Dictation for students on Mac
Updated 9 November 2026
Talk your first draft. Kords turns speech into text at your cursor in Pages, Word, Notion, Mail and most other apps on your Mac. It writes what you said, never rewrites you, and never keeps your audio or your words.
What Kords is
Kords is a Mac dictation app. You talk, and your exact words appear wherever you are writing. It needs macOS 14 or later, an account and an internet connection. Audio is turned into text on Kords' server in the EU (Ireland) and discarded.
Why students use it
- Talk past the blank page. Explain a point out loud, then edit. Many people find speaking a first draft easier than typing one.
- Your words stay yours. Dictation and Word for word do not reword what you said. Optional Voices can tidy tone; leave them off if your course restricts AI help with writing.
- Translate as you speak into Spanish, French or German.
- Collect Kordies as your words add up, from The Haiku Poet at 12 words upwards.
Plans for students
- Free: 2,000 words of dictation a week, no card needed.
- Student Solo: £44 a year with a .ac.uk email, or 15% off monthly Solo. About 10 hours of dictation a month, Voices and translation for all your dictation.
Check your university's rules on AI tools. Dictation is a way of typing; you are responsible for following your course rules.
What it is not
Kords is not a lecture recorder. It only listens while you use your shortcut, and it turns your speech into text.
Questions people ask
What is the best dictation app for students on Mac?
It depends on what you need. Apple Dictation is free and built in. Kords is free to start, types at your cursor in most apps, never rewrites what you said, and offers a student Solo price with a .ac.uk email.
Is there a free dictation app for Mac for students?
Kords is free for 2,000 words of dictation a week with no card. Apple Dictation is also free and built into macOS.
Does Kords rewrite my essays?
No. Dictation and Word for word write what you said. Optional Voices can change tone; leave them off if your course restricts AI writing help.
Does Kords record lectures?
No. It only listens while you use your shortcut and turns your own speech into text.