While Dictation is on, say a command word where you want the symbol or format, such as "comma", "new paragraph" or "caps on". Apple groups its commands as Punctuation, Typography, Formatting, Capitalization, Mathematical, Currency, Emoticons and Intellectual property. Apple's Dictation list has no select, delete or undo commands. For select and delete, Apple's macOS 13 and 14 pages point to Voice Control.
How dictation commands work
Apple says the commands on its list are always available while you are dictating text.
In supported languages Dictation also inserts commas, periods and question marks on its own. To turn that off, go to System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation and switch off Auto-punctuation. In some languages you can also say an emoji by name, such as "heart emoji" or "car emoji".
Apple does not say which commands work in which languages, or whether the command words change with the dictation language. It says only that commands, emoji and auto-punctuation apply in supported languages.
- Start Dictation. How to dictate on a Mac has the steps.
- Speak your sentence and say the command word where the symbol goes, for example "total comma" or "new line".
- Stop Dictation and read the result. Apple notes line and paragraph breaks appear when you finish dictating.
Punctuation commands
Apple's Punctuation group is one list. The table splits it into brackets, marks and quotes to make it easier to scan. The bracket wording below is from the macOS 26 and 27 pages. The macOS 13, 14 and 15 pages say "open bracket" and "close bracket" instead.
| Type | You say |
|---|---|
| Brackets | open square bracket, close square bracket, open parenthesis, close parenthesis, open brace, close brace, open angle bracket, close angle bracket |
| Marks | apostrophe, colon, comma, dash, ellipsis, exclamation mark, hyphen, period/point/dot/full stop, question mark, semicolon |
| Quotes | quote, end quote, begin single quote, end single quote |
Symbols, math, currency, emoticons and intellectual property
These five groups are plain word-to-symbol commands. Say the name and the symbol is inserted. Apple's list shows the result of each command. We have not tested every glyph on every macOS version, so check a symbol you depend on before you rely on it.
| Apple's group | You say |
|---|---|
| Typography | ampersand, asterisk, at sign, backslash, forward slash, caret, center dot, large center dot, degree sign, hashtag/pound sign, percent sign, underscore, vertical bar |
| Mathematical | equal sign, greater than sign, less than sign, minus sign, multiplication sign, plus sign |
| Currency | dollar sign, cent sign, pound sterling sign, euro sign, yen sign |
| Emoticons | smiley face, frowny face, winky face, cross-eyed laughing face |
| Intellectual property | copyright sign, registered sign, trademark sign |
Formatting and capitalization commands
These change how the following text is laid out or cased. Where the table shows a dash, Apple's list gives the command without a description we recorded.
On the Dictation page, Apple says "new line" is equivalent to pressing Return once and "new paragraph" is equivalent to pressing Return twice.
| Apple's group | You say | What Apple says it does |
|---|---|---|
| Formatting | new line | Starts a new line (like pressing Return once) |
| Formatting | new paragraph | Same as pressing Return twice (per the Dictation page) |
| Formatting | numeral | Formats the next phrase as a number |
| Formatting | roman numeral | – |
| Formatting | no space on, no space off | – |
| Formatting | tab key | – |
| Capitalization | caps on | Formats the next phrase in Title Case |
| Capitalization | caps off | – |
| Capitalization | all caps | Formats the next word in ALL CAPS |
| Capitalization | all caps on | Formats the next phrase in ALL CAPS |
| Capitalization | all caps off | – |
What is not on the list: editing and navigation
Apple's Dictation commands page has no navigation or editing commands. There is no select, delete, undo or move-the-cursor command in the list above. Apple's macOS 13 and 14 pages point to Voice Control for commands that select or delete text, or capitalize or italicize words.
In Voice Control, text-editing commands are shared across Dictation mode and Spelling mode. Apple's example is "Replace cat with dog". Voice Control's modes in a text field are Dictation (the default), Spelling, Command and Swift mode. Say "Show commands" to see what is available, or open System Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control > Commands for the full list.
There is a catch. When Voice Control is on, you use it to dictate and standard macOS Dictation is not available. The first time you use Voice Control it needs the internet for a one-time download from Apple. After that it does not.
If you want more than the built-in tool
Pepys Dictate is a Mac app that formats as you speak, so "new paragraph" does what it says and lists become lists. It also understands spoken corrections, such as "Friday, no wait, Monday", and "delete that" removes the last thing you said. See how it compares with Apple Dictation.
Last updated October 5, 2026.