Dictate in Ukrainian on a Mac: setup, commands and keyboards

To dictate in Ukrainian on a Mac, open System Settings → Keyboard, go to Dictation (Диктування on a Ukrainian-language Mac), click Edit next to Languages, and select Ukrainian (Ukraine). Start Dictation and pick Ukrainian from the language shown next to the cursor. Ukrainian has the basic Dictation feature only: Apple does not list it for on-device dictation, automatic punctuation or emoji, so you say each punctuation mark yourself, and Apple does not say Ukrainian dictation works without a connection. Apple publishes a fully translated Ukrainian command list.

The steps come from Apple's Dictate messages and documents on Mac for macOS 27 Golden Gate, and its Ukrainian edition, Диктування повідомлень і документів на комп’ютері Mac. If your screen differs, search System Settings for "Dictation" or "Диктування".

How do you turn on Ukrainian dictation?

1. Choose Apple menu → System Settings, then click Keyboard (Клавіатура) in the sidebar.
2. Go to Dictation (Диктування) and turn it on.
3. Click Edit (Змінити) next to Languages (Мови) and select Ukrainian (Ukraine). Keep English selected too if you dictate in both.
4. In a text field, start Dictation with the Microphone key, your Dictation shortcut, or Edit → Start Dictation (Редагування → Почати диктування).
5. Check that the language next to the cursor is Ukrainian, not Russian or English. To switch, click it, or press the Globe key (клавіша глобуса) and choose.

Apple's guide does not describe automatic detection of a language change, so switch before you speak the second language.

Which Ukrainian dictation features does Apple list?

From Apple's macOS feature availability page for macOS Golden Gate, checked on 3 October 2026:

Apple lists one Ukrainian variant, Ukraine. A row marked Not listed means absent from that feature's list on the day we checked.

What that means in practice:

• Say every punctuation mark. Apple's guide says Dictation adds "commas, periods, and question marks" only in supported languages, and Ukrainian is not on that list.
• Check where your Ukrainian dictation is processed. Apple's guide says the text below the Dictation switch in Keyboard settings tells you whether general dictation is processed on your Mac or sent to Siri servers. Read it before you dictate anything confidential. Is Mac Dictation private? explains that note.
• Do not judge Ukrainian by Russian. Apple lists different features for each.

How do you say punctuation in Ukrainian?

Apple's Ukrainian command list, Команди для диктування тексту на Mac, is fully translated. The entries you will use most:

Three details from that page:

• The apostrophe command gives ‘. Apple shows a curly opening quote mark as the result of апостроф. Ukrainian words such as м’ята use an apostrophe inside the word, and Apple does not say how Dictation writes it there. Check it in your test.
• No hryvnia sign. The currency section lists dollar, cent, pound, euro and yen. Type ₴ or грн yourself, or check how your Mac writes amounts you dictate.
• Spacing and capitals. увімкнути без пробілів and вимкнути без пробілів join the next phrase without spaces and then go back to normal; усі великі writes the next word in capitals.

Ukrainian vs Russian keyboard layouts

Dictation language and keyboard layout are separate settings, and so are Ukrainian and Russian. Apple's Write in another language on Mac has you add keyboards under Keyboard → Text Input → Edit: search for Ukrainian and pick a Ukrainian layout rather than a Russian one. It says an added input source's language also joins "your list of Dictation languages (if available)", and that Control-Space selects the last input source you used.

The pages we checked do not compare Apple's Ukrainian and Russian layouts. To see where і, ї, є and ґ sit on yours, open the Keyboard Viewer from the Input menu; Apple says it shows the layout for the current input source, which helps when the layout does not match the labels on your keys. Because Ukrainian uses a non-Latin script, Apple's Input Sources settings page says an option to switch to and from your last Latin input source with Caps Lock appears once you add it.

Apple's Dictation guide does not describe how Dictation handles і, ї, є and ґ, so check them in your test. If a word comes out wrong, Apple says ambiguous text is underlined in blue: click it and pick an alternative. The Ukrainian edition's example is getting стиль when you meant штиль.

What about other dictation apps?

Google's voice typing help lists Ukrainian for voice typing in Google Docs in Chrome, Edge or Safari, and notes that "Punctuation might not be available in every language". Dictate in Google Docs on a Mac covers the steps. Microsoft's Dictate your documents in Word does not list Ukrainian among its spoken languages.

SuprFlow's requirements page lists 19 languages, and Ukrainian is not one of them. Do not buy SuprFlow for Ukrainian dictation.

A 10-minute test for your Ukrainian

1. Write four made-up sentences: two ordinary, one with an English product or person name, and one with a date, an amount and a negation. For example: Зустріч із Джорданом Ченом 14 травня. Сума становить 2 750 гривень, а не 2 570.
2. Dictate them into Notes with Ukrainian active, saying кома and крапка.
3. Check і, ї, є and ґ, apostrophes inside words, the name, the figures and the negation.
4. Check that no Russian spellings crept in, and confirm the language next to the cursor was Ukrainian.

Questions people ask

How do I use Ukrainian dictation on a Mac?

Add Ukrainian (Ukraine) under System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation → Languages → Edit, start Dictation, and choose Ukrainian from the language shown next to the cursor.

Why does Mac dictation not add punctuation in Ukrainian?

Apple does not list Ukrainian for auto-punctuation. Say кома for a comma and крапка for a full stop, both on Apple's Ukrainian command list.

Does Ukrainian dictation work offline on a Mac?

Apple does not list Ukrainian for on-device dictation, though it lists Russian. The text below the Dictation switch in Keyboard settings tells you how your Mac processes Ukrainian.

Do I need a Ukrainian keyboard to dictate in Ukrainian?

Apple's Dictation guide does not mention one. A Ukrainian layout helps when you fix і, ї, є or ґ by hand.

Related guides

• Mac dictation languages: what Apple supports in each one
• Dictate in Russian on a Mac
• Dictate in Polish on a Mac
• Dictate in Czech on a Mac
• Mac dictation commands and punctuation
• Is Mac Dictation private?

Sources

• Apple — Dictate messages and documents on Mac
• Apple — Диктування повідомлень і документів на комп’ютері Mac
• Apple — Команди для диктування тексту на Mac
• Apple — macOS feature availability
• Apple — Write in another language on Mac
• Apple — Change Input Sources settings on Mac
• Google — Type and edit with your voice
• Microsoft — Dictate your documents in Word
• SuprFlow — System requirements