Dictation commands: how to say punctuation and new lines

When you dictate, you can say punctuation and formatting out loud. "Comma", "period", "question mark", "new line" and "new paragraph" work on iPhone, Mac, Windows and Android. Most systems now also add basic punctuation by themselves, so you need the commands mainly for line breaks, symbols and capitals.

The commands that work almost everywhere

Say	You get
"period"	.
"comma"	,
"question mark"	?
"exclamation point"	!
"new line"	a line break
"new paragraph"	a new paragraph

If one of these is typed out as a word, the language you are dictating in may not support spoken punctuation, or the system expects a slightly different phrase. The sections below give each maker's own list.

iPhone and iPad

Apple's command list for dictation on iPhone:

Punctuation: period, comma, exclamation point, question mark, colon, semicolon, quote, end quote, open parenthesis, close parenthesis, dollar sign, hashtag.
Line breaks: new line, new paragraph.
Capitals: "cap" before a word capitalizes it. "Caps on" and "caps off" capitalize the first letter of each word in between. "All caps" writes the next word in capitals, with "all caps on" and "all caps off" for a stretch of text. "No caps on" and "no caps off" force lower case.
Spacing: "no space", "no space on", "no space off".
Emoji: say the name followed by "emoji", such as "heart emoji".

Automatic punctuation is on in supported languages. Switch it under Settings > General > Keyboard > Auto-Punctuation.

Editing commands such as "select", "delete", "undo" and "change X to Y" are listed by Apple as available in U.S. English on iPhone 12 and later, except iPhone SE.

Mac

The Mac understands the same core commands: comma, period, question mark, exclamation point, colon, semicolon, new line, new paragraph, plus capitals, "no space" and emoji by name. Automatic punctuation is on in supported languages and can be switched off under System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation > Auto-punctuation.

Windows 11

In voice typing (Windows key + H), for punctuation without saying it, click the gear icon in the voice typing box and turn on Automatic punctuation.

Windows also has commands that act on the text and the session, including "delete that", "select that", "stop dictation", "pause voice typing" and "press enter". The available commands depend on the language; Microsoft's help page lists them per language.

Android (Gboard)

Gboard understands "period", "comma", "question mark", "exclamation point", "new line" and "new paragraph". Google notes that these do not work in every language.

On Pixel 6 and later, advanced voice typing adds automatic punctuation, emoji by name, and the commands "Send", "Clear", "Clear all", "Delete last word", "Next" and "Stop".

Google Docs

Voice typing in Google Docs has a large set of commands for selecting, formatting and editing text. Those voice commands are available in English only, and only when both the account language and the document language are English.

Dictating in two languages

Commands are spoken in the language you are dictating in. In French, for example, Apple's list has « virgule », « point », « point d'interrogation » and « nouveau paragraphe ». If you switch dictation language, switch your command words too.

Tips for dictating punctuation

Pause briefly before a command. "Thanks comma John" spoken in one breath is more likely to be typed out literally.
Let the system handle sentences. With automatic punctuation on, say only what it cannot guess: new paragraphs, colons, quotes.
Fix capitals afterwards. Capital commands are the least consistent between systems. For a name or two, the keyboard is faster.
Use the same five commands every day. They become automatic within a week, and they cover most writing.

Frequently asked questions

How do I start a new line when dictating?

Say "new line" for a line break or "new paragraph" for a new paragraph. This works on iPhone, Mac and Android, and Windows voice typing has a "press enter" command.

How do I make dictation add punctuation automatically?

On iPhone: Settings > General > Keyboard > Auto-Punctuation. On Mac: System Settings > Keyboard > Dictation > Auto-punctuation. On Windows: the gear icon in the voice typing box. On Pixel phones: advanced voice typing in Gboard settings.

Why does dictation type the word "comma"?

Either spoken punctuation is not supported in the language you are dictating in, or the command ran together with the surrounding words. Pause slightly before and after it.

Can I edit text by voice?

Partly. Apple lists editing commands for U.S. English on recent iPhones. Windows has "delete that" and "select that". Google Docs has editing commands in English. For anything precise, the keyboard is still quicker.

Sources

Last checked November 9, 2026