Spoken punctuation and commands
To dictate a question mark in YapToText, say question mark at the end of the sentence and the mark is typed in place of the words. Every punctuation name with two or more words works the same way: exclamation point, new line, new paragraph, dot dot dot, open paren. Single-word names like period, comma, and colon need the word insert in front of them by default, so you say insert comma.
Most sentences do not need any of this. The speech model adds basic punctuation on its own, and cleanup fixes the rest. Spoken names are for the mark it cannot guess, and for anything you want typed exactly where you said it.
The punctuation names built in
YapToText ships with 45 punctuation commands. Many have more than one name, and any of them works.
- Sentence marks: period or full stop, comma, question mark, exclamation point (also exclamation mark, exclamation, or bang), colon, semicolon, ellipsis or dot dot dot, and hyphen (also dash or minus sign).
- Pairs: open paren and close paren, open bracket and close bracket, open brace and close brace, quote (also double quote or quotation mark), and apostrophe or single quote. Left and right also work.
- Symbols: slash, backslash, ampersand, at sign, hashtag (also hash sign, pound sign, or number sign), percent sign, asterisk, plus sign, equals sign, dollar sign, euro sign, sterling sign, cent sign, bullet point, degree sign, caret symbol, tilde, underscore, pipe symbol, less than sign, greater than sign, and the copyright, registered, trademark, section, and paragraph signs.
- Layout: new line or line break for one line break, new paragraph for two, and tab key for a tab.
When you need to say insert first
By default the setting Require the word “insert” before a command is on. It exists so ordinary speech never turns into a symbol by accident: "that period of time" and "a dash of salt" stay words. With it on, a single-word name only fires after insert. Insert period types a period. Insert dash types a hyphen.
Names of two or more words are exempt, because nobody says "exclamation point" or "question mark" in prose except to dictate the symbol. Say those bare, with no insert. That covers full stop, new line, dot dot dot, at sign, and every other multi-word name above.
Emoji and snippets are not exempt. With the prefix on you say insert smiley face and insert phone number.
You can turn the prefix off on the Commands page. Then every name fires bare. Matching is whole words only and ignores case, so "periodic" never becomes a period.
How the mark lands in your text
Since 1.4, spoken punctuation follows the usual dictation convention. Saying is it working now, question mark gives "is it working now?" The comma the recognizer tends to put before the name is removed, and so is a period it adds right after.
A multi-word punctuation name in the middle of a sentence, followed by a lowercase word, stays as words. "It put a question mark in the middle" is typed exactly like that. The name becomes the mark only at the end of a clause. Single-word names said after insert fire wherever you say them.
- Marks that attach swallow the space before them: really question mark becomes "really?"
- Symbols that lead a word glue to it: hashtag vibes becomes #vibes (with the prefix on, insert hashtag vibes), and dollar sign 50 becomes $50. Because multi-word names only fire at the end of a clause, at sign or open paren followed by a lowercase word stays as words. Followed by a capital letter or a number, it fires and glues to what comes next.
- Dot dot dot absorbs extra dots, so hearing five of them still gives one ellipsis.
Punctuation is resolved before AI cleanup, so the cleanup model sees the finished mark instead of the words. Emoji and snippets are applied after cleanup, so a rewrite cannot drop or reflow them. Both work in every mode, Raw Transcription included.
Snippets: your phone number, the date, and the clipboard
A snippet pastes a whole block of text: an address, a sign-off, a link. The Snippets tab on the Commands page offers five starters: Phone number, Work email, Personal email, Home address, and Website. Pick one, fill in your real value, and insert phone number types the actual number.
Five snippets ship ready to use:
- today's date types today's date.
- current time or the time right now types the current time.
- paste my clipboard types whatever text is on your clipboard.
- shrug face types the shrug made of keyboard characters.
- my email signature types "Best," and a line break. Change it to your own sign-off.
Snippets are not exempt from the prefix, so with it on you say insert today's date and insert shrug face.
Three live tokens work in the Inserts box of any command: {date}, {time}, and {clipboard}. They are filled in at the moment you dictate.
Emoji by voice
158 emoji have spoken names out of the box. Almost all end in the word emoji: fire emoji, heart emoji, laughing emoji, thinking emoji, party emoji, rocket emoji, check mark emoji, skull emoji. A few have shorter names too: smiley face, thumbs up, thumbs down. With the insert prefix on, it is insert fire emoji.
Changing the names on the Commands page
The Commands page has three tabs: Snippets, Punctuation, and Emoji. Each row lists the phrases you say, what it inserts, and an On switch. Edit any phrase to whatever feels natural. Add a command, delete one, or use Restore Defaults to reset just that tab without touching the other two. Export All and Import move the whole set as a file. The master switch, Enable voice commands, turns the feature off entirely. When two phrases overlap, the longer one wins, so exclamation point is never cut short by exclamation.
If a name does not fire the way this page says, open an issue at github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText/issues with the exact words you said and what was typed.
Questions
How do I dictate a question mark on a Mac?
With YapToText, say "question mark" at the end of the sentence. The words are replaced by the mark, and a comma the recognizer put before the words is removed with them.
Do I have to say "insert" before every punctuation mark?
Only before single-word names like period, comma, or dash, and only while the setting Require the word “insert” before a command is on. Names of two or more words, like question mark or new paragraph, never need it. Turn the setting off on the Commands page and nothing needs it.
Why did "period" come out as the word instead of a dot?
Period is a single word, so with the insert prefix on you say "insert period". A multi-word name followed by a lowercase word also stays as words on purpose, because that reads as talking about the mark rather than dictating it.
How do I start a new line or a new paragraph by voice?
Say "new line" for one line break or "new paragraph" for two. Neither needs the insert prefix. "Tab key" types a tab.
Can it type my phone number or email address when I say a phrase?
Yes. On the Snippets tab of the Commands page, pick the Phone number suggestion, fill in your real number, and "insert phone number" types it. Any phrase can insert any text, and the {date}, {time}, and {clipboard} tokens are filled in when you dictate.