Spoken Punctuation
Say "comma" and get a comma. With this setting on, EmberType types only the punctuation you say and adds none of its own.
What It Does
By default, EmberType's speech model punctuates for you. It decides where sentences end, adds a period to everything, and capitalizes the first word. That suits most people. If you write in your own style, or you're used to Gboard or Dragon, it gets in the way.
Spoken punctuation only hands that control back to you. You say the punctuation, and nothing else is added.
If you don't say any punctuation, you get none: "is this working" is typed as is this working, with no question mark.
Needs EmberType 1.1 or later. To update, click the EmberType icon in the menu bar and choose Check for Updates.
Turn It On
-
Open EmberType
Click the menu bar icon and open the main window. -
Click AI Models in the sidebar
This is where your speech model (such as Parakeet) is chosen. -
Click the gear icon
It's at the right end of the row of model filters, at the top of the list. -
Switch on "Spoken punctuation only"
It takes effect on your next dictation. "Automatic text formatting" is greyed out while it's on, because you now control paragraphs with "new paragraph".
Switch it off the same way to go back to automatic punctuation.
What to Say
Say each command as part of the sentence. You don't need to pause before or after it.
| Say | Types |
|---|---|
| comma | , |
| period or full stop | . |
| question mark | ? |
| exclamation point or exclamation mark | ! |
| colon | : |
| semicolon | ; |
| open paren … close paren (or "parenthesis") | ( … ) |
| open quote … close quote | " … " |
| open single quote … close single quote | ' … ' |
| hyphen | - (no spaces: well-known) |
| em dash | — |
| ellipsis | ... |
| greater than sign · less than sign | > < |
| new line | a line break |
| new paragraph | a blank line |
Typing the word instead of the symbol
Say "literal" first. "the trial literal period lasts a week" types the trial period lasts a week.
"Greater than" on its own stays as words, so "costs greater than expected" is safe. Only "greater than sign" becomes >.
Capital letters
- The word after a spoken period, question mark, exclamation point, new line or new paragraph is capitalized.
- Names, places, "I" and acronyms keep their capitals wherever they fall.
- The first word of a dictation is capitalized only if the cursor is at the start of the text or right after the end of a sentence (see below).
Adding Words to the Middle of a Sentence
EmberType looks at the text around your cursor before it types. If you click into the middle of a sentence and dictate "short", you get Take this short sentence, not Take this Short. sentence. It also adds or skips the spaces on either side so the words don't run together.
From 1.1 this works in normal mode as well: when the cursor is mid-sentence, EmberType drops the capital letter and the final period from what you dictate.
Some apps hide their text. Many web apps and some Electron apps (in Chrome, Slack or Discord, for example) don't let other apps read around the cursor. In those, EmberType can't tell where you are. With Spoken Punctuation on, the first word then stays lowercase. With it off, you get the usual automatic punctuation.
How It Works With Other Settings
- Speech models: works with every model. With Parakeet, EmberType also catches the moments when the model turns a spoken "comma" into
,on its own, so your commas aren't lost. - AI Enhancement: runs after spoken punctuation and may add its own punctuation back. If you want only your own punctuation, leave AI Enhancement off, or use a prompt that tells it not to change punctuation.
- Dictionary: word replacements still apply. They are handy if the model keeps mishearing a command (for example, "Colin" for "colon").
- Transcribe Audio and System Audio: not affected. Recordings and meetings still get automatic punctuation.
- Language: the commands are English.
Troubleshooting
It typed the word "comma" instead of a comma
The setting is off, or you're on a version before 1.1. Check AI Models → gear icon, and update via Check for Updates in the menu bar.
Punctuation I didn't say still appears
AI Enhancement is probably on and punctuating the text again. Turn it off in Enhancement, or adjust your prompt.
A command keeps coming out as the wrong word
Speak it clearly as its own word. If the model keeps hearing it wrong, add a Dictionary replacement from the misheard word to the command (for example "Colin" → "colon").
The first word is lowercase when I start a new document
The app you're typing in doesn't let EmberType read around the cursor (common in web apps). Fix that one capital by hand. Everything after a spoken period is capitalized as usual.