How do you delete a word with Mac dictation?

Standard Dictation cannot delete a word by voice. Apple's list of dictation commands contains no delete command, so use one of two routes. The first is the keyboard: press Option-Delete to delete the word to the left of the cursor ¹. The second is hands-free: turn on Voice Control, show a number over the word, and say "Delete" followed by that number ².

The command list we read is Apple's Mac Help page for macOS 27, checked on 16 October 2026. Older versions of macOS may have different lists, so check the version selector on Apple's page if your Mac runs an earlier system.

Standard Dictation has no spoken delete command

Apple's Dictation command list covers punctuation, symbols, formatting, capitals, math, currency, emoticons and emoji. It describes these commands as always available while you dictate ³. Delete does not appear in any of those groups, and neither do "undo" or "select". The list is for typing text and changing how it looks. It is not a list of editing commands.

That is why a search for "mac dictation backspace" or "mac dictation how to delete" usually leads to the keyboard or to Voice Control. Do not expect a spoken "delete" to remove text in standard Dictation, because Apple does not document that command.

Use Option-Delete on the keyboard to remove the word before the cursor

Apple's list of Mac keyboard shortcuts gives Option-Delete as "Delete the word to the left of the insertion point" ¹. The plain Delete key removes one character at a time. Apple's list pairs Delete with Control-H for the character before the insertion point, so one press removes one character and Option-Delete removes the whole word.

Apple's Dictation page says that on a Mac with Apple silicon, you "can still use the keyboard while you speak" ⁴. The page does not name Delete, so test it. Dictate the sentence, notice the mistake, press Option-Delete as many times as needed, and then keep dictating. On an Intel Mac, we found no statement either way, so test it on that machine.

Turn on Voice Control to delete a word by number

Voice Control is the route Apple documents for editing text by voice. When Voice Control is on, you use it to dictate text, and standard Dictation is not available ⁵. Turn it on from its settings, and check the steps for your macOS version in our guide to Voice Control on a Mac.

Once it is on, do these steps:

1. Say "Show numbers" to show a number next to each item on the screen. In a text input area, you can also say "Show text numbers" to display number overlays on the text ⁶.
2. Find the number of the word you want to remove.
3. Say "Delete" followed by that number, for example "Delete 12". Apple's page describes this as a command such as "Delete" or "Uppercase" followed by the item's number ².
4. Say "Hide numbers" when you have finished, so the overlay does not sit on your text.

Pause briefly between commands that you say one after another. Apple advises about half a second between them ⁷. The number overlay is needed first, so you cannot delete by number without showing it.

Apple's Voice Control page does not say which text items support Delete, beyond a line or a word. If you need to remove a whole sentence or a line, test it on a sample before you rely on it.

Phrases such as "delete that" are not in Apple's list

Search results and third-party cheat sheets list phrases such as "delete that" or "delete previous word". The Voice Control page we read does not list them. Do not rely on them until you check the Commands list in your own Voice Control settings. The Voice Control command list explains how to find that list.

Windows and Microsoft products use different words. In Microsoft's Dictate feature for Word, saying "delete" by itself removes the last word or punctuation mark before the cursor ⁸. That is Microsoft's own feature on Microsoft's own page. We did not confirm that the Mac version of Word behaves in the same way, so test it there before you rely on it.

What to do

1. For a single slip just after you dictate it, press Option-Delete on the keyboard, then keep dictating.
2. If you want to stay hands-free, turn on Voice Control, say "Show numbers", then say "Delete" and the number of the word.
3. If you need a repeatable spoken editing workflow, read how to delete text by voice and Dictation vs Voice Control on a Mac to see which tool fits.
4. Proofread the result. Dictation can be wrong, and removing one word can leave a stray space or mark that you have to fix.

Related answers are how to start a new line with Mac dictation, does Mac dictation add punctuation automatically, and can you use a Mac completely hands-free. For the full set of spoken commands in the standard Dictation list, see Mac dictation commands and punctuation. The voice command entry defines the term.