macOS dictation does not just type the words you say — it also listens for spoken commands that insert punctuation, break lines, add symbols, and control capitalization. The trouble is that Apple does not put the full list in one obvious place, so most people memorize "period" and "new line" and give up on the rest. Here is the organized reference, grouped by what you are actually trying to do, plus an honest note at the end about when saying "comma" out loud starts working against you.
To use any of these, turn on dictation (System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation), start dictating in any text field, and simply say the command where you want it to take effect. Say the phrase, do not spell it.
Punctuation
| Say this | You get |
|---|---|
| "period" or "full stop" | . |
| "comma" | , |
| "question mark" | ? |
| "exclamation point" / "exclamation mark" | ! |
| "colon" | : |
| "semicolon" | ; |
| "apostrophe" | ' |
| "hyphen" | - |
| "dash" | – |
| "em dash" | — |
| "ellipsis" / "dot dot dot" | … |
Quotes, brackets, and enclosures
| Say this | You get |
|---|---|
| "open quote" … "close quote" | " … " |
| "open single quote" … "close single quote" | ' … ' |
| "open parenthesis" … "close parenthesis" | ( … ) |
| "open bracket" … "close bracket" | [ … ] |
| "open brace" … "close brace" | { … } |
New lines and spacing
| Say this | What it does |
|---|---|
| "new line" | Moves to the next line (like pressing Return once) |
| "new paragraph" | Inserts a blank line and starts a new paragraph |
| "tab key" | Inserts a tab |
| "no space" | Prevents a space between the surrounding words |
Capitalization
| Say this | What it does |
|---|---|
| "caps on" … "caps off" | Capitalizes The First Letter Of Each Word in the range |
| "all caps" (before a word) | Makes the NEXT word uppercase |
| "all caps on" … "all caps off" | TYPES EVERYTHING IN UPPERCASE in the range |
| "no caps" (before a word) | Forces the next word lowercase |
Symbols and currency
| Say this | You get |
|---|---|
| "at sign" | @ |
| "percent sign" | % |
| "ampersand" | & |
| "asterisk" | * |
| "pound sterling sign" / "dollar sign" / "euro sign" | £ / $ / € |
| "degree sign" | ° |
| "copyright sign" / "registered sign" | © / ® |
You can also insert emoji by name, for example "smiley face," "frowny face," or "winky face."
A few tips that save frustration
- Commands are literal. If you actually want the word "period," you may have to work around it, since dictation assumes you mean the punctuation.
- Say it in the flow. Commands work best spoken at natural speed as part of the sentence, not paused before like a separate instruction.
- Availability varies by language. Some commands only exist for certain dictation languages, and behavior can shift slightly between macOS versions.
When the commands start getting in the way
Here is the honest catch: reciting punctuation out loud breaks the one thing dictation is supposed to give you — flow. Saying "I'll call you tomorrow comma but text me first period new paragraph" is slower and more distracting than it sounds, and every command you forget lands as a literal word you then have to fix. For short bursts, built-in commands are fine. For real writing, constantly narrating punctuation is a tax.
That is the problem Voice Keyboard Pro is built around. Instead of making you dictate every comma, it adds the natural punctuation for you from the way you speak, so you can just talk. It is a native Mac app with a hold-to-speak control: press a key, say your sentence normally, release, and cleanly punctuated text appears at your cursor in about a second — in any app. There is a Minimal mode when you want your exact wording preserved, and a custom vocabulary for names and terms macOS tends to mangle. If narrating "open quote … close quote" has worn thin, it is worth trying at voicekeyboardpro.com. The same thing works on iPhone through the companion keyboard.
Built-in dictation commands are a fine backup. But if you find yourself reciting punctuation, the tool is making you do work it should be doing for you.