How do you add punctuation with Chromebook dictation?

Say the name of the mark while Dictation is on and the cursor is in a text field. Chromebook Dictation types the words you say, and it runs a phrase instead when that phrase matches a command ¹. Google's Chromebook help says you can add common punctuation by saying the mark's name ². A 2023 guide to the feature says the same: besides words, you can speak punctuation ³.

Google's help page names five marks: "comma", "period", "question mark", "exclamation mark" and "exclamation point". It calls them common punctuation. It does not say how each word is written in every language, and it does not list other marks, such as colons or semicolons. Check the page for your language before you rely on a word.

Say the mark's name where you want it

Dictation types what it hears and does not add marks by itself in the documentation we read. You say the mark's name at the point where it belongs, and the mark appears in the text. Because a spoken phrase that matches a command runs that command, say the mark on its own, not inside a phrase that could be read as an instruction.

Follow these steps for a first test:

1. Start Dictation with Search + D, then click into the text box that will hold the text. If Dictation is not on yet, turn it on in Settings first ⁴.
2. Speak the sentence. When you reach a mark, say its name, such as "comma", with a short pause before it.
3. Check the field. If the word itself appears as text, or nothing appears at all, the spoken word was not recognized as the mark. Try the word again, or move to the troubleshooting question linked at the end of this page.

Dictation works only in editable fields, so a mark said while the cursor sits on a page element that is not a field is not typed into the page ⁵.

A new line is a command, not a punctuation mark

A new line is not a mark, so it does not use the punctuation words. A 2023 guide to Chromebook Dictation lists New line in its table of commands, with the description "Moves the cursor to a new line" ⁶. Say it as a command, and the cursor moves to the next line instead of typing words.

That table is from 2023, and command names can change between ChromeOS releases. Check the current list before you rely on any single command, and read the guide to Chromebook dictation for the other limits of the feature.

Automatic punctuation is not described for Chromebook Dictation

Some dictation tools add periods and commas on their own, from pauses and tone. That behavior is called automatic punctuation. The Chromium documentation we read describes ChromeOS Dictation as a feature that types the recognized words as they are, and that runs a recognized command ¹. It does not describe automatic marks, so if you need a mark, say it.

This is a gap in what the sources say, not a confirmed absence. If Google adds automatic marks in a later release, the sources here will not show it until they are updated.

Spoken punctuation works differently in other apps

Google Docs has its own voice typing tool. Do not assume that a word that works in Dictation works there too. The question on Google Docs voice typing and punctuation covers that case, and you should test the words in the app you use.

For the same question on other systems, read whether voice typing adds punctuation automatically and the glossary entry on spoken punctuation.

Where to go next

Start with the guide to Chromebook dictation for the setup steps, and the overview of dictation in your apps for the wider subject. If a mark or a word does nothing at all, the question on why Chromebook dictation is not working lists the checks in order.