iPhone Dictation Commands: Full List for Punctuation and More

Short answer: iPhone dictation takes spoken commands for punctuation ("comma", "period", "question mark"), line breaks ("new line", "new paragraph"), capitals ("cap", "all caps") and spacing ("no space"). In U.S. English on iPhone 12 and later (not iPhone SE), you can also edit by voice with "select", "delete", "change ... to ..." and "undo". Say "stop dictation" to finish.

You tap the microphone, say "comma", and the word comma lands in your message. Or you ask for a new paragraph and get nothing at all. iPhone dictation does understand spoken commands, but only a specific set, and a few of them only work in one language on newer iPhones. Here's every iPhone dictation command Apple lists, what each one types, and what to do when a command comes out as a word.

Everything below comes from Apple's iPhone User Guide, which we checked on October 30, 2026, when the current version was iOS 27. Apple says these commands are "always available while you're dictating text", with the language limits noted in each group.

The full list of iPhone dictation commands

Apple's commands page for iPhone sorts them into four groups: punctuation, formatting, editing and emoji. The dictation guide adds a few more for spelling and stopping.

Punctuation

Say the name of the mark, right after the word it belongs to:

In supported languages you often don't need the first three. Apple says dictation "automatically inserts commas, periods, and question marks as you dictate", and that's controlled by the Auto-Punctuation switch covered below.

Line breaks, capitals and spacing

• "new line" starts a new line, and "new paragraph" starts a new paragraph. Our post on dictating a new line or paragraph covers apps where they misbehave.
• "cap" capitalizes the next word. "caps on" ... "caps off" capitalizes the first letter of every word in between, which is handy for titles and names.
• "all caps" makes the next word uppercase. "all caps on" ... "all caps off" does it for a run of words.
• "no caps on" ... "no caps off" forces the words in between to lowercase.
• "no space" joins two words, and "no space on" ... "no space off" runs a series of words together. Apple notes that both are "not available for all languages".

Editing by voice

These save the most tapping, and they come with a catch. Apple says they're "available in U.S. English on iPhone 12 and later (except iPhone SE)".

• "change ... to ..." replaces text, as in "change Tuesday to Thursday".
• "insert ... before ..." and "insert ... after ..." add new words next to existing ones.
• "select ..." selects a phrase, and "delete ..." deletes it.
• "delete all" deletes all the text.
• "undo" and "redo" reverse or repeat the last command.

Emoji, spelling and stopping

• Emoji: in some languages you can say an emoji's name followed by "emoji", such as "heart emoji", "car emoji" or "fingers crossed emoji".
• Spelling a name: say the word and then its letters, as in Apple's example "Let's invite Steven S-T-E-P-H-E-N".
• Fixing a spelling: say something like "change tea to T-E-E".
• Stopping: tap the Dictate button, say "stop dictation", or stay silent for 30 seconds and it stops by itself.

For capitals in more detail, see our guide to dictating capital letters. For emoji, there's a separate post on dictating emoji.

What the iPhone list doesn't include

If you've used dictation on a Mac, the iPhone list looks short, and it is. Apple's Mac command list adds an apostrophe, hyphen, dash and ellipsis, symbols such as "at sign", "ampersand" and "percent sign", "tab key", "numeral", and several currency signs. None of those appear on the iPhone page. Apple doesn't say whether they work on iPhone anyway, so treat them as something to try rather than something to rely on. Our full list of Mac dictation commands covers the longer set.

Two other gaps matter more day to day. Outside U.S. English, or on an older iPhone or an iPhone SE, there's no voice editing at all, so a wrong word has to be fixed by tapping. And because dictation uses the language of whichever keyboard is active, a command you know in English may not work while a Spanish or French keyboard is up.

Why a command types as a word instead

Apple doesn't explain how dictation decides between a command and an ordinary word. These are the patterns worth checking.

1. The command isn't on the iPhone list

"Dash", "hyphen", "apostrophe" and "at sign" are on Apple's Mac list, not its iPhone list. If you get the word instead of the mark, the likely reason is that the command isn't one Apple documents for iPhone, not your accent or your microphone.

2. The editing commands aren't available to you

On a phone dictating in British English, or on an iPhone 11 or an iPhone SE, Apple doesn't offer the editing commands at all. Apple doesn't say what happens if you say "delete" or "change ... to ..." anyway, so expect the words to be typed rather than acted on.

3. The wrong keyboard language is active

Apple ties dictation to the active keyboard: "When you use a keyboard for another language, you can use Dictation in that language as well." With a second keyboard installed, it's easy to start dictating on the wrong one. Our post on dictation that only types in English walks through the switch.

4. The sentence makes the word sound like a noun

"The trial period ends Friday period" asks dictation to treat the same word two ways in one breath. It sometimes guesses wrong. We go deeper on that one in why dictation types the word period.

How to fix commands that don't work on iPhone

Work down this list in order, starting with the quick checks.

1. Check the command against Apple's iPhone list. If it's only on the Mac list, rephrase or type that one mark.
2. Check which keyboard is active. To switch, touch and hold the Emoji button or the Switch Keyboard key and tap the keyboard you want, then tap the Dictate button.
3. Make sure Dictation is on: Settings > General > Keyboard > Enable Dictation. If a prompt appears, tap Enable Dictation. If it's already on and misbehaving, turn it off and on again.
4. Decide who handles punctuation: Settings > General > Keyboard > Auto-Punctuation. With it on, let dictation place commas, periods and question marks, and only say the marks it misses. With it off, you say every mark yourself, which some people find more predictable.
5. Say the command right after the last word, without a long pause. Apple doesn't document timing, but "See you at noon period" in one breath is worth trying if a command on its own after a pause keeps coming out as a word.
6. Use Apple's exact wording for edits. Say "delete" or "select" followed by the exact phrase on screen, or "change ... to ...". If you're not on U.S. English or a supported iPhone, edit by tapping instead. Our guide to editing dictated text shows the quickest ways.
7. Update iOS: Settings > General > Software Update. Apple adds and changes dictation features between versions, and the list above reflects iOS 27.

The real limitation

Even with every setting right, Apple's dictation asks you to do two jobs at once: say what you mean, and narrate the punctuation and layout around it. Saying "comma" mid-thought breaks your flow, and the editing commands that would help most are limited to one language and newer iPhones. If you mostly write short messages, that's fine. If you dictate long emails or notes, the commands start to feel like a second language you have to speak while thinking in the first.

Where Voice Keyboard Pro fits

Voice Keyboard Pro is a full iPhone keyboard with the microphone built in. You tap Speak, talk, and tap Stop, and the text goes into whatever app you're typing in, as long as that app allows third-party keyboards. It cleans up as it goes, adding punctuation and fixing grammar, so you don't have to narrate every comma. When you do want control, "new line", "comma", "full stop" and numbered lists work as spoken formatting. If a word comes out wrong, you can speak a change to fix what you just dictated, or undo it.

It doesn't copy Apple's command set: "caps on", "no space" and the emoji commands aren't among its spoken controls, so if you rely on those, keep Apple's dictation for them. You add it once in Settings and turn on Allow Full Access, which our Full Access guide explains. Because iOS doesn't let keyboards use the microphone directly, tapping Speak briefly opens the Voice Keyboard Pro app to start a listening session when none is running, and then you're back in your app.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use dictation commands in any language on iPhone?

Dictation follows the language of your active keyboard, so try commands in that language. Emoji commands and automatic punctuation are only in some languages, and voice editing is U.S. English only. Apple's feature availability page lists which languages get what, and our list of iPhone dictation languages sums it up.

How do I delete a word with iPhone dictation?

In U.S. English on iPhone 12 or later (not iPhone SE), say "delete" followed by the word or phrase, or "undo" to reverse your last change. In other languages and on other models, Apple lists no voice command for it, so tap to place the cursor and use the delete key. Our guide to correcting dictation mistakes has more ways.

How do I make iPhone dictation stop?

Tap the Dictate button, say "stop dictation", or stay quiet. Apple says dictation stops on its own after 30 seconds of silence.

Is there an apostrophe or hyphen command on iPhone?

Not on Apple's iPhone list, though both are on the Mac list. Apple doesn't say whether the Mac commands work on iPhone, so if saying one gives you the word, type the mark instead.

Can I turn off automatic punctuation?

Yes. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard and turn off Auto-Punctuation. After that, you say the marks you want out loud. If punctuation is missing even with it on, see iPhone dictation not adding punctuation.

The bottom line

iPhone dictation knows a short, fixed set of commands: a dozen punctuation marks, line breaks, three kinds of capitals, spacing, emoji by name, and, in U.S. English on newer iPhones, voice editing. When a command types as a word, check whether it's on the iPhone list, whether the right keyboard language is active, and whether the editing commands are available to you. Then let Auto-Punctuation do the routine marks, and keep the list above handy for the rest.