Mac Dictation Commands: The Complete List for macOS 27

How do you use dictation commands on a Mac?

Start Dictation, then say the command where you want the punctuation or formatting. Apple says the commands are always available while you are dictating.

1. 1

   Turn on Dictation in System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation.

2. 2

   Click where the text should go, then press the Microphone key (if you have one) or your Dictation shortcut, or choose Edit > Start Dictation.

3. 3

   Speak, saying a command such as “comma” where you want it.

4. 4

   Stop with Escape, the Microphone key or your shortcut. Apple says Dictation also stops after 30 seconds without speech.

Every Dictation phrase in this article comes from Apple's Commands for dictating text on Mac for macOS 27 Golden Gate, released on 14 September 2026. Apple's list is identical to its macOS Tahoe 26 version.

What are the punctuation commands for Mac dictation?

Say the mark's name: “comma”, “question mark”, “exclamation mark”, “colon” or “semicolon”. For a full stop, Apple accepts “period”, “point”, “dot” or “full stop”. Its macOS 27 guide lists 22 punctuation commands.

Brackets and quotation marks

“Hyphen” gives a short hyphen (-), while “dash” gives an en dash (–). “Quote” only opens a quotation; “end quote” closes it.

How do you say new line or new paragraph in Mac dictation?

Say “new line” for a new line (like pressing Return once) or “new paragraph” for a new paragraph (like pressing Return twice). Apple notes the breaks appear when you finish dictating, not while you are still speaking.

How do you capitalise words with Mac dictation?

Say “caps on” for Title Case and “caps off” to stop. “All caps” capitalises the next word only, while “all caps on” and “all caps off” wrap a longer phrase in capitals.

Apple's Dictation list has no commands for bold, italics or lower case. In Voice Control, Apple says “Show commands” lists text formatting commands when you are writing a document.

How do you type symbols, maths signs and currency by voice?

Say the symbol's name, often ending in “sign”: “at sign” gives @, “percent sign” gives % and “euro sign” gives €. Apple groups these into typography, maths, currency and intellectual property commands.

Maths, currency and legal marks

Careful with “pound”: in Apple's US list, “pound sign” gives #. For £, say “pound sterling sign”. Apple's guide shows a plain x for “multiplication sign” and lists no division sign.

Can you dictate emoji on a Mac?

Yes, in supported languages: say the emoji's name followed by “emoji”, such as “heart emoji” or “car emoji”. Apple lists 33 language and region combinations, including US, UK, Australian, Canadian and Indian English.

Some English variants that support Dictation, including Irish, New Zealand and South African English, are not on Apple's emoji list, so check your dictation language if “heart emoji” comes out as words.

Text emoticons

Does Mac dictation add punctuation automatically?

Yes. In supported languages, Dictation inserts commas, full stops and question marks as you speak. To stop it, turn off Auto-punctuation in System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation.

1. 1

   Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar.

2. 2

   Go to Dictation.

3. 3

   Turn off Auto-punctuation. Turn it on again the same way.

Apple names only those three marks, so say the command for anything else, such as an exclamation mark or quotation marks. Apple says the commands are always available while you dictate, so you can still say them with Auto-punctuation on. Apple's Feature Availability page lists Auto-punctuation for 33 language and region combinations, against 63 for Dictation itself.

The same page lists “More advanced Dictation” as an Apple Intelligence feature for English. MacRumors reports that macOS 27's improved dictation makes fewer punctuation and capitalisation mistakes, but needs an M3 or later chip and at least 12GB of memory. How AI cleanup differs from built-in punctuation is covered in our Apple Dictation comparison.

What is the difference between Dictation and Voice Control commands?

Dictation commands only insert punctuation, symbols, emoji and formatting. Voice Control adds commands to edit text and control your Mac, but Apple says standard Dictation is unavailable while Voice Control is on: you dictate through Voice Control instead.

Apple's Dictation list has no commands for selecting, deleting or replacing text. Voice Control does: Apple's examples include “Replace cat with dog”, and “Show numbers” followed by “Delete” or “Uppercase” and an item's number. It also handles “Open Mail”, “Scroll down” and “Click Done”.

1. 1

   Choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Accessibility.

2. 2

   Click Voice Control and turn it on.

3. 3

   Say “Show commands” to see what you can say in the app you are using.

Why does Mac dictation type the command instead of doing it?

Dictation acts only on the phrases Apple lists for your dictation language, plus emoji names where supported. Editing phrases such as “delete that” are not on that list, and some US and UK wording differs.

• Not a Dictation command. Apple's list has no editing commands; use the keyboard or Voice Control.
• Different wording. Apple's UK and Australian guides word some brackets and symbols differently (below), so check the edition for your region.
• Wrong or unsupported language. Check the language and region in Keyboard > Dictation, one of Apple's own troubleshooting steps.
• Voice Control is on. Standard Dictation is unavailable, so Voice Control's commands apply.
• Pending line break. Apple says new lines and paragraphs appear once you stop dictating.

Apple's Australian guide uses the US wording, except “hash symbol” for #. The UK and Australian lists also spell “centre dot” and “per cent sign” the British way.

If Dictation is not responding at all, that is a different problem: see why Mac dictation is not working.

How do you see the full list of commands for your language?

Open Apple's “Commands for dictating text on Mac” guide in your country's edition, which lists the phrases in that language. For Voice Control, the full list is in System Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control > Commands.

1. 1

   Open Apple's guide and choose macOS 27 Golden Gate from the version menu.

2. 2

   Switch country with the region selector at the foot of the page. The French edition lists “virgule” for a comma.

3. 3

   For Voice Control, click Commands in Voice Control settings and use the search field. Click the Dictation mode command to see the characters you can enter and what to say.

If the problem is a name or term Dictation keeps mishearing rather than a command, see how to add custom words to Mac dictation.

Questions