Meaning & use
voice recognition software
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Meanings
noununcountablecomputing
Computer programs that let a machine understand spoken words and turn them into text or commands.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'voice recognition software is useful', never 'a software' or 'softwares'.
Patterns
- use voice recognition software
- voice recognition software for something
- voice recognition software can do something
The hospital uses voice recognition software so doctors can dictate notes without typing.
Modern voice recognition software can handle several accents quite well.
She installed voice recognition software on her laptop to write emails by speaking.
noununcountabletechnicalcomputing
The technology behind such programs, studied as a branch of computing and language engineering.
Grammar: Also uncountable when it refers to the technology in general rather than a product.
Patterns
- develop voice recognition software
- research into voice recognition software
His research focuses on voice recognition software for people with limited hand movement.
Advances in voice recognition software have made virtual assistants far more reliable.
Common combinations
- use voice recognition software
- Many lawyers now use voice recognition software to draft documents quickly.
- install voice recognition software
- You need to install voice recognition software before the microphone will work.
- accurate voice recognition software
- Accurate voice recognition software saves the team hours of typing.
- voice recognition software program
- This voice recognition software program supports more than thirty languages.
- rely on voice recognition software
- Drivers who rely on voice recognition software should still keep their eyes on the road.
Synonyms and how they differ
- speech recognition software
- Almost the same meaning, but more common in technical and academic writing.
- dictation software
- Narrower: it specifically means software for writing down what you say, not for giving commands.
- voice-to-text software
- Informal and narrower, describing only the feature that converts speech into written text.
Word family
- voice recognition noun
- The general name for the technology or process of identifying spoken words.
- speech recognition noun
- The more technical term for the same technology.
Commonly confused: voice recognition software or voice activation?
voice recognition software vs voice activation
Voice activation means a device starts working when it hears your voice; voice recognition software identifies the actual words you say.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'voice recognition software' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Software' is uncountable, so it takes no article and no plural: 'Voice recognition software has improved' is correct. Options A, B and D all treat it as a countable noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “voice recognition software”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.