iPhone and iPad dictation commands
Say punctuation by name ("period", "comma", "question mark") and "new paragraph" for breaks. On iPhone 12 and later in US English, edit by voice with commands like "change Monday to Tuesday" and "delete all".
These are Apple's documented commands for iOS and iPadOS 26 and later. Some depend on the language.
Punctuation and symbols
| Say | You get |
|---|---|
| "period" / "comma" | . / , |
| "exclamation point" / "question mark" | ! / ? |
| "colon" / "semicolon" | : / ; |
| "hashtag" / "dollar sign" | # / $ |
| "open parenthesis" / "close parenthesis" | ( ) |
| "quote" … "end quote" | " … " |
Line breaks
| Say | Does |
|---|---|
| "new line" | Starts a new line |
| "new paragraph" | Starts a new paragraph |
Capitals and spacing
| Say | Does |
|---|---|
| "cap" + word | Capitalises the next word |
| "caps on" … "caps off" | Capitalises Each Word In Between |
| "all caps" + word | Puts the next word in CAPITALS |
| "all caps on" … "all caps off" | Puts everything in between in CAPITALS |
| "no caps on" … "no caps off" | puts everything in between in lowercase |
| "no space" | Removes the space between the next two words (some languages) |
| "no space on" … "no space off" | Runs the words in between together (some languages) |
Editing by voice
These work in US English on iPhone 12 and later, except iPhone SE.
| Say | Does |
|---|---|
| "change [old] to [new]" | Replaces text |
| "insert [text] before [word]" / "insert [text] after [word]" | Inserts text |
| "select [text]" | Selects text |
| "delete [text]" | Deletes text |
| "delete all" | Deletes everything in the field |
| "undo" / "redo" | Undoes or redoes |
| "stop dictation" | Stops dictating |
Spelling a word
Say the word, then spell it: "Let's invite Steven S-T-E-P-H-E-N". You can also spell a correction: "change tea to T-E-E".
Emoji
In supported languages, say the emoji's name followed by "emoji". Apple's examples include "heart emoji", "smiley emoji", "fingers crossed emoji", "rainbow emoji" and "celebrate emoji".