Speech to text in Arabic and English, in the same dictation
The short answer
Yes: DanDin turns Arabic and English speech into text in the same dictation, and that is its default. In the "Arabic + English" mode you speak Arabic, English or both without touching a setting. DanDin works out the language of each sentence by itself: Arabic comes out in Arabic letters, English in English letters, and a switch from one to the other starts a new line. An English word dropped into an Arabic sentence, like «الـ meeting», is built to keep its English letters. If you want one script only, pick "Arabic only", which writes English words in Arabic letters as they sounded, or "English only". Compare Wispr Flow: its help centre, read on 8 October 2026, says "Flow detects one language per dictation, not per word." The honest limits: a language switch in the middle of one breath can go either way, and nobody, us included, has published accuracy figures for mixed speech.
What happens when you mix Arabic and English in one dictation?
You talk the way you talk at work, and DanDin sorts it out. Say an Arabic sentence about a project, then a full English sentence for your colleague, then go back to Arabic. You do not press anything in between. When you let go of the key, DanDin types three blocks: the Arabic one in Arabic letters, the English one in English letters on its own line, then the Arabic again on a new line.
That is the whole point of the default mode. Most people who work in Arabic also work in English, often in the same message. The dictation built into Windows and Mac makes you pick one language at a time. DanDin decides per sentence, so a two-language message comes out in two scripts, ready to send.
Per sentence is the key word. DanDin does not jump script in the middle of an Arabic sentence just because you said one English word. That case follows its own rule, below.
What about one English word inside an Arabic sentence?
It is built to stay in English letters when DanDin hears it as English. Say «خلّينا نحط الـ meeting بكرة» and "meeting" is built to come out as meeting, not spelled out in Arabic letters.
Words people normally write in Arabic letters are different. الباكيج, قروب and ايميل are borrowed words, and DanDin leaves them the way you said them, in Arabic script. Nothing gets forced into the other alphabet just to look neat.
We say "built to" on purpose. This comes from rules given to an AI model, not a switch that can never be wrong. A rare brand name or a short English word can still surprise it.
The three language modes, side by side
| Mode | What you can say | What gets typed | Pick it when |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Arabic + English" (the default) | Arabic, English, or both in one dictation | Each sentence in its own letters; a new line where the language switches | You mix the two languages, which is most of the time |
| "Arabic only" | Arabic, with English words in it | Every word in Arabic letters; English words spelled the way they sounded, never translated | You want the whole text in Arabic script |
| "English only" | English | Everything in English | You are writing only in English |
Swipe the table to see every column
You change the mode from the small DanDin pill: hover over it, click the gear, and the Language row is the last row of "Dictation options". It is also in the main window under Settings, Language. The choice is saved when you quit, and it cannot be changed while a dictation is running. The switch between Arabic and English help page walks through it.
There is also a "Translate to English" switch in the same menu. Turn it on, speak Arabic, and English text comes out. It is dimmed in "English only", with the line "You are speaking English now."
How is this different from Wispr Flow?
Wispr Flow is the best-known dictation app, so people ask. Everything below is quoted from Wispr’s own help centre and pricing page, read on 8 October 2026. We have not tested Wispr Flow.
Wispr’s page on multiple languages says:
- "Flow dictates in 100+ languages."
- "Flow detects one language per dictation, not per word."
- "Auto-detect on Mac, Windows, and iOS lets Flow choose from all supported languages."
- "Selecting languages narrows what Flow can choose from; selecting just one tells Flow to use that language."
- "With Chinese and English selected, English words can appear in Chinese characters or vice versa."
Read the second and the fifth quote together. One language per dictation means a message that is half Arabic and half English gets one language for the whole thing. And the only mixed pair Wispr describes, Chinese and English, comes with a warning that words can land in the wrong script. That page does not name Arabic at all.
| Question | DanDin (ours) | Wispr Flow (quoted) |
|---|---|---|
| How often the language is decided | For each sentence, in the default mode | "Flow detects one language per dictation, not per word." |
| Arabic and English in one dictation | Each sentence in its own letters, with a new line at the switch | One language for the whole dictation |
| Words from the other language | An English word in Arabic is built to keep its English letters | "With Chinese and English selected, English words can appear in Chinese characters or vice versa." Arabic is not named |
| How many languages | Two: Arabic and English | "Flow dictates in 100+ languages." |
Swipe the table to see every column
Where Wispr Flow is ahead, said plainly: it covers far more languages, and it lists apps for "Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android", while DanDin has no phone app today. Price is not the reason to switch either: Wispr’s free desktop plan is "2,000/week on desktop", the same as ours, and its Pro lists at "$15" a month. The reason to look at DanDin is the one on this page: Arabic and English in the same dictation, each in its own letters. More on the two apps is on our DanDin vs Wispr Flow page and the Wispr Flow alternatives list.
Where can it still go wrong?
Three places, named honestly.
- A switch in the middle of one breath. If you jump language halfway through a sentence without a pause, DanDin can go either way on which script that sentence gets.
- A rare word. An unusual brand, a name, or an acronym said as letters. The rule is to keep the letters it was said in, but a model following a rule is not a guarantee.
- No published numbers. Nobody has published accuracy figures for mixed Arabic and English speech, us included. When we test with real speakers who talk this way, we will publish the method and the results, wrong answers included.
To try it, get DanDin from the download page. It runs on macOS 12 or newer and 64-bit Windows 10 and 11, needs the internet, and the free plan is 2,000 words every rolling seven days.
Common questions
Can DanDin write Arabic and English in the same dictation?
Yes, and it does by default. In the "Arabic + English" mode, Arabic sentences come out in Arabic letters, English sentences in English letters, and each switch starts a new line. You do not press anything between languages.
Do I have to choose the language before I speak?
No. A fresh install starts in "Arabic + English", which works out the language of each sentence by itself. You only pick a mode if you want one script: "Arabic only" or "English only".
Why did an English word come out in Arabic letters?
Check the mode first: "Arabic only" writes English words in Arabic letters on purpose. In the default mode, a word people usually write in Arabic letters, like ايميل, stays that way, and a switch in the middle of one breath can go either way. If a clear English word still came out wrong, tell us at support@dandin.com.
How is this different from Wispr Flow?
Wispr Flow’s help centre says "Flow detects one language per dictation, not per word." DanDin’s default decides the language of each sentence, so one dictation can hold both. We quote Wispr’s own page, read on 8 October 2026, and we have not tested Wispr Flow.
Can it translate my Arabic into English?
Yes. The dictation options have a "Translate to English" switch: you speak Arabic and English text comes out. It is dimmed when the mode is "English only", because you are already speaking English.
Have you measured how accurate it is on mixed speech?
No, and neither has anyone else in public that we know of. There is no accuracy figure on this page because we have not earned one yet.
Sources
Keep reading
- Arabic dictation on Mac, Windows and the web: what actually works
- How to switch between Arabic and English in DanDinYou rarely need to switch: the default mode writes each sentence in its own language. Here is where the setting lives if you want one language only.
- Wispr Flow alternatives: one built for Arabic and English, plus six moreSeven unranked alternatives, sourced and dated. For mixed Arabic and English, DanDin (ours) writes each sentence in its own language.