What are the most useful Dragon NaturallySpeaking commands?

Most of the time you save with Dragon NaturallySpeaking comes from correcting mistakes by voice, not from dictating. The commands that matter most are the correction commands, followed by MouseGrid, which moves the pointer with numbers. The list below covers those, with the Nuance source for each. Where we could not verify a command against a Nuance page, we say so rather than guess.

Correction commands save the most time

Correction is where dictation spends its time. A study of dictation with a large-vocabulary recognizer found that correcting errors takes up most of the task time ¹. So the first three commands below repay the time you spend learning them.

These three entries come from Nuance's Dragon 15 help, which is the most detailed correction page we could open. We did not check the Dragon 16 wording of these three commands, so confirm the names in your installed copy.

Use "Correct That" first, since it opens the Correction menu where you pick or spell the right text. Use "Spell That" when Dragon picks the wrong word and the alternatives do not include the right one. Use "Scratch That" when the whole phrase is wrong and you would rather dictate it again.

A word that keeps coming out wrong is a case for training Dragon, which the guide to setting up Dragon covers. Training and the custom word list are covered in the guide to setting up Dragon, and the term for the word list is in the glossary entry for custom vocabulary.

MouseGrid moves the pointer with numbers

MouseGrid is the command set for the pointer. Dragon's MouseGrid "divides your screen or active window into nine numbered areas", and you move the pointer by saying a number ⁵. The grid then redraws in smaller areas, so you can narrow the pointer down in steps.

To use it, say "MouseGrid", then a number. When the pointer is where you want it, say "Go" to close the grid ⁶.

MouseGrid is most useful when your hands are off the mouse, for example when you are dictating and need the pointer in a particular place.

Some commands stopped after a web extension install

Browser commands are a common source of confusion. Nuance's Dragon Professional 16 release notes list a known issue: after installing the Dragon Web extensions for Edge or Chrome, "dictation will continues to work but you can no longer use Dragon commands" ⁷. The release notes for Dragon 16.1 say this is fixed: "All commands work after installing the Dragon web extensions" ⁸.

If your commands stop after you add the browser extension, check your version first. On 16.0, the fix is to update to 16.1. The question on installing the Dragon web extension covers the install itself.

Speak commands as separate phrases with short pauses

Pause briefly before and after each command. That is our practical suggestion, not a Nuance rule for commands. Nuance's guidelines give the same advice for punctuation.

Say each command in its own breath, at a normal pace. Do not run a command into the sentence before it. If a command is misread, say it again rather than repeating the sentence.

The full command list is in Nuance's help

Nuance publishes a command cheat sheet for Dragon Professional, and Dragon has a "What can I say" command that lists commands for the program you are using. We could not open the cheat sheet while writing this page, so we have not listed its phrases here. Use the list inside your copy of Dragon for the exact wording in your version, and compare it with the commands above.

What to practice first

1. Learn "Correct That" and "Scratch That" in your first session, and use them on every error.
2. Learn "MouseGrid", a number, and "Go" before you need them, so you are not searching for the words under pressure.
3. Check your version. If you installed the browser extension on 16.0 and your commands stopped, update to 16.1.
4. Use the keyboard as a fallback only when a command fails twice. Dragon 15 had a default Correction hot key that opened the same menu as "Correct That".

If Dragon does not respond to commands at all, the causes are different. The question on why Dragon is not working covers them, and the question on the best microphone covers the input problems that make commands fail, because a command is only recognized when the audio is clear. For a wider view of the product, read the overview of Dragon NaturallySpeaking and the overview of dictation software.