Dictation commands for every device
On almost every device, say "period", "comma", "question mark", "new line" and "new paragraph" for punctuation. Editing commands like "delete that" vary a lot between platforms. See the comparison below, then the full list for your device.
The basics that work almost everywhere
| Say | You get | Mac | Windows | iPhone | Android | Docs | Word |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "period" | . | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| "comma" | , | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| "question mark" | ? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| "exclamation point" | ! | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| "new line" | line break | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| "new paragraph" | blank line | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| "colon" | : | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| "open quote" / "close quote" | " " | "quote" / "end quote" | ✓ | "quote" / "end quote" | ✓ |
A blank cell means the command isn't in that platform's official documentation, not necessarily that it doesn't work.
Editing by voice
| Platform | Delete the last thing you said | Fix a word | Formatting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mac Dictation | Not available (use Voice Control) | Click the blue-underlined word | Capitals only ("caps on", "all caps") |
| Windows voice typing | "delete that" / "scratch that" | "select that", then speak | No |
| iPhone (iPhone 12 and later, US English) | "delete" + phrase, "undo" | "change [this] to [that]" | Capitals only |
| Android (Pixel 6 and later) | "delete last word", "clear" | Pixel 8 and later: "change [this] to [that]" | No |
| Google Docs | "delete last word", "delete" + phrase | "select" + phrase, then speak | Yes: bold, headings, lists, tables |
| Word (Microsoft 365) | "delete that", "scratch that" | "select" + phrase, then speak | Yes: bold, lists, comments |
Full lists by platform
- MacEvery spoken command for Mac Dictation, including punctuation, symbols, capitals, spacing and emoji, plus the extra editing commands in Voice Control.
- WindowsEvery Windows 11 voice typing command: punctuation, symbols, line breaks, and editing commands like "delete that", "select that" and "stop listening".
- iPhone & iPadEvery spoken command for iPhone and iPad dictation, including punctuation, capitals, editing commands like "change … to …", and emoji by voice.
- AndroidGboard voice typing commands for Android, including punctuation, new lines, and Pixel's advanced commands like "delete last word", "clear", "send" and "fix it".
- Google DocsAll the Google Docs voice typing commands for punctuation, selecting, formatting, headings, lists, tables and moving around a document. English only.
- WordWord Dictate commands for punctuation, deleting, selecting, formatting, lists and comments, plus how to pause and stop dictation. For Microsoft 365.
Commands in the free online tool
The free dictation tool on this site understands "period", "full stop", "comma", "question mark", "exclamation point", "colon", "semicolon", "new line" and "new paragraph" in English, and capitalises the start of each sentence.