How do you add punctuation with Windows voice typing?

Say the name of the mark. In Windows 11 voice typing, saying "comma", "period" or "question mark" puts that mark at the cursor, and saying "new paragraph" starts a new paragraph. You can also turn on Automatic punctuation so that voice typing adds marks based on what you say. Use the spoken names when you need one exact mark, and the setting when you would rather not say the marks at all.

Say the name of each mark to insert it

Microsoft says that voice typing on Windows 11 has commands that "insert punctuation marks" ¹. Its English list gives the spoken names for the marks, including the ellipsis, the forward slash, the colon, the semicolon and the question mark ². These are the names most people need:

Microsoft's English list also includes "new line", "new/next line" and "new paragraph" ³. Use "new line" to end a line inside a paragraph, and "new paragraph" when the next words begin a new block of text.

Turn on Automatic punctuation to let voice typing add marks

The Automatic punctuation setting lets voice typing "automatically insert punctuation based on what you're saying" ⁴. To reach it, select the gear icon on the voice typing flyout.

Microsoft's page does not say which marks the setting adds on its own, so test it before you rely on it. Dictate a sentence with a question, a list and a quotation, and check what appeared. If it adds a mark you did not want, delete that mark with the keyboard, or switch the setting off. The setting is the choice to make when most of your sentences end with the same marks, and the spoken names are the choice when one sentence needs an unusual mark.

Fluid dictation corrects punctuation on Copilot+ PCs

Fluid dictation goes further than either option. Microsoft says it "automatically corrects grammar, punctuation, and filler words as you speak" ⁵. It is a Copilot+ PC feature, and Microsoft says it "is available in all English locales" ⁶. On other PCs, the spoken names and the Automatic punctuation setting are the options. The guide to fluid dictation on Copilot+ PCs explains how it differs from the spoken names.

It depends on the tool, the PC and the connection

Voice typing needs an internet connection, a working microphone and the cursor in a text box ⁷. If no punctuation appears at all, check those three before you look at the names. The guide to dictation punctuation compares how other tools handle the same marks.

Two other cases work differently:

• Windows 10 uses different phrases, and only US English gets the commands. See the dictation commands that work in Windows 10.
• Voice Access has its own list of names. The Voice Access commands guide has the full list.

What to do

1. Put the cursor in a text box and press Windows key + H ⁸.
2. Say the mark's name inside your sentence, for example: "Thanks for the update comma I will send the file today period."
3. For marks added automatically, select the gear icon on the voice typing flyout and turn on Automatic punctuation.
4. Read the text before you move on. Fix a wrong mark with the keyboard, or use the steps in how to correct a mistake with Windows voice typing.

For the general question of whether the marks appear by themselves, read does voice typing add punctuation automatically?. For paragraphs, see how to start a new paragraph by voice. The guide to Windows voice typing commands and punctuation lists every command, and dictation on Windows covers the other tools.