Formatting

Speech to text can be used to create a verbatim transcript of the audio; however, some content is not documented in the same manner as it is verbalized. The formatting features provide control over how key information should for represented in the textual output.

Feature availability:

/transcribe

/streams

/transcripts

Notes:

Transcript output is formatted according to the default options listed below for both transcribe and streams endpoints.
Add formatting configuration to transcribe connections to change output preferences - see details here.
Formatting configuration is not supported on streams connections.

Formatting Options

Use the following values within the formatting configuration object to define preferences:

Parameter	Default option	Alternative options
`dates`	`locale:long`	`locale:medium`, `locale:short`, `iso`, `as_dictated`
`times`	`locale`	`h24`, `h12`
`numbers`	`numerals_above_nine`	`numerals`, `as_dictated`
`measurements`	`abbreviated`	`as_dictated`
`numericRanges`	`numerals`	`as_dictated`
`ordinals`	`numerals_above_nine`	`numerals`, `as_dictated`

Example formatting configuration

    "formatting": {
        "dates": "locale:long",
        "times": "locale",
        "numbers": "numerals_above_nine",
        "measurements": "abbreviated",
        "numericRanges": "numerals",
        "ordinals": "numerals_above_nine"
    }

The tables below show available options for each formatting configuration parameter:

The examples represent how output would be formatted given the spoken input shown for the as_dictated option.
The Default represents server default values, indicating output format when no value is defined for a given formatting parameter.
The Date and Time options indicated as locale will format according to local standards, dependent on the primaryLanguage defined in the configuration.

Dates

Date formatting allows for standardization of date output when dictating the year, month, and/or day. In the table below, the examples for each option indicate how the date would be formatted for spoken form showed in the as_dictated option.

en, en-US
en-GB
da
de, de-CH
fr

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”February third twenty twenty five" "February third" "February twenty twenty five”
`locale:long`	Long date	”February 3, 2025" "February 3" "February 2025”
`locale:medium`	Medium date	”Feb 3, 2025" "Feb 3" "Feb 2025”
`locale:short`	Short date	”2/3/25" "2/3" "2/2025”
`iso`	ISO 8601	”2025-02-03" "02-03" "2025-02”

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”February third twenty twenty five" "February third" "February twenty twenty five”
`locale:long`	Long date	”3 February 2025" "3 February" "February 2025”
`locale:medium`	Medium date	”3 Feb 2025" "3 Feb" "Feb 2025”
`locale:short`	Short date	”03/02/2025" "03/02" "02/2025”
`iso`	ISO 8601	”2025-02-03" "02-03" "2025-02”

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”den tredje februar tyve femogtyve" "den tredje februar" "februar tyve femogtyve”
`locale:long`	Long date	”3. februar 2025" "3. februar" "februar 2025”
`locale:medium`	Medium date	”3. feb 2025" "3. feb" "feb 2025”
`locale:short`	Short date	”03.02.2025" "03.02" "02.2025”
`iso`	ISO 8601	”2025-02-03" "02-03" "2025-02”

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”dritte Februar zwanzig fünfundzwanzig" "dritte Februar" "Februar zwanzig fünfundzwanzig”
`locale:long`	Long date	”3. Februar 2025" "3. Februar" "Februar 2025”
`locale:medium`	Medium date	”3. Feb 2025" "3. Feb" "Feb 2025”
`locale:short`	Short date	”03.02.25" "03.02" "02.2025”
`iso`	ISO 8601	”2025-02-03" "02-03" "2025-02”

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”le trois février deux mille vingt-cinq" "le trois février" "février deux mille vingt-cinq”
`locale:long`	Long date	”3 février 2025" "3 février" "février 2025”
`locale:medium`	Medium date	”3 fév 2025" "3 fév" "fév 2025”
`locale:short`	Short date	”03/02/25" "03/02 ”02/2025”
`iso`	ISO 8601	”2025-02-03" "02-03" "2025-02”

Legacy values

The Date parameter options defined above are the go-forward standard; however, the following legacy date formatting parameter values remain supported by the API:

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	Preserve spoken phrasing	”February third twenty twenty five”
`long_text`	Long date	”3 February 2025”
`eu_slash`	Short date (EU)	“03/02/2025”
`us_slash`	Short date (US)	“02/03/2025”
`iso_compact`	ISO (basic, without separators)	“20250302”

Times

en, en-US
en-GB
da
de, de-CH
fr

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”eight o’clock" "half past eight" "eight thirty six PM”
`locale`	12-hour	”8:00 AM" "8:30 AM" "8:36 PM”
`h24`	24-hour	”08:00" "08:30" "20:36”
`h12`	12-hour	”8:00 AM" "8:30 AM" "8:36 PM”

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”eight o’clock" "half past eight" "eight thirty six PM”
`locale`	24-hour	”08:00" "08:30" "20:36”
`h24`	24-hour	”08:00" "08:30" "20:36”
`h12`	12-hour	”8:00 AM" "8:30 AM" "8:36 PM”

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”klokken otte ”klokken halv ni" "klokken tyve seksogtredive”
`locale`	24-hour	”08:00" "08:30" "20:36”
`h24`	24-hour	”08:00" "08:30" "20:36”
`h12`	12-hour	”8:00 AM" "8:30 AM" "8:36 PM”

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”acht Uhr" "halb neun" "zwanzig Uhr sechsunddreißig”
`locale`	24-hour	”08:00" "08:30" "20:36”
`h24`	24-hour	”08:00" "08:30" "20:36”
`h12`	12-hour	”8:00 AM" "8:30 AM" "8:36 PM”

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”huit heures" "huit heures et demie" "vingt heures trente-six”
`locale`	24-h	”8h00" "8h30" "20h36”
`h24`	24-hour	”08:00" "08:30" "20:36”
`h12`	12-hour	”8:00 AM" "8:30 AM" "8:36 PM”

Numbers

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”one, two… nine, ten, eleven
`numerals_above_nine`	Single digit as words, multi-digit as number	”One, two… nine, 10, 11”
`numerals`	Numbers only	”1, 2… 9, 10, 11”

Notes:

Localization of numbers applied automatically for thousands and decimal separators.
numerals_above_nine applies to integers: When using this value, all whole numbers less than ten will be formatted as words, and all decimal numbers will be formatted as numerals. Use as_dictated for decimal numbers to be output as words instead of numerals.
A maximum of three decimal places is supported at this time. Be sure to dictate the numbers after decimal individually. For example, “one point two five” (not one point twenty-five) will return “1.25”.

Units and Measurements

Option	Format	Example	Default
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”Millimeters, centimeters, inches; Blood pressure one twenty over eighty”
`abbreviated`	Abbreviated	”mm, cm, in; BP 120/80”

List of supported units

Celsius (°C)
Fahrenheit (°F)
Kelvin (K)
Inch (in)
Meter (m)
Centimeter (cm)
Millimeter (mm)
Nanometer (nm)
Kilometer (km)
Square meters (m²)
Square centimeters (cm²)
Gram (g)
Kilogram (kg)
Milligram (mg)
Microgram (mcg)
Nanogram (ng)
Pound (lb)
Ounce (oz)
Liter (L)
Hectoliter (hL)
Deciliter (dL)
Centiliter (cL)
Milliliter (mL)
Picoliter (pL)
International unit (IU)
Milliequivalent (mEq)
Mole (mol)
Millimole (mmol)

List of supported measurements

Blood pressure (systole/diastole)
Beats per minute (BPM)
Respirations per minute (RPM)
Body mass index (BMI)
Percent (%)
Millimeters of mercury (mmHg)
Centimeters of water (cmH2O)
Per minute (#/min)
Milliliters per minute (mL/min)
Milligram per kilogram (mg/kg)
Grams per deciliter (g/dL)
Milligram per liter (mg/L)
Milligram per deciliter (mg/dL)
Nanogram per milliliter (ng/mL)
Globules per deciliter (g/dL)
Units per liter (U/L)
Units per milliliter (U/mL)
Milliequivalents per liter (mEq/L)
Millimoles per liter (mmol/L)
Pack years (pack-yrs)
“times two” -> “x2” (1 through 10)
“two plus” -> “2+” (1 through 10)

Vertebrae

Individual vertebrae (spoken form “letter number”)

C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, C6, C7
T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, T7, T8, T9, T10, T11, T12
L1, L2, L3, L4, L5
S1, S2, S3, S4, S5

Sequential, adjacent vertebrae (spoken form “letter number letter number”)

C1–C2, C2–C3, C3–C4, C4–C5, C5–C6, C6–C7
C7–T1
T1–T2, T2–T3, T3–T4, T4–T5, T5–T6, T6–T7, T7–T8, T8–T9, T9–T10, T10–T11, T11–T12
T12–L1
L1–L2, L2–L3, L3–L4, L4–L5
L5–S1
S1–S2, S2–S3, S3–S4, S4–S5

Staging

Staging for cancer, chronic kidney disease, etc. ()“spoken form” -> written form)

“stage zero” -> Stage 0
“stage one” -> Stage I
“stage one A” -> Stage IA
“stage one B” -> Stage IB
“stage one C” -> Stage IC
“stage two” -> Stage II
“stage two A” -> Stage IIA
“stage two B” -> Stage IIB
“stage two C” -> Stage IIC
“stage three” -> Stage III
“stage three A” -> Stage IIIA
“stage three B” -> Stage IIIB
“stage three C” -> Stage IIIC
“stage four” -> Stage IV
“stage four A” -> Stage IVA
“stage four B” -> Stage IVB
“stage four C” -> Stage IVC

See examples below for more information on how numbers and measurements/units configurations work together

Numeric Ranges

Option	Format	Example	Default
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”one to ten" "six out of ten”
`numerals`	As numbers	”1-10" "6/10”

Note: Numeric range formatting supported for integers only (not numbers with decimals).

Ordinals

Option	Format	Example
`as_dictated`	As dictated	”First, second, third”
`numerals_above_nine`	First through ninth as words, multi-digit as number	”First, second … ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th”
`numerals`	Abbreviated	”1st, 2nd, 3rd”

Examples

The following examples show expected output given different combinations of formatting configurations.

Date examples

“the injury was sustained on fifth of February twenty twenty six and surgical repair was completed on February tenth two thousand twenty six”

Dates	Expected Output	Default
`locale:long`	”the injury was sustained on February 5, 2026 and surgical repair was completed on February 10, 2026”
`locale:medium`	”the injury was sustained on Feb 5, 2026 and surgical repair was completed on Feb 10, 2026”
`locale:short`	”the injury was sustained on 2/5/26 and surgical repair was completed on 2/10/26”
`as_dictated`	”the injury was sustained on fifth of February twenty twenty six and surgical repair was completed on February tenth two thousand twenty six”

Notice that, while using locale parameters, the date output is normalized for two different spoken form patterns in the example text

“zero two zero three twenty twenty five”

Dates	Expected Output	Default
`locale:long`	”zero two zero three 20 25” />
`locale:medium`	”zero two zero three 20 25”
`locale:short`	”zero two zero three 20 25”
`as_dictated`	”zero two zero three 20 25”

Dictation of numbers to be shown in “short” date form is not supported. In this example the expected output is based on default numbers:numerals_above_nine formatting.For text to be formatted as a date, dictate the month, day, year pattern as shown above.

Numbers and measurements: Single-digit numbers

“the child had one doctor visit today and is one meter tall”

Numbers	Measurements	Expected Output
`numerals_above_nine`	`abbreviated`	”the child had one doctor visit today and is 1 m tall”
`numerals_above_nine`	`as_dictated`	”the child had one doctor visit today and is one meter tall”
`numerals`	`abbreviated`	”the child had 1 doctor visit today and is 1 m tall”
`numerals`	`as_dictated`	”the child had 1 doctor visit today and is one meter tall”
`as_dictated`	`abbreviated`	”the child had one doctor visit today and is 1 m tall”
`as_dictated`	`as_dictated`	”the child had one doctor visit today and is one meter tall”

Numbers and measurements: Hundred numbers

“one eighty centimeters”

Numbers	Measurements	Expected Output
`numerals_above_nine`	`abbreviated`	”180 cm”
`numerals_above_nine`	`as_dictated`	”180 centimeters”
`numerals`	`abbreviated`	”180 cm”
`numerals`	`as_dictated`	”180 centimeters”
`as_dictated`	`abbreviated`	”one eighty cm”
`as_dictated`	`as_dictated`	”one eighty centimeters”

“one hundred eighty centimeters”

Numbers	Measurements	Expected Output
`numerals_above_nine`	`abbreviated`	”180 cm”
`numerals_above_nine`	`as_dictated`	”180 centimeters”
`numerals`	`abbreviated`	”180 cm”
`numerals`	`as_dictated`	”180 centimeters”
`as_dictated`	`abbreviated`	”one hundred eighty cm”
`as_dictated`	`as_dictated`	”one hundred eighty centimeters”

Notice that both forms of “hundreds” are normalized using numerals_above_nine and numerals

Numbers and measurements: Percentages

“ninety eight point two percent”

Numbers	Measurements	Expected Output
`numerals_above_nine`	`abbreviated`	”98.2%“
`numerals_above_nine`	`as_dictated`	”98.2 percent”
`as_dictated`	`abbreviated`	”ninety-eight point two%“
`as_dictated`	`as_dictated`	”ninety-eight point two percent”

Ordinal examples

“First time he tried he came in tenth place”

Ordinal	Expected Output	Default
`numerals_above_nine`	”First time he tried he came in 10th place”
`numerals`	”1st time he tried he came in 10th place”
`as_dictated`	”First time he tried he came in tenth place”

Numeric ranges examples

“she vomited two to three times today”

numericRanges	numbers	Expected Output
`numerals`	`numerals_above_nine`	”she vomited 2-3 times today”
`numerals`	`numbers`	”she vomited 2-3 times today”
`numerals`	`as_dictated`	”she vomited 2-3 times today”
`as_dictated`	`numerals_above_nine`	”she vomited two to three times today”
`as_dictated`	`numbers`	”she vomited 2 to 3 times today”
`as_dictated`	`as_dictated`	”she vomited two to three times today”

“one point five to two point five”

numericRanges	numbers	Expected Output
`numerals`	`numerals_above_nine`	”1.5 to 2.5”
`numerals`	`numbers`	”1.5 to 2.5”
`numerals`	`as_dictated`	”one point five to two point five”
`as_dictated`	`numerals_above_nine`	”1.5 to 2.5”
`as_dictated`	`numbers`	”1.5 to 2.5”
`as_dictated`	`as_dictated`	”one point five to two point five”

“The pain is a six out of ten”

numericRanges	numbers	Expected Output
`numerals`	`numerals_above_nine`	”The pain is a 6/10”
`numerals`	`numbers`	”The pain is a 6/10”
`numerals`	`as_dictated`	”The pain is a 6/10”
`as_dictated`	`numerals_above_nine`	”The pain is a six out of 10”
`as_dictated`	`numbers`	”The pain is a 6 out of 10”
`as_dictated`	`as_dictated`	”The pain is a six out of ten”

While these examples are based on primaryLanguage:en, the same logic applies for other languages with formatting support. Please contact us for further assistance with formatting configuration.

Endpoints

Features

Best Practices

Resources

Feature availability:

Formatting Options

Dates

Times

Numbers

Units and Measurements

Numeric Ranges

Ordinals

Examples

Feature availability:

​Formatting Options

​Dates

​Times

​Numbers

​Units and Measurements

​Numeric Ranges

​Ordinals

​Examples

Formatting Options

Dates

Times

Numbers

Units and Measurements

Numeric Ranges

Ordinals

Examples