how do i get dictation to work
how do i get dictation to work
iMac 27″, macOS 11.3
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Howdy,
Please see Dictate messages and documents on Mac
- On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard, then click Dictation.
- Click On. If a prompt appears, click Enable Dictation.
Once enabled, Dictate text
- In an app on your Mac, place the insertion point where you want the dictated text to appear.
- Press
if available in the row of function keys, use the dictation keyboard shortcut, or choose Edit > Start Dictation. Note: Press and release to start dictation; press and hold to ask Siri (if Siri is enabled).
3. When the feedback window shows a microphone icon 
with a fluctuating loudness indicator, or you hear the tone that signals your Mac is ready for keyboard dictation, dictate your text. Note: For best results, speak for no more than 40 seconds at a time.
4. To insert a punctuation mark or perform simple formatting tasks, do any of the following:
- Say the name of the punctuation mark, such as “exclamation mark.”
- Say “new line” (equivalent to pressing the Return key once) or “new paragraph” (equivalent to pressing the Return key twice). After you say “new line,” the dictated text appears when you’re done dictating.
For a list of the commands you can use while dictating, see Commands for dictating text.
5. If you set up keyboard dictation for multiple languages and want to switch languages as you dictate, click the language in the feedback window, then choose the language you want.
For information about setting up keyboard dictation for multiple languages, see “Turn on keyboard dictation,” above.
6. When you’re done, press the dictation keyboard shortcut, the Return key, or click Done in the feedback window.
Ambiguous text is underlined in blue. If the text is wrong, click it and select an alternative. You can also type or dictate the correct text.
Note with Catalina and Big Sur, Enhanced Dictation is no longer an option as it was with Mojave and earlier.
So like it says, "For best results, speak for no more than 40 seconds at a time."
ivan