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Auto Formatting

In this topic, learn how to let Dragon automatically format text, including:

  • Street, web and email addresses
  • Phone numbers
  • Abbreviated titles, such as "Mr." or "Mrs."
  • Dates and Times
  • Numerals
  • Currencies
  • Units of measure, such as "km."
  • U.S. Social Security Numbers
  • Common abbreviations, such as "vs."

Dragon can format addresses, dates and times, numbers, common abbreviations and contractions, and the number of spaces after a period.

To open the Auto Formatting window:

  1. Click the Dragon menu icon in the menu bar and select Manage Profiles…
  2. Click the Auto Formatting… button.

Changes to the Auto Formatting settings affect the current profile, marked with a green circle in the Profiles pane. See Using profiles and dictation sources for more information.

Text type Examples

Street Addresses

Check to allow Dragon to format addresses correctly.

Example

Say: forty-nine Orchard Lane, Boston, Massachusetts oh two four four six

Result: 49 Orchard Lane, Boston, MA 02446

Some addresses can be difficult to interpret. For example, if you say Two hundred forty fifth street, you might mean "245th Street," "200 45th Street," or "240 5th Street." In this case, you may need to switch to Spelling mode to get the results you want.

If you frequently dictate a specific address, you can create custom Auto-text commands to insert them into your dictation. See Auto-text commands for more information.

UK and Canadian postcodes

Check to format postcodes correctly for the UK and Canada.

Example

Say: W two four R J

Result: W2 4RJ

Web and email addresses

Check to format electronic addresses correctly.

Example 1—Email

Say: name at Nuance dot com

Result: name@nuance.com

Example 2—Website

Say: W W W dot Nuance dot com

Result: www.nuance.com

Phone numbers

Check to display properly-formatted phone numbers when you say seven- or ten-digit sequences.

Vanity phone numbers, such as 1-800-EXAMPLE, are not supported, nor is automatic formatting of US phone numbers for UK English users.

Example

Say: eight hundred five five five one two one two

Result: 800-555-1212

Abbreviated titles

Check to shorten common forms of address.

Example

Say: Mister Smith

Result: Mr. Smith

Dates

Check to format spoken dates. The dropdown menu offers a number of formatting choices; a few examples are shown here.

Omitting the year when you speak produces the month and day as a word and a number, regardless of the formatting you've selected. For example, January five or January fifth produces January 5.

Example

Say: January fifth 2016

Result 1: January 5, 2016

Result 2: 5 January, 2016

Result 3: 01/05/2016

Times

Check to format times correctly.

Example

Say: three twenty A M

Result: 3:20 AM

Use numerals starting with

Dragon will interpret numbers below the number specified in the dropdown menu as words, and numbers equal to or greater than that number as numerals.

Example 1

Say: three

Result: Three

Example 2

Say: eleven

Result: 11

Partially format "-illion" numbers

Check to display a combination of numbers and text for numbers higher than 999,999.

Example

Say: Eight million

Result: 8 million

Prices and currencies

Check to display money amounts properly.

For US and Canadian dialects, say "Pound Sterling" to get the £ symbol. For example, say one pound sterling thirty to get £1.30.

Example

Say: one dollar and thirty cents

Result: $1.30

ISO currency codes

Check to display the three-letter ISO code rather than the currency symbol.

Example

Say: fifty euros

Result: EUR 50

Units of measure

Check to display symbols and abbreviations for common measurements.

To change the default format for a specific measurement, change the Smart Formatting settings during the Correction process. See Smart Formatting for more information.

Example 1

Say: six feet three inches

Result: 6'3"

Example 2

Say: two kilometers

Result: 2 km

Social Security Numbers

Check to display properly-formatted US Social Security numbers when you dictate nine-digit sequences.

Example

Say: One two three four five six seven eight nine

Result: 123-45-6789

All other numbers

Check to format numbers not covered elsewhere in this section, including:

  • Negative numbers
  • Decimals
  • Ordinals (1st, 2nd, etc.)

Example 1—Negative numbers

Say: negative five

Result: -5

Example 2—Decimals

Say: eight point two five

Result: 8.25

Example 3—Ordinals

Say: tenth

Result: 10th

Common abbreviations

Check to automatically convert words to their common abbreviations.

Example

Say: versus

Result: vs.

Expand contractions

Check to expand spoken contractions.

Example

Say: haven't

Result: have not

Insert two spaces after period

Check to insert two spaces after each period.

While this was once a common convention, today most style guides recommend a single space after a period.

Allow pauses in formatted phrases

When checked, Dragon's number and phrase formatting will work even if you pause while speaking.

Example

Say: three [pause] point one four

Result: 3.14

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