Knowledge Base

Frequently asked questions about speech recognition

PSS ID Number: 283159

Article Last Modified on 6/10/2005

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 2002

This article was previously published under Q283159

For a Microsoft Office 2003 version of this article, see 826853.

SUMMARY

The speech recognition feature allows you to literally speak to your computer via a microphone. With the appropriate system requirements, you can dictate text into Word, or, with a mouse click or spoken term, you can switch the input mode to Voice Command, so that you can control Word without clicking the menus.

This feature is available in the Simplified Chinese, English (U.S.), and Japanese language versions of Microsoft Office.

For additional information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

278927 WD2002: General information on the installation and configuration of speech and handwriting recognition

283160 Handwriting recognition frequently asked questions

295947 HOW TO: Troubleshoot speech recognition problems in Word 2002

MORE INFORMATION

About Speech Recognition

You can use speech recognition to dictate text into any Microsoft Office program. You can also select menus, toolbars, and dialog box items by using your voice. Speech recognition is not designed for completely hands-free operation; you get better results if you use a combination of your voice and the mouse or keyboard.

Questions and Answers

What can speech recognition do for me?

The new speech recognition technologies can save you considerable time if you enter text by using Dictation mode and control menus by using Voice Command mode. Speech recognition is not designed to free you completely from the keyboard, and some keyboard interaction is necessary.
Where can I learn more about speech recognition?

For the most up-to-date information about speech recognition developments at Microsoft, please browse to the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/speech/

For general questions, check the public newsgroup to see whether your question has been answered. If it has not, post the question to the newsgroup. The newsgroup likely can provide the quickest answer to your question.
An SAPI 5 voice program is already installed on my computer. I subsequently installed Office XP and received one of the following error messages: "There was an error in the speech recognition engine, reinstall the engine" or "The speech recognition engine failed to initialize. Please try another engine, or attempt to reinstall the malfunctioning engine".

Most likely, an earlier (or beta version) of SAPI 5 is installed. You should uninstall speech recognition in the Office Setup program, remove any TIPS from the Text Services icon in Control Panel, uninstall the earlier speech recognition installation, and then reinstall the Office XP speech recognition components.

To access Text Services, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. If you are using Microsoft Windows XP, click Start and then click Control Panel.

Note You may also have to delete the following key in the Windows registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Speech
How can I tell whether speech recognition is turned on?

Speech recognition is on when your microphone is turned on and you can see either Dictation or Voice Command selected on the Language bar. Because the Language bar can be minimized, it is important to know that you can also look at Speech on the Tools menu. If Speech is selected (has a check mark), speech recognition is turned on.

To turn speech recognition on or off, do one of the following:
1. Click Microphone on the Language bar.
2. Click Speech on the Tools menu, and then click to select either Dictation or Voice Command.
Note Remember to turn the microphone off when you are not using speech recognition. Speech recognition continues to process sounds until the microphone is turned off, possibly resulting in unexpected behavior.
Why is my company name not recognized when I say it?

You can add your company name to the speech recognition dictionary, as well as other words that speech recognition does not recognize. On the Language bar, click Speech Tools, and then click Add/Delete Word(s).
I installed speech recognition and ran the Microphone Wizard. What else do I need to do to get speech recognition to work?

This problem can occur for any of the following reasons:
- You may not have selected Dictation or Voice Command on the Language bar.
- Your current keyboard layout may not support the speech recognition engine that is currently selected. For example, the English (U.S.) speech recognition engine requires you to work with a U.S. keyboard layout.
Why is the new keyboard I added not available in Microsoft Word?

If you added a keyboard by using Text Services while Word is open, you must quit Word and then restart it. To access Text Services, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. If you are using Microsoft Windows XP, click Start and then click Control Panel.
Why doesn't the computer run a command when I say it?

This problem may occur for one of the following reasons:
- Your computer may be in Dictation mode. On the Language bar, click Voice Command and then try speaking again.
- The microphone may not be turned on. On the Language bar, click Microphone to turn speech recognition on and off.
- You may be working in a read-only file.
- Your microphone may have a mute button. Check to see whether it is turned on.
- You may need to change the default speech recognition engine.
- Check the connection on your microphone. Test the microphone in Sound Recorder.
- Check the volume settings of your microphone. See the Help topics in your operating system for more information.
After I adjust the microphone, why I can't hear anything when I play back dictated text?

This problem may occur for one of the following reasons:
- The speaker volume may be too low.
- The speaker may be turned off.
- The microphone may not be correctly connected.
- The microphone may be muted.
- The Microphone Setup Wizard may have incorrect information about whether your headset has a speaker.
Why doesn't speech recognition work with the Office Assistant?

Speech recognition is not recommended for use with the Office Assistant.
When I work in another language, why doesn't speech recognition work the way I expect it to?

If you use speech recognition for a language other than Simplified Chinese, English (U.S.), or Japanese, voice commands do not work. However, Dictation mode may still work.
When I say "right-click" for a spelling error, why doesn't the shortcut menu contain spelling suggestions?

Move the insertion point to the misspelled word by using your mouse or keyboard, before you say "right-click."
Why do I see a blue box on the screen when I dictate?

This is by design. As you dictate, the blue box appears on the screen while the computer is processing your voice. After the computer finishes, your words are displayed in your document, and the blue box disappears.

Note You may see a gray box if your display settings are set to 256 colors or fewer.
When I'm not using speech recognition, why does text appear in my document, or why do menus open?

Most likely, speech recognition was turned on in an earlier session of Word. To turn off speech recognition, do one of the following:
- On the Language bar, click Microphone.
- On the Tools menu, click Speech.
Note When speech recognition is turned off, the Dictation and Voice Command buttons on the Language bar do not appear. Also, remember to turn the microphone off when you are not using speech recognition. Speech recognition continues to process sounds until the microphone is turned off.
Sometimes when I say a command, it appears in my document. Why does this occur?

Your computer may be in Dictation mode. To change to Voice Command mode, click Voice Command on the Language bar, and then say the command again.
Why is the file size of my document so large after I save it?

There are two options--Save Speech Data and Embed Linguistic Data--that save information in your Word document and increase its file size.

The Save Speech Data option saves speech recognition input for recognition processing and corrections. To turn this option off, click Speech Tools on the Language bar, and then click to clear the Save Speech Data check box. The next time that you save your Word document, this data will be removed from your Word document.

The Embed Linguistic Data option affects both speech recognition and handwriting recognition and can cause you to lose conversion information on non-ink objects. This means that handwriting that is displayed as text in the document becomes text with no handwriting or speech attributes to allow conversion or correction. Also, speech data is a subset of the linguistic data, which means that if you turn off the Embed Linguistic Data option, you cannot save speech data for recognized text. However, handwriting information will be retained. To turn off this option, click Options on the Tools menu. On the Save tab, click to clear the Embed linguistic data check box, and then click OK.
Why doesn't Word save speech input data in my document?

This problem may occur for one of the following reasons:
- If the document was saved in an earlier version of Word, or in a different format, Word does not save your speech input in the document. This is because speech recognition is not backward compatible. Word can only save speech input data when your document is saved in the Word Document (*.doc) format.
- The Save Speech option may not be turned on. To turn on the Save Speech option, follow these steps:
  1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
  2. On the Save tab, click to select the Embed linguistic data check box, and then click OK.
  3. On the Language bar, click Speech Tools and then click to select Save Speech Data.
Why won't my microphone work in other programs while speech recognition is running?

You cannot use other programs that use a microphone (such as Sound Recorder) while the microphone is in use for speech recognition. This is because a microphone is not a sharable resource. You cannot perform multiple tasks with a microphone in different programs.
What is the biggest problem with microphones and speech recognition, and what can I do about it?

One of the biggest problems with speech recognition is noise. Electromagnetic noise (also referred to as EMF or electromagnetic frequencies) and background noise are sounds that are not speech data.

EMF also causes the "hum" on your home amplifier or a public address system when the volume is turned up but nothing is playing. Computers generate some EMF noise; however, electrical motors and fluorescent lamps are the biggest culprits, as are improperly grounded electrical devices that are on the same electrical circuit as your computer. You can reduce the effects of EMF noise by isolating your microphone from this noise in these ways: use a USB microphone, locate your microphone as far from the computer as possible, or ensure that cables and printers are not close to your computer.

Background noise also can be greatly reduced by using a high-quality noise cancellation microphone.

Also remember to speak as clearly as possible at a steady rate of speed. Jumbled or very rapid speech is often not recognized, resulting in inaccurate results.
Are USB microphones better for speech recognition?

The Universal Serial Bus (or USB) microphone has the advantage of having the "analog to digital" converter in the microphone. As a result, it is further from the computer, which is electronically noisy. This means that the USB microphone should, in theory, provide a higher-quality digitized sound. However, for analog uses (for example, Sound Recorder), the USB microphone may seem inferior because of the "clipping" of the digital signal that the microphone produces.

A USB microphone uses the CPU's power, rather than that of the processor on your sound card. This can further reduce noise and increase accuracy, but it also increases the processing load on your CPU. If you have a high-quality microphone and sound card, but a slower CPU, you may want to experiment with your setup before you purchase a USB microphone.

In most situations, the benefits of a USB microphone can outweigh the cost. However, if you have a quality late-model sound card and a quality sound cancellation microphone, a USB microphone should not be necessary.
Does it matter whether my sound card is full duplex or half duplex?

No. Full duplex systems allow you to hear sounds while you input speech. Most sound cards allow this, but it is not necessary for speech recognition. Your telephone is an example of a full duplex system, in contrast to a CB radio, which is a half duplex device.
My hardware is fine and I did the speech recognition training, but I still do not get consistent results. What can be wrong?

Microphone placement is very important. You also must ensure that your voice and voice level are consistent across sessions. For example, you do not want the distance between the microphone and your mouth to vary, because the volume of your voice varies with the distance. For this reason, hand-held, monitor, keyboard mounted, and boom microphones do not tend to work well for speech recognition, unless you are very consistent about remaining in one position.

Headset microphones tend to work the best, because you can adjust the mouth-piece so that it is always at the same distance from your mouth. A recommended position is about a thumb-width away from the corner (not directly in front) of your mouth.
I have a different speech program installed and trained. How will installing the Office XP speech recognition components affect that program?

If the third-party speech program uses a SAPI 5 engine that supports both Dictation and Command & Control, the third-party speech program will be supported in Microsoft Word.

If the third-party speech program supports either Dictation or Command & Control, but not both, and it is the default speech engine in Control Panel, Word turns off the unsupported speech program.

If a non-SAPI 5 speech program controls the microphone when the operating system starts, speech recognition in Microsoft Word may not work, because the microphone is not a shareable resource.

Speech training that you completed in a different speech program cannot be used in the Microsoft speech engine, unless the program is SAPI 5 compliant. If the program is SAPI 5 compliant, the speech training that you already completed can be used.

Which characters can I insert when I am dictating, and which controls are available in Voice Command mode?

You can say the names of buttons on the menus and toolbars. (To determine a button name, rest the mouse on the button, and view the ToolTip that appears.) Word also supports voice mapping to the keyboard; for example, Enter, Escape, Tab, Right, Left.

In Dictation mode, the appropriate symbol is inserted for words that correspond to frequently used typing commands (such as New Paragraph, Enter, Period, or Comma). The following table lists some of the supported Dictation mode character entries.

Spoken word	What is inserted in the document	Spoken word	What is inserted in the document
Ampersand	&	Less than	<
Asterisk	*	New line	Enter
At sign, at	@	New paragraph	Enter twice
Backslash	\	Paren	(
Open bracket	[	Percent, percent sign	%
Caret	^	Period, dot	.
Close paren	)	Plus, plus sign	+
Colon	:	Pound sign	#
Comma	,	Question mark	?
Dollar sign	$	Single quote	'
Double dash	--	Quote, open quote	"
Ellipsis	...	Close brace	}
Close quote, End quote	'	Right bracket	]
End quote	"	Semicolon	;
Equals	=	Slash	/
Exclamation point	!	Tilde	~
Greater than	>	Underscore	_
Hyphen, dash	-	Vertical bar
Open brace	{

For more information about a complete list of voice commands you can use in Microsoft Word, click Microsoft Word Help on the Help menu, type voice commands in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topics returned.

Are there any incompatibilities between SAPI 5 and non-Intel chipsets such as AMD's 3D Now technologies?

There are no known incompatibilities, and any processor should support speech recognition to the extent that it supports the Intel standard x86 architecture and SAPI 5.
Are the speech recognition training files backed up by the Save My Settings Wizard and the Profile Wizard? If not, is there a way to do this manually and restore to a new system?

Currently these utilities do not save the speech recognition training profile because they are designed for migration to another computer. It is not very useful to restore user profiles to a different computer on which audio channel may have a different character. If you have to back up and to restore a profile to the same system, you can use the Speech Profile Manager utility.

For more information about the Speech Profile Manager utility, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/tabletpc/expert/vanwest_lexicon.mspx

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Download the Speech Profile Manager utility package now.
Does Word support TTS (Text To Speech), as does Microsoft Excel, in this version?

Word does support TTS in this version.
What languages does speech recognition support?

Support for Simplified Chinese, English (U.S.), and Japanese are currently available with the new Microsoft speech recognition engine. However, additional languages may also be available from various third-party vendors.
Does speech recognition take advantage of a multiprocessor system?

The speech recognition feature benefits from multiple processors in a multiprocessor system; however, there is no explicit support for a multiprocessor system in Microsoft Office XP or Microsoft Word 2002. The only support for a multiprocessor system is what your operating system provides.

For additional information about multiprocessor support, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

234558 HOW TO: Add support for multiple processors in Windows 2000

193645 Windows Me/98/95 do not use multiple processors

156358 How to manually add support for a second processor

186562 Terminal Server multiprocessor support

Additional query words: inf kbspeech FAQ WD2002

Keywords: kbSpeech kbhowto KB283159
Technology: kbWord2002 kbWord2002Search kbWordSearch

Microsoft KB Archive/283159

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