Voice Commands and Punctuation: Master Mac Dictation

You're dictating an important email when you realize your entire message is one long sentence without any punctuation. Sound familiar?

Most Mac users struggle with voice dictation because they don't know the specific commands for punctuation, formatting, and editing. They end up with walls of text that require extensive manual cleanup, defeating the purpose of dictation entirely.

The good news? Mac dictation supports dozens of voice commands that can handle everything from basic punctuation to complex formatting. Once you learn these commands, you'll dictate faster and more accurately than ever before.

This guide covers every essential voice command you need to master Mac dictation, whether you're using the built-in system or a third-party app like Voicci.

Essential Punctuation Commands for Mac Dictation

Punctuation is the foundation of clear dictation. Here are the most important commands you'll use daily:

Basic Punctuation

• "Period" or "Full stop" - Adds a period (.)
• "Comma" - Adds a comma (,)
• "Question mark" - Adds a question mark (?)
• "Exclamation point" or "Exclamation mark" - Adds an exclamation point (!)
• "Semicolon" - Adds a semicolon (;)
• "Colon" - Adds a colon (:)

Advanced Punctuation

• "Open quote" and "Close quote" - Adds quotation marks
• "Open parenthesis" and "Close parenthesis" - Adds parentheses
• "Dash" or "Hyphen" - Adds a hyphen (-)
• "Em dash" - Adds an em dash (—)
• "Ellipsis" - Adds three dots (...)
• "Apostrophe" - Adds an apostrophe (')

The key is speaking these commands clearly and pausing briefly before and after each one. This helps the dictation software distinguish between punctuation commands and regular speech.

Formatting Commands That Save Time

Beyond punctuation, Mac dictation includes powerful formatting commands that can structure your text as you speak:

Capitalization Commands

• "Cap [word]" or "Capital [word]" - Capitalizes the next word
• "Caps on" and "Caps off" - Turns on/off all caps mode
• "All caps [phrase] no caps" - Makes specific phrase all uppercase
• "No caps [phrase]" - Makes specific phrase lowercase

Spacing and Line Breaks

• "New line" - Moves to the next line without paragraph spacing
• "New paragraph" - Creates a new paragraph with spacing
• "Tab" - Inserts a tab character
• "Space bar" - Inserts a space (useful when dictating URLs or codes)

Number and Symbol Commands

• "Numeral [number]" - Forces number format instead of spelling out
• "Dollar sign," "Percent sign," "At sign" - Common symbols
• "Asterisk," "Ampersand," "Pound sign" - Additional symbols

These formatting commands work in most Mac applications, but some third-party dictation tools like Voicci may have additional formatting options.

Navigation and Editing Commands

One of the most powerful aspects of Mac dictation is the ability to edit and navigate your text using voice commands:

Selection Commands

• "Select [word or phrase]" - Selects specific text
• "Select previous word" / "Select next word" - Selects adjacent words
• "Select previous paragraph" / "Select next paragraph" - Selects entire paragraphs
• "Select all" - Selects all text in the document

Deletion Commands

• "Delete that" - Deletes the last dictated phrase
• "Delete [word or phrase]" - Deletes specific text
• "Scratch that" - Deletes recent dictation

Replacement Commands

• "Replace [old text] with [new text]" - Substitutes text
• "Correct [word]" - Opens correction options for specific words

These editing commands can significantly speed up your workflow, but they require practice to use effectively. Start with simple selections and deletions before attempting complex replacements.

Pro Tips for Better Dictation Accuracy

Knowing the commands is only half the battle. Here's how to use them effectively:

Speaking Technique

Pace yourself: Speak at a normal conversational pace, not too fast or slow. Rushing through commands often leads to recognition errors.

Use natural pauses: Pause briefly before and after punctuation commands to help the software distinguish them from regular speech.

Speak commands clearly: Enunciate punctuation and formatting commands more clearly than regular text.

Environment Optimization

Minimize background noise: Even small amounts of background noise can interfere with command recognition.

Use a quality microphone: Built-in laptop mics work, but an external microphone improves accuracy significantly.

Position yourself correctly: Stay about 6-12 inches from your microphone for optimal pickup.

Practice Strategies

Start with simple documents: Practice commands while writing emails or notes before tackling complex documents.

Learn gradually: Master basic punctuation first, then add formatting and editing commands.

Create muscle memory: Use the same commands consistently to build automatic responses.

Troubleshooting Common Command Issues

Even experienced users encounter problems with voice commands. Here are solutions to the most common issues:

Commands Not Being Recognized

Check your dictation settings: Go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation and ensure enhanced dictation is enabled for offline use.

Retrain voice recognition: In Accessibility settings, you can improve recognition by reading training phrases.

Verify microphone permissions: Make sure your dictation app has microphone access in Privacy settings.

Punctuation Appearing as Text

If you're seeing "comma" instead of a comma, you're likely speaking too quickly or not pausing appropriately around commands.

Solution: Slow down and add brief pauses: "Hello [pause] comma [pause] how are you [pause] question mark"

Inconsistent Command Performance

Some applications handle dictation commands better than others. Native Mac apps like Mail and Pages typically have the best support.

Alternative: Consider using a dedicated dictation tool like Voicci, which provides consistent command recognition across all applications.

Commands Working in Some Apps But Not Others

This is common with third-party applications that don't fully support Mac's dictation API.

Workaround: Dictate in a supported app first, then copy and paste the formatted text into your target application.

Advanced Techniques for Power Users

Once you've mastered the basics, these advanced techniques will take your dictation skills to the next level:

Custom Voice Commands

You can create custom voice commands in System Preferences > Accessibility > Voice Control > Commands. This allows you to:

• Create shortcuts for frequently used phrases
• Set up application-specific commands
• Build complex formatting macros

Dictation Workflows

Email workflow: "New paragraph Dear [name] comma new paragraph" to quickly start professional emails.

List creation: Use "new line" between items and "tab" for indentation to create formatted lists while dictating.

Document structure: Combine "new paragraph" with capitalization commands to create headers and sections.

Application-Specific Tips

In Pages: Use "bold that" and "italic that" to format recently dictated text.

In Mail: "Send" command can send emails in some configurations (be careful with this one!).

In web browsers: Navigation commands work for moving between form fields.

Remember that different dictation solutions offer varying levels of command support. While Mac's built-in dictation covers the basics, specialized tools often provide more advanced features and better accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions