Recognition modes

You use recognition modes to tell Dragon what to listen for. Your current mode is displayed in the Status window.

To select modes, do one of the following:

• Say Switch to Dictation mode, Switch to Command mode, Switch to Spelling mode or Switch to Numbers mode.
• Click the Recognition mode icon in the Status Window and select a mode from the menu.
• Press the keyboard shortcut (by default, ⌘F10) for cycling between recognition modes. See Preferences window: Shortcuts for more information on setting keyboard shortcuts.

Status window icon	Mode	What you can do:
	Dictation mode	In Dictation mode, you can: Dictate text to be typed, including punctuation, letters and numbers. Issue commands. See Using commands in Dictation mode, below, for tips on getting the best results in Dictation mode.
	Command mode	In Command mode, you can: Issue commands. If you say something that Dragon can't interpret as a command, nothing happens. Open the Guidance Window for suggested commands based on your recent actions.
	Spelling mode	In Spelling mode, you can: Dictate letters, numbers, and punctuation. Issue commands. No automatic spacing or capitalization will be applied.
	Numbers mode	In Numbers mode, you can: Dictate numbers and some punctuation. Issue commands. All numbers are typed as numerals. You can also enter certain punctuation, such as mathematical symbols.

Using commands in Dictation mode

Because Dictation mode allows you to dictate and use commands, Dragon uses pauses to determine whether a phrase should be considered a command or dictated text. For best recognition when issuing a command, speak the command smoothly and continuously, but pause before and after it.

If you speak smoothly and continuously, Dragon will interpret your words as dictation, even if they include words that might be a command.

Example:

Say: Select date and time.

Result: "Select date and time."

If you pause before and after a phrase, Dragon will consider that phrase as a possible command.

Example:

Say: What is today's date [pause] Select date.

Result: "What is today's date."