Voice typing is powerful on its own, but voice commands take it to another level. Instead of switching between speaking and using the keyboard for basic text operations, you can handle everything with your voice — inserting punctuation, creating new paragraphs, correcting mistakes, and formatting text without ever touching a key.
Whether you are using Steno's built-in voice commands or macOS Voice Control, these 15 commands cover the actions you will use most often. Learn them, and you will rarely need to break your dictation flow to reach for the keyboard.
Punctuation and Formatting Commands
1. "New Line"
Inserts a line break, equivalent to pressing Return once. Use this when you want to start a new line without creating a full paragraph break. Perfect for lists, poetry, or addresses.
When to use it: "Dear hiring manager new line I am writing to express my interest in the position."
2. "New Paragraph"
Inserts two line breaks, creating a full paragraph separation. This is the command you will use most in long-form writing to create natural paragraph breaks between ideas.
When to use it: Any time you would hit Return twice while typing — between paragraphs, sections, or distinct thoughts.
3. "Period" / "Full Stop"
While Steno's Whisper engine automatically inserts periods based on your speech patterns, sometimes you want explicit control. Say "period" to force a period at the current position. This is useful when the automatic punctuation misses a sentence boundary.
4. "Comma"
Inserts a comma. Automatic punctuation handles most commas well, but for complex sentences with multiple clauses, speaking "comma" explicitly gives you precise control over the rhythm of your writing.
5. "Question Mark"
Forces a question mark at the end of a sentence. Rising intonation usually triggers this automatically, but rhetorical questions or flat-toned questions sometimes need the explicit command.
6. "Exclamation Mark" / "Exclamation Point"
Inserts an exclamation mark. Since excitement in speech does not always translate to punctuation in transcription, this command is useful when you want to convey emphasis in writing.
Text Editing Commands
7. "Select All"
Selects all text in the current field. Equivalent to Command+A. Useful when you want to replace everything you have dictated with a fresh start, or when you need to copy all your text.
8. "Undo That"
Undoes the last action — whether it was a dictated segment or a typed edit. This is your safety net. If Steno transcribes something incorrectly, say "undo that" to remove it and try again. Equivalent to Command+Z.
9. "Delete That"
Deletes the last dictated segment. Unlike "undo that," which reverses the last action of any type, "delete that" specifically targets the most recent block of dictated text. It is faster than selecting and deleting manually.
10. "Cap" / "Caps On" / "Caps Off"
Controls capitalization. Say "cap" before a word to capitalize just that word. Say "caps on" to start an all-caps section and "caps off" to return to normal. Useful for acronyms, headings, or emphasis.
Example: "Please send the report to caps on ACME Corp caps off by Friday."
Navigation and Control Commands
11. "Go to Beginning" / "Go to End"
Moves your cursor to the beginning or end of the current text field. Equivalent to Command+Up Arrow and Command+Down Arrow. Essential for making edits to earlier parts of a dictated passage without using the mouse.
12. "Tab Key"
Inserts a tab character or moves to the next field in a form. Particularly useful when filling out web forms by voice — dictate a field, say "tab key," dictate the next field, and so on without touching the keyboard.
13. "Press Enter" / "Press Return"
Simulates pressing the Enter/Return key. Unlike "new line" which inserts a line break in text, "press enter" triggers the action that Enter would perform in the current context — submitting a form, sending a message in Slack, or confirming a dialog.
Important distinction: In Slack, "press enter" sends the message. "New line" creates a line break within the message. Knowing this difference will save you from accidentally sending half-finished messages.
Steno-Specific Commands
14. "Scratch That"
A Steno-specific command that removes the last dictated segment and immediately puts you back in recording mode so you can re-dictate. This is the fastest way to correct a misheard phrase — instead of undo, re-position, and re-record, it is a single command.
15. "Smart Rewrite"
Steno's AI-powered rewrite command. After dictating text, say "smart rewrite" to have Steno clean up the text — fixing grammar, removing filler words, and tightening the prose while preserving your meaning. This is particularly powerful for email and professional writing where you want polished output from casual speech.
For the full list of Steno's voice commands including advanced formatting and navigation, see our complete voice commands reference.
Tips for Learning and Memorizing Commands
Fifteen commands might seem like a lot to memorize, but you do not need to learn them all at once. Here is a practical approach to building voice command fluency.
Start with Three
Pick the three commands you will use most often. For most people, these are: "new line," "new paragraph," and "undo that." Use only these three for your first week of voice typing. They cover 80% of what you need beyond basic dictation.
Add One Per Day
After the first week, add one new command each day. Practice it deliberately by using it at least five times during that day. By the end of week three, you will have all fifteen commands in muscle memory — or rather, speech memory.
Use Spaced Repetition
If you find yourself forgetting a command, that is a signal to use it more frequently for a few days. The commands that get used regularly stick naturally. The ones that fade are probably commands you do not need as often, and that is fine — you can always look them up when needed.
Create a Cheat Sheet
Keep a sticky note next to your monitor with the commands you are currently learning. After a week or two, you will stop looking at it, but having it visible during the learning phase reduces the friction of trying to recall a command mid-dictation.
Combining Commands with Dictation
The real power of voice commands emerges when you weave them naturally into your dictation flow. Here is what a polished voice typing session sounds like:
"Hi team new paragraph I wanted to share a quick update on the project timeline period We are currently on track for the March deadline comma but there are two risks I want to flag period new paragraph First comma the API integration is taking longer than expected period The vendor has not delivered the documentation we need period new paragraph Second comma we may need additional QA resources for the final sprint period new paragraph Let me know if you have questions period"
That entire email — four paragraphs, properly punctuated — was produced in about 20 seconds of speaking. Typing it would take well over a minute, even for a fast typist. The commands flow naturally between the words once you have practiced them.
When to Use Commands vs. Automatic Punctuation
Modern speech recognition engines like the one Steno uses are remarkably good at inserting punctuation automatically based on your speech patterns. So when should you rely on automatic punctuation, and when should you use explicit commands?
Trust automatic punctuation for: Periods at the end of clear sentences, commas in natural pauses, question marks when your voice rises, basic capitalization at sentence starts.
Use explicit commands for: Paragraph breaks (the engine cannot read your mind about paragraph structure), specific formatting requirements, unusual punctuation (semicolons, colons, dashes), and any situation where you want guaranteed control over the output.
The hybrid approach works best. Let automatic punctuation handle the routine work, and use explicit commands for structure and precision. Over time, you will develop an instinct for when to speak a command and when to let the engine handle it.
Beyond These 15: Exploring More Commands
These 15 commands are the foundation, but there are many more available depending on your needs. macOS Voice Control offers hundreds of system-level commands for navigating your Mac entirely by voice. Steno adds its own layer of dictation-specific commands on top. For the complete reference, visit our guides section or read the complete voice commands guide.
The goal is not to memorize every possible command. It is to build a core vocabulary of the commands that make your specific workflow faster, and to know where to look up the rest when you need them.