Glossary
Voice command
A voice command is a spoken instruction that the software carries out, such as delete or stop listening, rather than writing the words as text. Dictation tools must separate commands from dictated words, and the rules differ by product.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called dictation command, speech command.
Voice command is a spoken instruction that changes the text or the software, rather than text to be written down. Saying "stop listening" to end Windows voice typing is a voice command 1. So is saying "delete" in Microsoft 365 Dictation, which removes the last word or punctuation mark before the cursor 2.
The software must tell commands from words
The central problem is ambiguity. If the software treats every spoken word as text, then saying "delete" would type the word "delete" into your document. Some dictation tools handle this with modes, and the difference is easiest to see in Apple's Voice Control on the Mac.
In Voice Control's Dictation mode, any words you say that are not Voice Control commands are entered as text 3. In Command mode, Voice Control responds only to commands. Words and characters that are not commands are ignored rather than entered as text 4. Command mode is the right choice when you want the computer to act and not to type what you say.
Commands matter most for editing
Dictation is good at getting words down. Fixing a mistake by voice is slower than fixing it with a few keystrokes, unless the software has a command for the fix. That is why the command set matters as much as the recognizer. Check which commands your tool supports before you rely on it for editing, and keep the keyboard close for anything the commands cannot reach.
Related terms
- Dictation: speaking so that software writes your words as you say them.
- Spoken punctuation: saying the names of marks, which is a kind of dictated text rather than a command.
- Push-to-talk: a key you hold to control when the software listens.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
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Related terms
- Dictation and Voice Typing: How to Talk Instead of TypeThe topic this term belongs to
- Automatic punctuationAutomatic punctuation is when speech software infers commas, periods and question marks from your speech and inserts them without a spoken command. It can be switched on or off, and it works only in supported languages.
- DictaphoneA Dictaphone is a machine that records a speaker's voice so that another person can play it back and type it later. The name began as a brand, and it became the everyday word for dictation machines.
- DictationDictation is speaking your words so that software writes them as text, usually into the app that has the cursor. Phones and computers now include it, and people also call it voice dictation or voice typing.
- Dictation foot pedalA dictation foot pedal is a footswitch that controls playback of a recording, so a typist can start, pause and rewind audio without using their hands. It is the traditional control for transcribing dictation.
- Digital dictationDigital dictation is recording speech as digital audio, then sending the file to a typist or to speech recognition software for transcription. It replaced tape with files that can be encrypted, uploaded or routed for processing.
- Filler wordsFiller words are sounds and words such as um, uh, like and you know that speakers produce while they plan what to say next, without adding content. Many dictation tools can remove them automatically, and research on transcripts found they can be deleted without compromising meaning.
- HomophoneA homophone is a word pronounced the same as another word but different in meaning, spelling or both, such as to, too and two. Dictation software has to choose the right spelling from context, so homophones are one of the most common errors in dictated text.
- Noise-canceling microphoneA noise-canceling microphone is designed to filter ambient noise, so it picks up mainly the speaker's voice. It can help dictation in noisy rooms, but it does not remove all noise, and it is different from the active noise cancellation in headphones.
- Oral compositionOral composition is working out and shaping a text by speaking it, whether to a dictation tool, to a recorder or silently in thought. Research on letters finds that planning takes most of the time, however the text is produced, so speaking mainly changes how the words get onto the page.
- Push-to-talkPush-to-talk is a dictation mode in which you hold a key while you speak and release it to stop, so the software writes only the speech made while the key is down. Some tools also offer tap-to-start and tap-to-stop.
- ShorthandShorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases the speed of writing compared with longhand. Trained writers used it to take dictation before recording machines, and it still underpins court reporting.
- Spoken punctuationSpoken punctuation is saying the name of a punctuation mark, such as comma or question mark, so that dictation software writes that mark into the text. It is the manual alternative to automatic punctuation.
Pages that use this term
- Dictation and Voice Typing: How to Talk Instead of TypeTopic
- What Is Dictation? Voice Typing and Talk to Text ExplainedGuide
- Best Dictation Software and Apps, Compared by NeedGuide
- Dictation Punctuation: How to Say Commas, Periods and MoreGuide
- Dictation Commands: How to Edit and Format by VoiceGuide
- Copilot Voice and Dictation on WindowsGuide
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