![](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125849204/574143968.jpg)
Aug 17, 2016 - You may think you have to wait for Siri to appear in macOS Sierra. Apple's speech to text features are turned off by default, so before you can. Dec 24, 2018 - Apple Dictation (iOS, macOS); Diction.io (Web); Dragon by Nuance. Also sometimes called voice-to-text apps or voice recognition apps, these.
Step 2: Turn on and use Speakable Items
In the 'Speech' window, make sure the 'Speech Recognition' tab is selected, as shown in Fig 3. If it is not, click on it, or press Ctrl + F7 to highlight one of the tabs and then press the left or right arrow key to select it.
Fig 3
Click the 'On' radio button next to 'Speakable Items', or press Tab to highlight the 'Off' radio button and then press the left arrow key to switch Speakable Items on. This will open the Speakable Items window, which looks like a round microphone (shown in Fig 4).
By default, you need to press and hold the Esc key while speaking. However, you can change this by clicking on the 'Change Key' button, or press Tab until it is highlighted and then press the Spacebar. If you'd rather not use the keyboard, select the radio button beside 'Listen continuously with keyword' and change the settings below to customise this feature.
Speakable Items can recognise a number of commands, which are listed in the 'Speakable Items' folder. To look at them, click on the bottom of the small, round Speakable Items window, as shown in Fig 4, and select 'Open Speech Commands window' from the drop-down menu.
Fig 4
When you are happy with your settings click the red close button at the top of the 'Speech' window, or press Apple + W to close the window and return to the desktop.
Edit a video without using a mouse or trackpad. Build a presentation without seeing the screen. Or track down important files for your next project with just your voice. Because Mac is designed for everybody to create amazing things.
VoiceOverYou don’t need to see your Mac to use your Mac.
VoiceOver is a revolutionary built-in screen reader that’s more than a text-to-speech tool. It tells you exactly what’s on your screen and talks you through actions like editing a video, building a presentation, or quickly navigating from one app to another.
Dark ModeWorking hard gets easier on the eyes.
Dark Mode transforms the desktop and built-in apps with a new dark color scheme that helps you focus on your work.1 The fine points of your content take center screen as toolbars and menus recede into the background. Light text against darker backdrops in Mail, Safari Reader, Calendar, and more makes everything easier to read in low lighting conditions. And the Accessibility preferences for increased contrast and reduced transparency work with Dark Mode enabled.
SiriMake requests by talking or typing.
Siri on Mac lets you quickly find and open files, set reminders, send text messages, and more, making it easy to handle the things you do every day.2 With “Type to Siri” mode, you can make requests using a physical or onscreen keyboard. And Siri can also predict your next word based on what you’ve said before, so you can minimize typing over time.
Switch ControlNavigate your Mac with as little as a tap.
![Text Text](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125849204/795387674.jpg)
Create amazing things with your Mac without touching a mouse or keyboard. With Switch Control, you can navigate through onscreen keyboards, menus, and the Dock using a variety of switch options.
Text to SpeechGo from written word to spoken word.
If you learn better when you can hear what you’re reading or writing, Text to Speech lets you highlight any text and have your Mac read it aloud. And you can choose from more than 70 male or female voices across 42 languages.
![](/uploads/1/2/5/8/125849204/574143968.jpg)