speech recognition: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Neutral to formal. Technical/formal in professional contexts, increasingly neutral in everyday consumer technology discussions.
Quick answer
What does “speech recognition” mean?
The technology or capability of a computer or system to identify and process spoken words, converting them into text or commands.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The technology or capability of a computer or system to identify and process spoken words, converting them into text or commands.
A subfield of computational linguistics and artificial intelligence concerned with the development of methodologies and systems that enable machines to understand, interpret, and act upon human speech.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major lexical differences. Spelling follows respective norms (e.g., 'recognise' vs. 'recognize' when used as a verb, but the compound noun 'speech recognition' is standard).
Connotations
Slightly more common in British English in the collocation 'speech recognition software'; American English may use 'voice-to-text' more frequently in consumer contexts.
Frequency
Comparable frequency in both variants, given the global nature of the technology industry.
Grammar
How to Use “speech recognition” in a Sentence
[Noun] + uses/employs/has + speech recognition[Verb] + speech recognition + to + [verb]speech recognition + [verb] + the wordsVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “speech recognition” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The software is designed to recognise speech in noisy environments.
- My phone can transcribe messages by recognising my speech.
American English
- The software is designed to recognize speech in noisy environments.
- My phone can transcribe messages by recognizing my speech.
adjective
British English
- The speech-recognition feature is surprisingly accurate.
- We need a better speech-recognition algorithm.
American English
- The speech-recognition feature is surprisingly accurate.
- We need a better speech-recognition algorithm.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used to describe productivity tools, customer service automation (IVR systems), and accessibility features in workplace software.
Academic
A key research area in computer science, linguistics, and human-computer interaction (HCI) journals and conferences.
Everyday
Refers to features on smartphones (e.g., voice typing), smart speakers, or in-car systems for hands-free control.
Technical
Refers to specific models (e.g., end-to-end ASR), algorithms (Hidden Markov Models, neural networks), metrics (Word Error Rate), and datasets.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “speech recognition”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “speech recognition”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “speech recognition”
- Using 'voice recognition' interchangeably when specifically discussing converting speech to text (content) vs. identifying the speaker (identity).
- Misspelling 'recognition' (e.g., 'reconition').
- Treating it as a verb (e.g., 'The app can speech recognise'). Correct: 'The app has speech recognition' or 'can recognise speech'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. In strict technical terms, 'speech recognition' is about understanding the content of what is said (words), while 'voice recognition' or 'speaker recognition' is about identifying or verifying who is speaking. However, in everyday consumer tech, the terms are often used interchangeably.
Key factors include background noise, speaker accent and clarity, microphone quality, vocabulary size of the system, and whether the system is 'speaker-dependent' (trained on a specific user) or 'speaker-independent'.
In theory, yes, but practical systems require extensive development. Major world languages have robust systems, while many minority or low-resource languages lack the large, annotated audio datasets needed to train accurate models.
ASR stands for 'Automatic Speech Recognition'. It is the technical, academic, and industry-standard term for the technology, often used interchangeably with 'speech recognition' in professional contexts.
The technology or capability of a computer or system to identify and process spoken words, converting them into text or commands.
Speech recognition is usually neutral to formal. technical/formal in professional contexts, increasingly neutral in everyday consumer technology discussions. in register.
Speech recognition: in British English it is pronounced /ˈspiːtʃ ˌrek.əɡˈnɪʃ.ən/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈspiːtʃ ˌrek.əɡˈnɪʃ.ən/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Talk to text”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a computer giving a speech. To do that, it first needs SPEECH RECOGNITION to understand what you say.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE COMPUTER IS A LISTENER / ATTENDANT (It 'hears', 'understands', and 'acts' on spoken commands).
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary function of a speech recognition system?