MacMost: Dictation

A new mode in iOS 16 and macOS Ventura lets you spell out words and other phrases letter by letter.

Here are 10 features of macOS that will save you time if you use them. Learn how to use keyboard shortcuts, Hot Corners, autocomplete, dictation, Recents and more.

If you want to try something other than the two dictation functions in macOS, there are at least three other ways to dictate text with your Mac. If you are a Microsoft subscriber, you can use Word's built-in dictation function. Google Docs also has a built-in method if you are using Chrome as your browser. There is also another website you can use to dictate text.

You can do more with dictation than just typing. You can also indicate when you want text to be bold, italics, or underlined. Some people have trouble because they try to include the command with the text they are typing, but it is important to wait between typing and issuing commands. In Pages you can even access everything in the Format sidebar using dictation commands.

You can do more with Mac dictation than just typing text. You can use commands to control your Mac. You can select menu items, interface buttons and move between fields in the interface. In this example, I'll start, address, compose and send an email message without even touching the keyboard or mouse.

The ability to dictate text instead of typing is built in to macOS. But in order to use dictation effectively, you should know how to use some basic commands for moving the cursor, selecting text, replacing text, and correcting mistakes. You can also use dictation commands to access toolbar and menu bar commands for more advanced changes.