Learn · dictation basics
How to dictate a letter on a Mac
A letter is a good first thing to dictate, because you already know what you want to say. The catch: you have to speak most of the punctuation out loud, and every line break. This guide walks through a complete letter in Pages, Word, or Mail, and ends with the part nobody warns you about: making it read like writing instead of talking.
Works in Pages, Word, and Mail · No extra software for steps 1–5 · Updated July 2026
The letter, and what you say to get it
Greeting
Dear Margaret,
You say: “Dear Margaret comma new line new line”
Body
Thank you for the birthday card. It arrived on Tuesday, right on time.
You say: “Thank you for the birthday card period it arrived on Tuesday comma right on time period”
Sign-off
Yours sincerely,
Alice
You say: “new paragraph yours sincerely comma new line Alice”
Dictate a letter in five steps
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Put the cursor where the letter goes
Open Pages and start a blank document, or open Mail and click into the body of a new message. Word works the same way. Dictation types at the cursor, wherever the cursor happens to be, so click into the document first. This sounds obvious. It is also how letters end up typed into the search box.
Works in
Pages
Word
Mail
…anywhere you can type -
Start dictation
Press the dictation shortcut. On newer Apple keyboards that is the microphone key; on others the default is pressing fn twice. You can see or change the shortcut under System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation. A small microphone appears near your cursor, which means the Mac is listening. Never turned it on before? Our guide to dictating on a Mac covers the one-time setup.
The shortcut
fn fn
Press twice, quickly. Yours may differ, so check System Settings.
-
Say the greeting, punctuation and all
Start with the line you would write first, and speak its punctuation as words. The blank line before the body only happens because you asked for it, and saying the comma beats hoping the Mac guesses it.
You say
“Dear Mr. Alvarez comma new line new line” -
Speak the body one sentence at a time
Decide the whole sentence in your head, then say it in one go and finish with “period”. Pausing halfway to pick a word is how letters end up reading like a transcript of someone thinking. Short sentences survive dictation better than long ones, and they read better in a letter anyway.
For a formal letter, lean on the stock phrases you already know: “I am writing to ask about…”, “Thank you for your letter of June 12”, “Please let me know if…”. They are stock for a reason: they come out of your mouth cleanly.
You say
“I am writing to ask about the March invoice period” -
Sign off, stop, and read it back
Say “new paragraph yours sincerely comma new line” and then your name. Convention, if you want it: “Yours sincerely” when you know the person’s name, “Yours faithfully” when you don’t, “Best regards” for email. Press the shortcut again to stop listening.
Then read the whole letter back before it goes anywhere. Dictation mistakes are usually real words in the wrong place, such as “their” for “there” or a mangled surname, so spellcheck sees nothing wrong with them.
You say
“new paragraph yours sincerely comma new line Alice Chen”
Make it read like writing, not talking
Read a dictated letter back and you can hear the talking in it. Everything is technically correct, and it still sounds spoken. That is the real gap between speech and writing, and in a letter it shows, because a letter gets read slowly.
This is what the polish step in Dictate ($8/month, one plan) is for. You hold a key and talk normally; no spoken commas, the punctuation is automatic. Turn polish on and it also tidies the rambling into clean prose before the text lands at your cursor. For a quick chat message that barely matters. For a letter, it is the difference between sending it and rewriting it.
What you said
“um so dear Karen thanks so much for the wedding photos they came out really nice and we got the one of the cake printed and framed love Alice”
What lands
Dear Karen,
Thank you so much for the wedding photos. They came out beautifully.
We’ve had the one of the cake printed and framed.
With love,
Alice
Polish is optional, per recording. Leave it off and you get a plain transcript with punctuation, exactly as spoken. Either way your audio is sent over an encrypted connection, transcribed, then discarded; history keeps the text, never the recording.
Letters, dictated
Common questions
Common setup and formatting questions.
Do I have to say the punctuation out loud?
For reliable results, yes. macOS can add some punctuation automatically, but it can be uneven. Layout commands such as “new line” and “new paragraph” still need to be spoken.
Can I dictate a letter in Microsoft Word on a Mac?
Yes. Word Dictate requires Microsoft 365 and an internet connection. Apple Dictation and third-party tools can also type into Word at the cursor.
Does dictation work in Pages and Apple Mail?
Yes. Click in a Pages document or Mail draft, press the dictation shortcut, and speak.
Why does my dictated letter sound rambling?
Raw transcripts keep long sentences and filler. Plan one sentence at a time, or use a polish feature to clean the transcript before insertion.
What if dictation stops before I finish the letter?
Apple Dictation stops after about 30 seconds of silence. Press the shortcut again to continue. Hold-to-talk apps listen for as long as you hold the key.
Dictate the next one in one pass.
Hold a key, say the letter, let go. Punctuation handled, polish optional. $8/month flat.