Norwegian speech to text, including dialects
By Gustav Tøstie, founder of voicedropPublished 5 min read
Written by the founder of VoiceDrop. We compare fairly, but we’re obviously fans of our own app.
Short answer
For Norwegian speech to text, Windows voice typing (Windows logo key + H) and Apple Dictation on Mac and iPhone both support Norwegian Bokmål for free. If you speak a dialect, are still learning the language, or mix Norwegian with English, our pick, as the maker, is VoiceDrop: it detects the language automatically and handles switches mid-sentence.
Why people pick VoiceDrop
- Made in Norway: built and supported by a Norwegian founder, with Norwegian prices (Pro is 59 kr a month).
- Dialects and mixed English: automatic detection across 57 languages, including switches mid-sentence like “Kan du sende meg deck-et før standupen?”
- Fast, clean dictation: release the key and your words are transcribed and inserted straight away. Filler words like “um” are removed automatically in Windows and Mac dictation.
- Dictation, meetings and voice notes: one account on Windows, Mac and iPhone, so the same Norwegian works everywhere.
What are the options for Norwegian speech to text?
If you live or work in Norway, you probably need text in Norwegian more often than you would like to type it: emails to the landlord, messages to the kindergarten, notes from a meeting that switched to Norwegian halfway through. There are three main routes: the dictation built into your operating system, a dedicated dictation and transcription app, and transcription inside meeting tools.
Windows voice typing
Windows 11 has voice typing built in. Click in a text field, press the Windows logo key + H and start speaking. Microsoft lists Norwegian (Bokmål) as a supported language, and you switch the input language with the Windows logo key + Spacebar (Microsoft Support). Voice typing follows the input language you choose, so switching between English and Norwegian is a manual step.
Apple Dictation on Mac and iPhone
On a Mac, turn on Dictation in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation. Start it with the Microphone key if your keyboard has one, with the shortcut you set, or from Edit, Start Dictation (Apple Support). You can add several languages and switch between them. Apple lists Norwegian Bokmål for Dictation on both macOS and iOS (macOS, iOS). On iPhone, tap the microphone on the keyboard.
Dedicated apps
Apps like VoiceDrop send audio to large multilingual speech models in the cloud. They detect the language on their own and add punctuation, and some remove filler sounds (VoiceDrop does this for Windows and Mac dictation). The trade-offs: they cost money if you use them a lot, and audio has to go over the internet to be transcribed.
Why is Norwegian hard for speech recognition?
- Dialects: Norwegians speak their dialect at work, on the radio and in Parliament. Pronunciation in Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø differs a lot, and a tool that does well on one dialect can struggle with another.
- Two written standards: speech has to become Bokmål or Nynorsk text, while what people actually say is often neither.
- English mixed in: "Kan du sende meg deck-et før standupen?" Workplace Norwegian is full of English terms, and older systems lock onto one language.
- Accents: if Norwegian is your second language, your pronunciation will not match the training data perfectly, which is exactly when good language detection helps.
- A small language: there is far less recorded Norwegian to train on than English.
That is why two tools can give very different results for the same speaker. Try each one with your own voice and vocabulary before you decide.
Which tool should I choose?
| VoiceDrop (our app) | Windows voice typing | Apple Dictation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 30 min free per month, Pro $7.99/month (59 kr in Norway) | Free | Free |
| Platforms | Windows, Mac, iPhone | Windows | Mac, iPhone |
| Norwegian | Norwegian with automatic language detection | Norwegian (Bokmål) | Norwegian Bokmål |
| Norwegian and English in one sentence | Yes, including mid-sentence | One language at a time | Add several languages and switch |
| Meetings and long recordings | Yes, with speakers and Smart Notes | No | No |
| How you start it | Hold a shortcut you choose | Windows logo key + H | Microphone key or your shortcut |
In short: if you write short messages and built-in dictation understands you well, you do not need anything else. If you spend a lot of time correcting dialect words, English terms or your accent, a dedicated app is where you will notice the difference.
How do I get better results in Norwegian?
- Use a decent microphone close to your mouth. A headset usually beats a laptop’s built-in mic.
- Speak in full sentences. Models use context to pick the right word, so short fragments go wrong more often.
- Speak naturally and clearly. Exaggerated pronunciation rarely helps.
- Avoid background noise and people talking over each other.
- Say names and technical terms clearly, then check them. That is where most errors hide.
- Read before you send. No speech recognition is perfect, especially with names, places and numbers.
Will the text be Bokmål or Nynorsk?
Whatever dialect you speak, VoiceDrop writes standard written Norwegian, not dialect spelling. If you say "æ e" in Trøndelag dialect, you will typically get "jeg er", though dialect forms can occasionally come through. Nynorsk is not an output option. If you need Nynorsk, ask an AI assistant such as ChatGPT or Claude to rewrite the text into Nynorsk afterwards, then read it through.
How does VoiceDrop handle Norwegian?
VoiceDrop is made in Norway, and Norwegian is the language we test it in every day. Its speech recognition supports 57 languages with automatic detection, and it handles regional accents, dialects and speech that switches language mid-sentence, such as Norwegian with English terms. Results still depend on audio quality, noise and overlapping voices.
- Dictation on Windows and Mac: hold a shortcut, speak, release, and punctuated text is inserted in email, Teams, Word, your browser or ChatGPT. On Windows and Mac dictation, filler words like “uh” and “um” are removed by default. See the best dictation app for Windows or dictation on Mac.
- iPhone: record voice notes, lectures and meetings with the screen locked, or share a recording from Voice Memos to VoiceDrop.
- Meetings: record Teams, Zoom or Google Meet on your computer with no bot joining, and get a transcript with speakers and Smart Notes. Useful when a meeting is in Norwegian and you want to review it slowly afterwards. Read meeting notes without a bot.
One practical use for newcomers: record a Norwegian meeting, then ask an AI assistant to summarize or translate the transcript. With the VoiceDrop connector, Claude or ChatGPT can read your transcripts directly (read-only).
Audio is sent securely for transcription and is not kept in your account afterwards. Quick dictations on Windows and Mac stay on your computer unless you turn on sync. You get 30 free minutes a month with no card. Pro is $7.99 a month (59 kr in Norway) with 1,200 minutes, and Max is $13.99 a month (199 kr) with 2,400 minutes. Billing is per second, so a 30-second dictation uses half a minute. See pricing. If a dialect word or a term keeps coming out wrong, tell the founder at hi@tryvoicedrop.com: that kind of feedback is exactly what we improve on.
Talk directly to the founder
VoiceDrop is founder-led, so support is personal: when you write, I read it and answer myself. Ask for a feature: write to me at hi@tryvoicedrop.com. Many of this month’s improvements were driven by real-world testing and feedback.
Gustav Tøstie, founder
Shipped in October 2026
- Eight desktop releases (0.4.13 to 0.4.20), plus iPhone updates
- Faster paste into the app you are typing in
- Filler words like “um” removed automatically in Windows and Mac dictation
- Start and stop recording from Control Center on a locked iPhone, with a notification when the transcript is ready
- Free plan raised to 30 minutes a month
- This website in seven languages