OS X Lion: Use spoken commands for keyboard shortcuts

Use spoken commands for keyboard shortcuts

You can create a spoken command to perform any keyboard shortcut that appears in a menu. You can make the command work in all applications that have the keyboard shortcut, or you can make the command work in just the active application.

Before you can create a command, you must turn on Speakable Items in Speech preferences.

It’s recommended that you calibrate speech recognition in your current environment, if you haven’t done so already.

Calibrate speech recognition

Create a spoken command

  1. Open the application that contains the shortcut you want, press the listening key (or speak the key, depending on your settings), and then speak the command “Define a keyboard command.”
  2. In the "Define keyboard command" window, use the keyboard shortcut (such as Command+S), and then click OK.
  3. Type the phrase you want to use to name the command, such as “Save document.”

    Guidelines for naming spoken commands

  4. To make the command work only in the active application, select the button next to the application’s name. To make the command work in any application, select “Any application.” Then click Save.

Check your spoken command

About 20 seconds after you save the keyboard command, your command appears in the Speech Commands window and you can use it. To verify your command is listed in the window, press or say the listening key, and then say “Open the Speech Commands window.”

Speak your command exactly as it appears in the Speech Commands window.

Rename your spoken command

  1. Press the listening key and say “Open the Speakable Items folder.”
  2. Select your command in the Speakable Items folder, and then click it again to edit the name.
  3. Type a new name for the command.