2. The method of claim 1 wherein the hypothesis is multiple words, and the confidence factor is for at least one of the words.
1. A method for recognizing speech, the method comprising the steps of: analyzing speech input with an apparatus using at least one hardware-implemented processor to generate a hypothesis and a confidence factor associated with the hypothesis; comparing said confidence factor to an acceptance threshold for accepting or rejecting the hypothesis; and comparing the hypothesis to an expected response, and if the comparison is favorable, adjusting the acceptance threshold in order to affect the acceptance of the hypothesis.