Mac Dictation Commands and Punctuation: Full List

Dictation on a Mac types the text you say, and it turns the names of punctuation marks, symbols, emoji and layout breaks into the thing they name. Say "comma" and you get a comma. Say "new paragraph" and the text starts a new paragraph. In supported languages, Dictation also adds commas, periods and question marks without being told to ¹. The Dictation command list has no way to select, delete or undo text. For that you need Voice Control, which replaces standard Dictation while it is on ².

The lists below come from Apple's Mac Help page for macOS 27 Golden Gate, which we read on 16 October 2026. On macOS 27, Dictation is turned on from Keyboard settings in System Settings ³. Older macOS versions have their own command lists, and we have not checked them, so use the version selector on Apple's page if your Mac runs an earlier system. For the basics of starting Dictation, see how to use Dictation on a Mac.

Say the name of a punctuation mark and Dictation types the mark

Apple's command list names each punctuation mark in words ⁴. The commands are always available while you dictate ⁵, so you do not switch on a special mode first. The names you need most are "comma", "period", "question mark", "exclamation mark" and "quote" and "end quote", but the list also covers colons and semicolons ⁶, ellipses, brackets, braces and angle brackets.

The Mac and iPhone lists do not match. On iPhone, Apple's example is "exclamation point" ⁷, and the iPhone command list includes period, comma, exclamation point, question mark, dollar sign and parentheses ⁸. On a Mac, say "exclamation mark". A phrase that works on one device may not work on the other, so a list copied from an iPhone guide can fail on a Mac.

The word "point" needs care. Apple's table maps "point" to a period, next to "period", "dot" and "full stop". That means a sentence such as "the main point is clear" can come out with a period where the word should be. When you mean the mark, say "period". When you mean the word, expect that a command name may be typed as a symbol, and correct it with the keyboard or with Voice Control.

Layout commands start new lines and paragraphs, formatting commands change capitals and spacing

Layout is the group of commands that breaks text apart. "New line" starts a new line, and "new paragraph" starts a new paragraph ⁹. The list also has "tab key", which moves the cursor to the next tab stop.

Capitals work in three steps. "All caps" formats only the next word in capitals. "All caps on" formats the next phrase in capitals, and "all caps off" returns to normal lettering ¹⁰. "Caps on" formats the following phrase in Title Case, and "caps off" returns to the default lettering ¹¹.

Spacing and numbers have their own commands. "No space on" formats the next phrase without spaces, and "no space off" resumes default spacing ¹². "Numeral" formats the next phrase as a number, and "roman numeral" formats it as a Roman numeral ¹³.

The Mac list is not the same as the iPhone list. The iPhone has a "cap" command that capitalizes only the next word ¹⁴, and the Mac list does not include "cap". The iPhone "no space" command is also not available in every language ¹⁵. Use the table below to check which phrase belongs to which device.

Auto-punctuation adds commas, periods and question marks in supported languages

In supported languages, Dictation inserts commas, periods and question marks as you speak, with no spoken command ¹. Apple's command page describes this as adding "certain punctuation" automatically ¹⁸, and the user guide names the three marks. Marks outside that group, such as colons, quotes and brackets, still need their spoken name.

Auto-punctuation has a shorter language list than Dictation. Apple's feature availability page lists 63 Dictation language and regional variants ¹⁹ and 33 variants for auto-punctuation ²⁰. Voice Control has a shorter list again, with 20 variants ²¹.

To turn automatic punctuation off, use the Auto-punctuation setting in Keyboard settings ¹. Turn it off if a stray comma would be wrong, for example in code or in a list of values. For the question on whether Mac Dictation adds punctuation at all, see does Mac dictation add punctuation automatically. For punctuation on other devices, see the dictation punctuation guide and the automatic punctuation term.

Emoji and symbols are spoken by their names

Emoji are the one group that needs a second word. Say the name of the emoji followed by the word "emoji", such as "heart emoji" ²². Apple's command page also lists emoticons, which are typed from characters: "smiley face" gives a smiley made of colon, hyphen and bracket, and "winky face" gives a wink.

Symbols follow the same rule. Apple groups them into typography, math, currency and intellectual property, and the table below shows the spoken names for the symbols people use most.

Apple also has a separate feature called Text Replacements, which turns a typed shortcut into text or a symbol, for example (c) into a copyright sign ²³. It works when you type, and it is not a dictation command. If you want the same symbol every time you type a shortcut, use Text Replacements in addition to the spoken name.

Standard Dictation cannot select or edit text; Voice Control can

Apple's list of Dictation commands has no command to select, delete, undo or move the cursor. Every command in the list either types something or formats what is being typed. Editing belongs to Voice Control ²⁴. Apple says that when Voice Control is on, you use it to dictate text and standard macOS Dictation is not available ².

The two modes behave differently with words that are not commands. Voice Control starts in Dictation mode by default, and in that mode any words you say that are not commands are entered as text ^{25 26}. Saying "Command mode" changes that: Voice Control then responds only to commands, and words that are not commands are ignored rather than typed ²⁷. Apple advises turning on Command mode so that a Voice Control command is not entered as text by mistake ²⁸.

Voice Control deletes a word by its number, so check its command list for the rest

To delete a word in Voice Control, say the command, such as "Delete", followed by the number of the item ³⁰. Voice Control can show a name or number next to every item on screen, so you can act on an item by saying its number ³¹. This is the usual route to delete a single word. For the question, see how to delete a word with Mac dictation.

Apple advises pausing about half a second between commands said in quick succession ³². Saying "Show commands" lists the commands available right now, and that list changes with the app and the task ³³. Voice Control also has a Spelling mode for passwords, web addresses and other strings that are not words ³⁴.

Some third-party cheat sheets list phrases such as "delete that" and "select previous word". Apple's Voice Control page does not list them. Treat any phrase that is not in Apple's own list as unverified, and check the Commands list in the Voice Control settings on your Mac before you rely on it. For the full Voice Control vocabulary, read the Voice Control command list and the guide to Voice Control on Mac. To see which tool fits your task, read Dictation vs Voice Control vs Siri on a Mac.

A printable cheat sheet of the commands that work in current macOS

Use this table as a reference for Dictation on the macOS 27 page. It groups the commands in Apple's order. Print it, or keep it beside the keyboard while you learn the names.

The table is from Apple's Mac Help page for macOS 27 ⁴. Auto-punctuation is separate from this table: it adds commas, periods and question marks in supported languages without a command ¹.

Dictation also stops on its own. It stops automatically when no speech is detected for 30 seconds ³⁵, and it has no length limit while you keep speaking ³⁶. When you are done, press the Escape key, the Microphone key (if available) or the Dictation shortcut ³⁷.

Related guides: How to use Dictation on a Mac, Mac Dictation shortcut, Apple Dictation languages on Mac, Dictation punctuation, iPhone dictation commands. For the spoken name of a mark, see the spoken punctuation term, and for the Mac key that starts Dictation, see the Microphone key term.