Official documentation
Commands for dictating text on Mac
Apple Inc., 2026
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- Apple's Mac User Guide page listing the spoken commands for Dictation on macOS: punctuation, typography, formatting, capitalization and numbers. It states which punctuation Dictation adds without a command.
- How much weight it carries
- Official Apple documentation, read on 2026-10-16. The page is not dated and changes with macOS releases, so the command names may differ on older or newer versions. Voice Control uses different command names.
Facts taken from this source
- On a Mac, 'all caps' formats the next word in capitals, and 'all caps on' formats the next phrase in capitals.
“all caps Formats the next word in ALL CAPS. all caps on Formats the next phrase in ALL CAPS.” (Capitalization table)
- Apple says Dictation on a Mac also adds certain punctuation automatically as you dictate, without a spoken command.
“Dictation also adds certain punctuation automatically as you dictate” (Introduction paragraph above the command tables)
- On a Mac, the 'caps on' command formats the following phrase in Title Case, and 'caps off' returns to the default lettering.
“caps on Formats the next phrase in Title Case. caps off Resumes the default case lettering.” (Capitalization table)
- Apple's Mac command list maps the spoken words 'colon' and 'semicolon' to a colon and a semicolon, next to the other punctuation names.
“colon : comma , dash – ellipsis … exclamation mark ! hyphen - period/point/dot/full stop . question mark ? quote “ end quote ” begin single quote ‘ end single quote ‘ semicolon ;” (Punctuation table)
- Apple says the dictation commands on its Mac Help page are always available while you are dictating text.
“The commands listed below are always available while you’re dictating text.” (Introduction to the command list)
- The Mac formatting commands include 'new line', which starts a new line, and 'new paragraph', which starts a new paragraph.
“new line Starts a new line. numeral Formats the next phrase as a number. roman numeral Formats the next phrase as a Roman numeral. new paragraph Starts a new paragraph.” (Formatting table)
- On a Mac, 'no space on' formats the next phrase without spaces, and 'no space off' resumes the default spacing.
“no space on Formats the next phrase without spaces. no space off Resumes default spacing.” (Formatting table)
- On a Mac, the 'numeral' command formats the next phrase as a number, and 'roman numeral' formats it as a Roman numeral.
“numeral Formats the next phrase as a number. roman numeral Formats the next phrase as a Roman numeral.” (Formatting table)
- The Mac command table maps the spoken phrase 'question mark' to a question mark, and 'quote' and 'end quote' to opening and closing quotation marks.
“period/point/dot/full stop . question mark ? quote “ end quote ”” (Punctuation table)
- Apple says that when you dictate text on a Mac, you can use commands to enter punctuation, capital letters and symbols, including symbols for math and currency.
“enter punctuation, capital letters, and symbols (including symbols for math, currency, and more)” (Introduction to the command list)
Pages that rest on this source
- Mac Dictation Commands and Punctuation: Full ListGuide
- Dictation Punctuation: How to Say Commas, Periods and MoreGuide
- How do you capitalize a word when dictating?Question
- How to Turn On Voice Typing on Every DeviceGuide
- Writing a Book by Dictation: Software and WorkflowGuide
- Mac Dictation by macOS Version: What ChangedGuide
- Does Mac dictation add punctuation automatically?Question
- Does voice typing add punctuation automatically?Question
- Dictation and Voice Typing: How to Talk Instead of TypeTopic
- Mac Dictation: How to Dictate and Control a Mac by VoiceTopic
- iPhone Dictation Commands: Punctuation, Emoji, EditingGuide
- How do you delete a word with Mac dictation?Question
- How do you press Enter with Mac dictation?Question
- Is there a Mac dictation commands cheat sheet or PDF?Question
- How to Use Dictation on a MacGuide
- Dictation in Mac Apps: Word, Pages, Notes, Mail, TerminalGuide
- How do you dictate a medical letter?Question
- How do you dictate an email in Mac Mail?Question
- How do you start a new line or paragraph by voice?Question
- How do you start a new line with Mac dictation?Question
- How do you dictate numbers, dates and symbols?Question
- How do you add punctuation with Google Docs voice typing?Question
- How do you say a question mark in talk to text?Question
- Dictate in PowerPoint, OneNote and ExcelGuide