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How to stop automatic first-word capitalisation when using keyboard dictation

When are use the keyboard dictation feature (in accessibility services) it always begins any new dictation with a capital letter. This is the case even when the cursor is initially placed into the middle of a sentence. Is there a way to make keyboard dictation only capitalise the first letter of a new dictation if the cursor is placed after a fullstop, or a new line?

Mac mini 2018 or later

Posted on Sep 16, 2020 2:58 AM

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7 replies

Sep 23, 2020 4:20 AM in response to VikingOSX

It is not 'extended pause in the middle of speaking'. It is a 'new' dictation, where the start of the dictation (where the cursor is located when I activate the dictation tool) is in the middle of a pre-existing piece of text. For example, in the following sentence, I dictate "this is a sentence", then I put the cursor back to between the "a" and "sentence", then make a new dictation to add the word "edited":


This is a Edited sentence.


See how the word "edited" has a capital letter? Is there no way to automatically NOT capitalise the "e" in edited? That doesn't seem like "mind-reading" for it to realise the cursor is in the middle of a sentence. That seems like a basic grammar check.

Sep 23, 2020 3:14 AM in response to VikingOSX

I can occasionally make the 'all caps' command work, and punctuation commands do work. But any of the other formatting things - including 'new line' or 'caps off' never respond at all. Moreover, though, even if this did work - is there no automatic way for the system to recognise that the cursor is in the middle of a sentence and therefore to NOT begin the dictation with a capital letter?

Sep 23, 2020 4:14 AM in response to Wittylama

Dictation cannot read your mind. 🤓


If what I have suggested in available Dictation keywords, and that of Pete-Progressive-Graphics about disabling Capitalize words automatically do not work for you, then a decision may be necessary about further dictation usage. Since dictation is back to round-trip content to Apple's servers, any extended pause in the middle of speaking will dupe it into starting a new sentence.

How to stop automatic first-word capitalisation when using keyboard dictation

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