Dictation Commands: The Cross-Platform Cheat Sheet
Dictation commands are the words your computer or phone treats as instructions rather than text. Say “comma” and a comma appears; say “new paragraph” and the cursor drops two lines. The catch: each platform keeps a private list. “Delete that” is a command in Windows and Word, yet it's absent from Apple's list for Mac Dictation. Google's punctuation list for Docs stops at six entries, and a colon isn't one of them.
Here are the six systems most people dictate into, side by side, gaps included. Every entry comes from the vendor's own support pages, checked in September 2026; long lists are trimmed to essentials, with links to the full versions.
Start with the words every platform agrees on
Four spoken commands appear in all six official lists: “period”, “comma”, “question mark” and “new line”. “New paragraph” makes five of the six, because Microsoft's English list for Word's Dictate only documents “new line”. The exclamation mark splits along a transatlantic line: the Mac says “exclamation mark”, the iPhone and both Google lists say “exclamation point”, and Microsoft takes either.
Before memorising punctuation by voice, check that automatic punctuation is on. Apple, Windows voice typing and Word's Dictate each have a setting for it in supported languages, and Pixel's advanced voice typing does it by default. With that on, the commands worth learning shrink to structure: line breaks, quotes, brackets, the odd colon.
Twenty-second engine check: say “testing open quotes hello close quotes”. Real quotation marks usually mean a Microsoft engine. If the words appear instead, try Apple's “quote” and “end quote”. If neither works, you're probably in Google Docs or Gboard, where quotes aren't on the published list.
The cross-platform dictation commands table
Read across a row to compare platforms. Where a cell says “Not listed” or “None”, the vendor documents no command, so expect the words themselves in your text.
| You want | Mac Dictation | iPhone & iPad Dictation | Windows 11 voice typing (Win+H) | Word: Microsoft 365 Dictate | Google Docs voice typing | Android: Gboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| . , ? | “period” (or “full stop”), “comma”, “question mark” | “period”, “comma”, “question mark” | “period” or “full stop”; “comma”; “question mark” | “full stop” or “period”; “comma”; “question mark” | “comma”, “period”, “question mark” | “question mark”, “comma”, “period” |
| ! | “exclamation mark” | “exclamation point” | “exclamation mark” or “point” | “exclamation point” or “mark” | “exclamation point” | “exclamation point” |
| : and ; | “colon”, “semicolon” | “semicolon”, “colon” | “colon”, “semicolon” | “semicolon”, “colon” | Not on Google's list | Not on Google's list |
| Quotation marks | “quote” … “end quote” | “quote” … “end quote” | “open quotes” … “close quotes” | “open quotes” … “close quotes” | Not listed | Not listed |
| ( ) | “open parenthesis” / “close parenthesis” | “open parenthesis” / “close parenthesis” | “open parentheses” / “close parentheses” (or left / right) | “left parentheses” / “right parentheses” (or open / close) | Not listed | Not listed |
| Line break | “new line” | “new line” | “new line” or “next line” | “new line” | “new line” | “new line” |
| New paragraph | “new paragraph” | “new paragraph” | “new paragraph” | Not in the English list; use “new line” | “new paragraph” | “new paragraph” |
| Capitals | “caps on” … “caps off” gives Title Case; “all caps” for one word | “cap” for the next word; “caps on” … “caps off”; “all caps” | None listed | “capitalize [word]”, “uppercase that”, “lowercase [word]” | Select text, then “uppercase”, “title case” or “lowercase” | Pixel 8 or later, US English: “capitalize [word]” |
| Delete by voice | None in Dictation (Voice Control only) | “delete [phrase]”, “delete all” * | “delete that”, “erase that”, “scratch that”, “backspace” | “scratch that”, “delete [word or phrase]”, “backspace [1–100]” | “delete” (word before cursor), “delete last word”, “delete [phrase]” | Pixel 6 or later: “delete last word”, “clear” (last sentence), “clear all” |
| Undo | None in Dictation | “undo”, “redo” * | “undo that” or “revert” | “undo” | “undo” | Pixel 8 or later, US English: “undo” after a voice edit |
| Select or replace | None; click a blue-underlined word for alternatives | “select [phrase]”, “change [x] to [y]”, “insert [x] before [y]” * | “select that” (your last phrase only) | “select [word or phrase]”, “select last 3 words” | “select [phrase]”, “select paragraph” | Pixel 8 or later, US English: “change [x] to [y]”, “insert [x] after [y]” |
| Stop listening | No spoken command; press Esc, or 30 seconds of silence | “stop dictation”, or 30 seconds of silence | “stop listening”, “pause voice typing” | “pause dictation”, “stop dictation” | “stop listening”; “resume” to carry on | Pixel 6 or later: “stop”; otherwise tap the mic |
| Emoji | “heart emoji” (some languages) | “hug emoji”, “heart emoji” (some languages) | “smiley face” types :) and “heart emoji” types <3 | “winky face” types ;) and “heart emoji” types <3 | Not listed | Say the emoji's name (voice toolbar and Pixel) |
* U.S. English on iPhone 12 or later, not iPhone SE. Google Docs commands need both account and document language set to English. Gboard's extra commands need Pixel's advanced voice typing (Pixel 6+); detailed edits need a Pixel 8+ in US English. Sources: Apple for Mac and iPhone; Microsoft for voice typing and Word; Google for Docs, Gboard and Pixel voice typing.
Apple: generous with symbols, silent on editing (on the Mac)
The Mac list is the longest here for symbols: currency, maths, even “cross-eyed laughing face”. What it lacks is any way to fix text by voice. Apple hands that to Voice Control, which replaces Dictation while it's on.
The iPhone flips the trade. Fewer symbols, but in U.S. English you can say “change Tuesday to Thursday” or “delete all”, and correct a spelling letter by letter. “Cap” also capitalises a single word, which the Mac can't do by voice. Setup and privacy live in our Apple Dictation guide across devices and the walkthrough for dictating on a Mac.
Windows voice typing and Word's Dictate are two different listeners
Windows key + H opens voice typing, which types into any text box and runs on Microsoft's Azure speech service. Word's Dictate button is a separate feature for Microsoft 365 subscribers, with a far bigger vocabulary: formatting (“bold tomorrow”), lists (“create numbered list”), comments, and ranges like “delete from Monday to Friday”. Voice typing sticks to stopping, deleting, selecting, a few keys and undo.
Two newer settings matter. Wait time before acting sets how long voice typing waits before running a command, which helps slow speakers. On Copilot+ PCs, Fluid dictation tidies grammar and filler with small on-device models; say “revert” to undo its edit.
Setup, and the familiar “Dictate is greyed out” problem, are covered in our guides to voice typing on Windows 11 and dictation in Microsoft Word.
Google runs two systems as well
Docs voice typing, under Tools in a desktop browser, has the richest editing vocabulary of the six: headings, colours, tables, “go to the end of the line”. It also has the strictest conditions: commands need your account and the document both in English.
Gboard shares those six punctuation words and little else by default. The extra vocabulary belongs to Pixel's advanced voice typing, the colourful microphone: “send”, “next” for the following form field, and on Pixel 8 and later, US English edits such as “spell Katrin as K-A-T-R-I-N”. Our Android voice-to-text guide covers Samsung's separate engine; the Google Docs voice typing guide covers the browser.
The commands that simply aren't there
Going by the vendors' own lists, these don't exist:
- Mac Dictation: no delete, undo or select. It's Voice Control or the keyboard.
- Windows voice typing: no capitalisation command of any kind.
- Word's Dictate: no “new paragraph” in the English list.
- Google Docs and Gboard: no colon, quotation marks or brackets.
- Voice editing on phones: U.S. English only, on iPhone and Pixel alike.
When the command you need isn't there: keep talking, then do one keyboard pass at the end for the missing colons and quotes. Stopping to fix each one costs more than the fix.
To run the whole computer hands-free you want Voice Control (Apple) or Voice Access (Windows), not dictation; our piece on dictation for accessibility weighs the two.
You may need fewer commands than you think
These lists date from when dictation typed exactly what you said. AI dictation removes much of the need. The Laxis Voice Keyboard, for example, punctuates for you, drops “um” and “like”, and folds repeated phrases together, so you rarely need “scratch that”. It works in the cloud, not on your device, and on the free plan dictation shares a 300-minute monthly pool with meeting transcription. Comparing tools rather than commands? Our dictation software roundup does that.
Learn one column, not the whole table
Nobody needs six vocabularies. Learn the column for the device you use most and ignore the rest. Within a week, the handful you say daily stop feeling like commands and start feeling like punctuation you happen to pronounce.
Frequently asked questions
How do you add punctuation with voice to text?
Say the name of the mark where you want it, for example 'comma', 'period' or 'question mark', and the engine types the symbol instead of the word. Those three work on Mac, iPhone, Windows, Word, Google Docs and Gboard. Most platforms also punctuate automatically, so you mainly speak the marks software cannot guess, such as colons and quotes.
What is the dictation command for a new paragraph?
Say 'new paragraph' to start a fresh paragraph on Mac, iPhone, Windows voice typing, Google Docs and Gboard, and 'new line' for a single line break. Microsoft's English command list for Dictate in Word includes 'new line' but not 'new paragraph', so in Word the documented options are 'new line' or pressing Enter.
How do you type quotation marks with voice to text?
On a Mac, iPhone or iPad, say 'quote' before the quoted words and 'end quote' after them; in Windows voice typing and Word's Dictate, say 'open quotes' and 'close quotes'. Google's published command lists for Docs voice typing and Gboard do not include quotation marks, so add those with the keyboard afterwards.
What are the Windows voice typing commands?
Windows 11 voice typing, opened with the Windows key plus H, understands 'stop listening', 'scratch that', 'select that', 'undo that', 'press Enter' and 'backspace', plus spoken punctuation such as 'comma', 'period' and 'new paragraph'. Word's Dictate is a separate Microsoft 365 feature with a longer list, including 'bold that' and 'create numbered list'.
Can you delete or undo by voice with Mac Dictation?
No, not with standard Mac Dictation: Apple's command list covers punctuation, symbols, formatting and capitals, but has no delete, undo or select commands. Those belong to Voice Control, an accessibility feature that takes over from Dictation while it is on. On iPhone 12 and later, except iPhone SE, U.S. English Dictation does accept 'delete' and 'undo'.
Why does voice typing type my command instead of doing it?
Usually the command is not in that engine's list, or it was spoken mid-sentence. 'Delete that' works in Windows and Word but is not on Apple's Mac Dictation list, and Google Docs commands only run when your account and document language are both English. Say each command as its own phrase, with a short pause either side.
