A recorder and transcriber for your voice memos, styled like a retro cassette recorder. Record as many takes as you like, watch your words appear live, and download whichever ones you want to keep.
RUNS ENTIRELY IN YOUR BROWSER · NOTHING IS UPLOADED TO A SERVER
Last updated: · Reviewed for accuracy against current browser APIs
Share:
Choose a language, then click REC and allow microphone access to begin.
A dictaphone was a compact tape recorder that professionals and creatives relied on, especially in the final decades of the 20th century, to record voice notes for themselves. Smartphones made the physical device rare, but we still love that little cassette recorder — so here it is online, with one big upgrade the original never had: it transcribes your words into text live, right as you speak. If you just want a straightforward recording without the transcript or retro styling, our Voice Recorder is the simpler option.
Click REC and start talking. Your words appear on screen as you go, and the cassette's reels turn while it records. Click the square Stop button when you're done, and that recording is saved to your list below with both its audio and transcript, ready to play back, rename, or download.
What could you use this dictaphone for?
Interview recording
Get both the audio file and a text transcript at once, saving the hassle of transcribing everything by hand afterward.
Lectures and classes
If writing everything down is hard to keep up with, let the transcript capture it while you focus on listening.
Notes to yourself
Keep this page bookmarked or on your home screen, and record an idea the moment it hits you — easier to keep safe than a sticky note.
Commentary and voiceovers
Record your thoughts on something as it happens, then layer the audio over video footage afterward.
Language practice
Pick your target language from the dropdown, speak, and see how accurately the transcript catches your pronunciation.
Meeting minutes
Record the discussion and let the transcript do the note-taking, so everyone can stay present and engaged instead.
Diction practice
Rehearse a presentation or performance and review the transcript afterward to spot filler words like "um" and "like."
Family memoirs
Sit down with a relative and record their stories, building an audio archive worth keeping for years.
Bedtime stories
Record yourself reading a favorite story so it's ready to play whenever you can't be there in person.
How the live transcription actually works
Transcription runs on your browser's built-in Web Speech API, which streams short chunks of your audio to your browser vendor's speech-recognition service for conversion to text, then returns the words to this page as you speak. The audio itself is never saved or made available to us — only the text result reaches this page. Chrome and Edge support this well; Firefox and Safari have inconsistent or missing support, which is why the recording still works everywhere even when the live transcript doesn't appear.
Troubleshooting the transcript
No words are appearing at all
Check which browser you're using first — this is the most common cause by far. Live transcription needs Chrome or Edge; Firefox and Safari either don't support the underlying API or support it too inconsistently to rely on. Your audio recording will still work fine regardless. If you're on Chrome and still getting nothing, double-check microphone permission via Chrome's own help page before assuming the transcription itself is broken.
The transcript is full of mistakes
Accuracy depends heavily on microphone quality, background noise, and speaking pace. Moving to a quieter room, speaking a little slower and more clearly, and double-checking the language dropdown matches what you're actually speaking all noticeably improve results.
Transcription stopped partway through a long recording
Speech recognition sessions occasionally time out during silences. This tool automatically restarts listening when that happens, but a very long pause mid-recording can still show up as a gap in the transcript even though the audio recording itself continues uninterrupted.
How to use the online dictaphone
Choose a language.
Pick the language you'll be speaking, for accurate live transcription.
Click REC.
Allow microphone access when your browser asks.
Speak.
Your words appear on screen as you talk, and the cassette reels turn while it records.
Click Stop.
Your recording is saved to the list below with its audio and transcript.
Play, rename, or download.
Each saved recording can be played back, renamed, downloaded as audio, or removed.
Frequently asked questions
What is a dictaphone?
A dictaphone was a compact tape recorder that professionals used, especially in the late 20th century, to record voice notes for themselves. This tool brings that idea online, adding live speech-to-text transcription the original hardware never had.
How does the live transcription work?
It uses your browser's built-in speech recognition to convert your speech to text in real time as you talk. This works best in Chrome and Edge; some browsers don't support it, in which case the audio recording still works normally.
Is my recording uploaded anywhere?
No. Recording and transcription both happen locally using your browser's own APIs. Nothing is uploaded to a server — closing or refreshing the page clears everything, so download anything you want to keep.
Can I record more than one voice memo?
Yes. Every time you click Stop, that recording is added to the list below, and you can immediately start a new one. Rename, play back, download, or delete each one independently.
What languages does the transcription support?
The language dropdown covers a range of major languages and regional English accents. Choose the one that matches how you'll be speaking before you hit record for the most accurate results.
Why isn't the transcript matching what I said?
Speech recognition accuracy depends on microphone quality, background noise, accent, and speaking pace. Speaking clearly at a moderate pace in a quiet room gives noticeably better results than a noisy environment.
Can I download my recording?
Yes, each saved recording has a download button that saves the audio file to your device.
Does this work on mobile?
Recording works on most modern mobile browsers. Live transcription support varies more by mobile browser than on desktop, so if words aren't appearing, the audio recording itself will still work.
More tools on ProDeviceTest
Testing your setup rather than recording a memo? These run the same way — instant, no download, right in your browser.
Voice Recorder — a simpler recorder for quick audio clips and playback tests
Mic Test — check that your microphone is picking up sound correctly
Tone Generator — play a precise test tone at any frequency
Sound Test — check your left and right speaker channels
ProDeviceTest