Names and product terms are the usual slips, which is what Custom is for. Read important text before you send it. ### Can Latch transcribe an audio file or a meeting? No. Latch is live dictation at your cursor. For recordings and meetings, use a transcription service. ### Which languages does it support? The speech language is detected on each take, so you can switch languages without changing a setting. Add a Translate row to speak in one language and paste in another. ### Is it really free? Yes. Every account gets 60 recorded minutes a month with every feature. No card needed. Past 60 minutes you get a reminder, never a cut-off. ### Do you keep my audio or transcripts? No. Audio and text pass through our server in memory for a single take and are dropped when the text comes back. ### How long does setup take? About a minute: run the installer, sign in from the badge, and press Ctrl+Win in any text field. ## Related guides - [Voice to text for Windows](https://latchvoice.less.style/voice-to-text.md) - [Dictation software for Windows](https://latchvoice.less.style/dictation-software.md) - [Voice typing for Windows](https://latchvoice.less.style/voice-typing.md) - [AI dictation for Windows](https://latchvoice.less.style/ai-dictation.md) ## Try it - [Download for Windows](https://latchvoice.less.style/download) - [Pricing](https://latchvoice.less.style/pricing)