The complete list of Dragon voice commands
Philips SpeechLive now offers seamless integration with Nuance Dragon Professional Anywhere speech recognition software. By combining these two industry-leading solutions, users can experience major benefits for dictation and transcription.
However, as with all speech recognition software, ease of use and functionality is key. Users should be able to use many features when creating documents with common voice commands. In this article, we’ll explore a Dragon dictation commands list that can help you work faster and more efficiently.
How to use command modes in Dragon Dictate software
When using speech recognition in Dragon Professional Anywhere, there are some basic commands to help with dictation and editing. For example:
Add lines and spaces
- New line "\n" (adds a new line)
- New paragraph "¶" (adds a new paragraph)
- Space "␣" (inserts a space before or after a word or character)
- Press Enter "↵ Enter" (adds a carriage return)
Punctuation
- Period (inserts a space)
- Comma (inserts a “,”)
- Question mark (inserts a “?”)
- Exclamation mark (inserts an “!”)
Format
- Underline ( _ )
- Capitalize
- All caps on | off "⇪" or "Caps Lock"
- Quote that (" ")
- Bracket that [ ]
Copy and paste
- Cut | Copy that
- Paste that
Dragon Professional Anywhere offers even more features. You can navigate your document using just your voice, and even make corrections, create auto-texts and automate keystrokes.
Navigation commands
Dragon recognizes a long list of commands to help you navigate whilst dictating and make corrections. One of the most popular is the Insert Before or Insert After command. SayingInsert Before/After<WORD/PHRASE> or Insert Before/After <TEXT> will invoke the command.
Other frequently used navigation commands include:
| Command | What it Does |
|---|---|
| Go to end of paragraph | Moves the cursor to the end of the current paragraph |
| Go to end of sentence | Moves the cursor to the end of the current sentence |
| Next field | Moves the cursor to the next variable field [ ] in the template |
| Previous field | Moves the cursor to the previous variable field [ ] in the template |
| First field | Moves the cursor to first variable field [ ] in the template |
| Last field | Moves the cursor to last variable field [ ] in the template |
| Accept defaults | Keeps any default values in variable fields and removes any remaining delimiters/brackets [ ] |
| Field complete | Keeps the default value in the current variable field and removes the delimiters/brackets [ ] |
| Next control | Navigates to the next variable field |
| Previous control | Navigates to the previous variable field |
Correcting text with voice commands
Voice commands can help to make dictation more efficient. When Dragon hears certain phrases, it can insert text or perform an action. You can use such commands to:
• Correct text (select <X through Y>……<NEW TEXT>)
• Insert text (Insert before <TEXT>……<NEW TEXT>)
• Change a word choice (select <TEXT>......<NEW TEXT>)
Here are some additional commands that you can use to correct text as you dictate. The select command is particularly useful, as it lets you highlight words or phrases and change them as you like.
| Command | What it Does |
|---|---|
| Select all | Selects all text recorded |
| Select this word | Selects the word where the cursor is located |
| Select next word | Selects next word to the right |
| Select previous word | Selects next word to the left |
| Select first word | Selects the first word of the recorded text |
| Select last word | Selects the last word of the recorded text |
| Select <TEXT> | Selects the specified text |
| Select <TEXT> to <TEXT> | Selects the specified range of text |
| Select first paragraph | Selects the paragraph at the beginning of the dictation |
| Select first sentence | Selects the sentence at the beginning of your dictation |
| Select last paragraph | Selects the paragraph at the end of the dictation |
| Select last sentence | Selects the sentence at the end of the dictation |
| Select previous paragraph | Selects the previous paragraph |
| Select previous sentence | Selects the previous sentence |
| Deselect that | Cancels the selection |
| Scratch that / delete that | Deletes last bit of recorded text |
| Scratch word / delete word | Deletes the word next to the cursor |
| Resume with <TEXT> | Goes to a specific text position and deletes everything recorded after that |
| Go back | Returns the cursor to its position prior to selection |
| Undo / undo that | Executes Ctrl + Z in the application |
| Redo / redo that | Executes Ctrl + Y in the application |
| Insert before <TEXT> | Inserts the cursor before the specified text |
| Insert after <TEXT> | Inserts the cursor after the specified text |
| Do not recognize that word | Deletes the word from the vocabulary |
| All caps that | Formats the selected text or the last thing spoken as capital letters |
| Cap that | Capitalizes the first letter of each selected word or all words last spoken |
Auto-text: creating and using templates
If you have a block of text you use often, such as a signature template, you can create auto-text. The Dragon dictation software will then insert it automatically when you give a voice command.
Source: Nuance
Creating an auto-text
You can create a template that will enable you to insert your frequently used text block in just a few short steps.
Select the text and use the command 'Make an auto-text'. This helps you quickly create auto-texts from your standard dictation. Once you create the auto-text, you just need to say a command and the system will insert the text.
You should use an easy-to-remember name for your auto-text. This will help you while you dictate your notes.
You should also consider using a trigger word to help Dragon understand when you want to insert an auto-text. For example:
- “Insert signature”, rather than just “signature”
- “Insert assessment template”, rather than just “assessment template”
In addition, you can use delimiters/brackets [ ] to insert variable fields within a block of standard text. Using the command "accept defaults" will remove the extra brackets from variable fields after you finish updating a note.
Step-by-step commands – automating keystrokes
You can create custom commands to automate tasks you do often. This saves time by turning many keystrokes or text entries into one voice command.
When creating step-by-step commands, try saying "Manage Commands"(or "Manage step-by-step Commands") and then "Observe".
When the "Manage step-by-step commands" dialog opens:
1. Click +
2. Enter a Name for the command
3. Enter a Description (optional)
4. Enter a Spoken form (this is what you will say to call up the step-by-step command). The default spoken form is your command name.
5. Click New Step to add your first step
Examples of step types are listed below:
Open application (opens a specified application or switches focus if already open)
Wait (pauses between steps for a specified time in milliseconds — e.g. 500 ms)
Enter text (writes a short text block at the cursor position in the application; for longer text blocks, use auto-texts)
You can also use all the commands mentioned above in Dragon Legal Anywhere. These features are also available as an add-on to SpeechLive. Using Dragon dictation software, lawyers, solicitors, barristers and other legal professionals can benefit from powerful speech recognition features to easily create documents.
By mastering these voice commands, you can work easier — including basic formatting, navigation, and advanced features like auto-text and automation.
You're ready to go!
Book a demo of Dragon Professional Anywhere or Dragon Legal Anywhere with our experts.
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