Fact · Dictation on Mac
In Apple's list of Mac keyboard shortcuts, Option-Delete deletes the word to the left of the insertion point.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Option-Delete : Delete the word to the left of the insertion point.”
Keyboard shortcuts on Mac (Apple Support article 102650), Apple Support, 2026, Text editing shortcuts list.
Open the original- What it measures
- Apple's keyboard shortcuts page lists shortcuts that work in most Mac apps that accept typed text. Apple lists Control-H and Delete for the single character before the insertion point, and Option-Delete for a word.
- What it does not show
- Apple's list describes the keys in standard Mac text fields. An app can assign its own shortcut, and Apple says a conflicting app shortcut will not work. The page does not say how the key behaves during Dictation, so test it.