Dictate Notes on iPhone: Punctuation Commands and a Cleanup Pass for Plain Text

To dictate notes on iPhone, say the name of each punctuation mark, say "new paragraph" where you want a blank line, and plan on a short cleanup pass afterwards. The transcript is a rough draft. The cleanup pass is what turns it into a note you can keep as Markdown.

If you already keep a plain-text inbox on your iPhone, dictation is the same inbox with your voice instead of your thumbs. Below you'll find the setup, the commands worth memorizing, what automatic punctuation does, and the edit pass.

Quick answer

Turn on Dictation, tap the dictation key, speak, and say punctuation as words: "period", "comma", "question mark". Say "new paragraph" for a paragraph break. Then read the result once and fix names, add structure, and save.

Turn dictation on and know how it stops

The setup is short. Open Settings, tap General, tap Keyboard, and turn on Enable Dictation. In any text field, tap where you want to start, then tap the dictation key on the keyboard. According to Apple's Dictate text guide, you can dictate anywhere you can type, and the keyboard stays open, so you can switch between voice and touch mid-sentence.

Dictation ends in one of three ways: tap the key again, say "Stop dictation", or stay silent for 30 seconds. Apple also notes that dictation is processed on the iPhone in many languages, with no internet connection needed, though it may not be available in every language or region.

Spoken punctuation and formatting commands

Apple's list of dictation commands covers more than most people use. These are the ones that matter for notes:

Punctuation

Say the mark's name: period, comma, exclamation point, question mark, colon, semicolon, open parenthesis, close parenthesis, quote, end quote, dollar sign, and hashtag. A spoken sentence looks like this:

Call the vendor comma then confirm the date colon open parenthesis Friday close parenthesis period

and arrives as Call the vendor, then confirm the date: (Friday).

Lines and paragraphs

"New line" starts a new line. "New paragraph" starts a new paragraph. In Markdown, a paragraph is one or more lines separated by blank lines, so "new paragraph" is the one you want between ideas. Use "new line" for list-like lines you plan to turn into bullets.

Capitalization and spacing

"Cap" capitalizes the next word. "All caps" uppercases the next word. "No caps on … no caps off" lowercases everything between, which helps with file names and identifiers. "No space" removes the space between two words, but Apple says it isn't available for all languages.

Spelling out hard words

For names and terms the recognizer gets wrong, spell them: Apple's example is "Let's invite Steven S-T-E-P-H-E-N." You can also correct after the fact with something like "Change tea to T-E-E."

Automatic punctuation: help or hindrance

In supported languages, Dictation inserts commas, periods, and question marks on its own. If you prefer to control every mark, turn it off in Settings > General > Keyboard > Auto-Punctuation. A reasonable split: leave it on for prose notes, and say the marks yourself when you dictate anything with colons, parentheses, or quotes, since those aren't added automatically.

Apple says that on iOS 27 with Apple Intelligence, an on-device model improves spelling, punctuation, and capitalization, but only in English and only on iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, or later. On any other device, expect to fix more yourself.

Accuracy drops on proper nouns, product names, acronyms, and anything code-like. Those are the first things to check.

Run a cleanup pass

Do the pass right after dictating, while you still remember what you meant. Two minutes is enough if you work in this order:

1. Fix the facts. Names, numbers, dates, and technical terms first. These are the errors that change meaning.
2. Split paragraphs. Make sure each idea sits between blank lines.
3. Add structure. Turn the first line into a heading and list-like lines into bullets.
4. Delete filler. Cut false starts and repeated words.

Here is a transcript and its cleaned version:

standup notes new line decided to move the release to Thursday new line open question colon who owns the changelog

## Standup notes

- Decided to move the release to Thursday.
- Open question: who owns the changelog?

Markdown headings use leading hash characters, and a hard line break takes two trailing spaces, so most of the work is typing a few symbols. Apple's voice editing commands (change, insert before or after, select, delete, undo, redo) are only available in U.S. English on iPhone 12 and later, excluding iPhone SE. On any other model, edit by hand. Once the note is tidy, it can join the rest of your capture-and-organize routine.

Doing this with Carets

Carets is a fast, native notes and code editor for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Dictation is an iOS keyboard feature, so you use it the same way in any text field. What Carets adds is the place the transcript lands and the cleanup that follows.

• Markdown and plain text in one editor. Add headings, bullets, and fenced blocks to a transcript without leaving the file.
• Files, projects, and tags. File the cleaned note into a project and tag it, instead of leaving it in a pile.
• Native on iOS and Mac. Your files stay plain text, so a note dictated on the phone is the same file you sync to your Mac.

Download Carets on the App Store and try your next dictated note there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I dictate Markdown symbols like # or - on iPhone?

Apple lists a hashtag command, so you can say it to get #. It doesn't list commands for list dashes or backticks. Dictate the words, then add the Markdown markers in the cleanup pass.

How do I stop iPhone dictation from adding punctuation by itself?

In supported languages, Dictation inserts commas, periods, and question marks automatically. Turn that off in Settings > General > Keyboard > Auto-Punctuation.

Does iPhone dictation work offline?

Apple says dictation is processed on the iPhone in many languages and needs no internet connection. It may not be available in every language or region, and dictating into a search field can send text to the search engine.

Why don't the "change … to …" and "select" commands work for me?

Apple says the editing commands are available in U.S. English on iPhone 12 and later, except iPhone SE.