The Speech-to-Text Power-Up: How Keyboard Shortcuts Make Dictation Easier in MS Word

I never thought I would rely on speech-to-text for writing, but once I started, there was no going back. There’s something liberating about speaking your thoughts and watching them appear on the screen without lifting a finger. But here’s the catch: voice dictation in MS Word is only half the magic. The real game-changer? Keyboard shortcuts that let you control dictation like a pro.

When I first tried dictation in Word, it felt clunky. I would speak a sentence, then move my mouse to edit a word, click to add punctuation, and then return to speaking. It was slowing me down. That’s when I realized—why not use keyboard shortcuts to keep my hands on the keyboard while my voice does the writing?

The first thing I did was master the Dictate feature. Instead of manually clicking on it, I just pressed Alt + H, D to turn it on. No unnecessary clicks, no distractions—just instant voice-to-text activation. As I started speaking, I needed a way to quickly insert punctuation without stopping my flow. That’s when I got into the habit of using voice commands like “period,” “comma,” and “new line.” But sometimes, Word misinterpreted my speech, and I needed to correct things fast.

Rather than reaching for my mouse, I used Ctrl + Left/Right Arrow to jump between words and Ctrl + Backspace to delete a whole word in one go. When I wanted to quickly format something, like making a word bold, I simply highlighted it with Shift + Arrow keys and hit Ctrl + B—all without breaking my momentum.

Editing a large document with dictation can be a challenge, especially when I want to navigate quickly. Instead of scrolling endlessly, I started using Ctrl + F to bring up the Find tool, which let me jump directly to a word or phrase. If I needed to replace something, Ctrl + H became my best friend—it saved me from manually fixing repeated mistakes.

One of my favorite tricks is using Ctrl + Shift + L to create bullet points instantly. Sometimes, while dictating notes, I realize certain points need to be formatted as a list. Instead of stopping to adjust formatting manually, this shortcut does the job in a second.

There are moments when my mind races ahead of my words, and I need to pause dictation without turning it off completely. Instead of clicking around, I just press Ctrl + Shift + S, allowing me to take a break and resume smoothly.

Another absolute lifesaver is Ctrl + Z for undoing mistakes. If dictation misunderstands my words, I don’t panic—I just hit that shortcut, and my last action vanishes like magic. On the other hand, if I accidentally delete something important, Ctrl + Y brings it right back.

Using dictation with keyboard shortcuts has completely transformed the way I write. It’s no longer about choosing between typing or speaking—I do both simultaneously, using shortcuts to navigate and edit while my voice fills in the content. What started as an experiment quickly became my go-to workflow. Now, I can draft full articles, brainstorm ideas, or even jot down spontaneous thoughts without breaking my rhythm.

If you’ve never tried using speech-to-text with shortcuts in MS Word, you’re missing out on one of the fastest and most seamless ways to write. Give it a shot—activate dictation with Alt + H, D, use Ctrl + Arrow keys to move around, and Ctrl + B/I/U for quick formatting. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder how you ever wrote without it.