> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.corti.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Punctuation

> Learn about how punctuation is supported by Corti speech to text

Speech to text can be used to create a verbatim transcript of the audio; however, punctuation is essential for coherent documentation. Two optional features are available for this need: **Spoken** and **Automated Punctuation**.

<Card title="Feature availability:">
  <Columns cols={3}>
    <Card icon="circle-check" horizontal href="/stt/transcribe">
      /transcribe
    </Card>

    <Card icon="circle-check" horizontal href="/stt/streams">
      /streams
    </Card>

    <Card icon="circle-check" horizontal href="/stt/transcripts">
      /transcripts
    </Card>
  </Columns>

  <br />

  <Tip>
    The two parameters, `spokenPunctuation` and `automatedPunctuation` are mutually exclusive - when both are set to true, `spokenPunctuation` will override `automatedPunctuation`.
  </Tip>
</Card>

***

## Punctuation configuration request parameters

| Parameter              | Description                                                                                                                                                                                  | Recommendation                                                               |
| :--------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `spokenPunctuation`    | Enable users to control when punctuation is inserted in the document output, having punctuation symbols and line breaks added to the document instead of transcribed text, as defined below. | Use for dictation and transcription workflows (not available for `/streams`) |
| `automaticPunctuation` | STT model automatically inserts limited punctuation (e.g., period, comma, question mark) based on context and dictation cadence.                                                             | Use for conversational transcript workflows (on by default for `/streams`)   |

## Spoken Punctuation Support

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="English">
    | Punctuation      |        | Spoken forms supported                                                                                                              |
    | :--------------- | :----: | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Period           |   `.`  | "period", "full stop", "dot"                                                                                                        |
    | Comma            |   `,`  | "comma"                                                                                                                             |
    | New line         |  `\n`  | "new line", "next line"                                                                                                             |
    | New paragraph    | `\n\n` | "new paragraph", "next paragraph"                                                                                                   |
    | Exclamation mark |   `!`  | "exclamation mark", "exclamation point"                                                                                             |
    | Question mark    |   `?`  | "question mark"                                                                                                                     |
    | Colon            |   `:`  | "colon"                                                                                                                             |
    | Semicolon        |   `;`  | "semicolon"                                                                                                                         |
    | Hyphen           |   `-`  | "hyphen", "dash"                                                                                                                    |
    | Slash            |   `/`  | "slash", "forward slash"                                                                                                            |
    | Quotation marks  |  `" "` | "open quote", "open quotation"<br /> "close quote", "close quotation"                                                               |
    | Parentheses      |  `( )` | "open parenthesis", "open paren", "open bracket(s)"<br /> "close parenthesis", "closed paren", "close bracket(s)", "end bracket(s)" |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Danish">
    | Punctuation      |        | Spoken forms supported                                                                 |
    | :--------------- | :----: | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Period           |   `.`  | "punktum", "punktom", "og punktum"                                                     |
    | Comma            |   `,`  | "komma"                                                                                |
    | New line         |  `\n`  | "ny linje", "næste linje", "og næste linje", "og ny linje"                             |
    | New paragraph    | `\n\n` | "nyt afsnit", "ny afsnit", "og nyt afsnit", "og ny afsnit"                             |
    | Exclamation mark |   `!`  | "udråbstegn"                                                                           |
    | Question mark    |   `?`  | "spørgsmålstegn"                                                                       |
    | Colon            |   `:`  | "kolon"                                                                                |
    | Semicolon        |   `;`  | "semikolon"                                                                            |
    | Hyphen           |   `-`  | "bindestreg"                                                                           |
    | Slash            |   `/`  | "skråstreg"                                                                            |
    | Quotation marks  |  `" "` | "åbn anførselstegn", "anførselstegn"<br /> "luk anførselstegn", "anførselstegn slut"   |
    | Parentheses      |  `( )` | "parentes begynd", "parentes", "parentes start"<br /> "parentes slut", "parentes stop" |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Dutch">
    | Punctuation      |        | Spoken forms supported                                                                                           |
    | :--------------- | :----: | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Period           |   `.`  | "punt", "dot", "puntje", "eindpunt"                                                                              |
    | Comma            |   `,`  | "komma"                                                                                                          |
    | New line         |  `\n`  | "nieuwe regel", "volgende regel"                                                                                 |
    | New paragraph    | `\n\n` | "nieuwe alinea", "volgende alinea"                                                                               |
    | Exclamation mark |   `!`  | "uitroepteken"                                                                                                   |
    | Question mark    |   `?`  | "vraagteken"                                                                                                     |
    | Colon            |   `:`  | "dubbele punt"                                                                                                   |
    | Semicolon        |   `;`  | "puntkomma"                                                                                                      |
    | Hyphen           |   `-`  | "koppelteken", "streepje", "minteken"                                                                            |
    | Slash            |   `/`  | "schuine streep", "slash"                                                                                        |
    | Quotation marks  |  `" "` | "open aanhalingsteken", "open quote", "open citaat"<br /> "sluit aanhalingsteken", "sluit quote", "sluit citaat" |
    | Parentheses      |  `( )` | "open haakje", "open haak", "open ronde haakje"<br /> "sluit haakje", "sluit haak", "sluit ronde haakje"         |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="French">
    | Punctuation      |        | Spoken forms supported                                                                            |
    | :--------------- | :----: | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
    | Period           |   `.`  | "point"                                                                                           |
    | Comma            |   `,`  | "virgule"                                                                                         |
    | New line         |  `\n`  | "à la ligne"                                                                                      |
    | New paragraph    | `\n\n` | "nouveau paragraphe", "paragraphe"                                                                |
    | Exclamation mark |   `!`  | "point d'exclamation"                                                                             |
    | Question mark    |   `?`  | "point d'interrogation"                                                                           |
    | Colon            |   `:`  | "deux points"                                                                                     |
    | Semicolon        |   `;`  | "point virgule"                                                                                   |
    | Hyphen           |   `-`  | "tiret", "trait d'union"                                                                          |
    | Slash            |   `/`  | "slash", "barre oblique"                                                                          |
    | Quotation marks  |  `" "` | "ouvrir les guillemets"<br /> "fermer les guillemets"                                             |
    | Parentheses      |  `( )` | "ouvrir la parenthèse", "parenthèse ouvrante"<br /> "fermer la parenthèse", "parenthèse fermante" |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="German">
    | Punctuation      |        | Spoken forms supported                                          |
    | :--------------- | :----: | :-------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Period           |   `.`  | "Punkt"                                                         |
    | Comma            |   `,`  | "Komma"                                                         |
    | New line         |  `\n`  | "neue Zeile"                                                    |
    | New paragraph    | `\n\n` | "neuer Absatz"                                                  |
    | Exclamation mark |   `!`  | "Ausrufezeichen"                                                |
    | Question mark    |   `?`  | "Fragezeichen"                                                  |
    | Colon            |   `:`  | "Doppelpunkt"                                                   |
    | Semicolon        |   `;`  | "Semikolon", "Strichpunkt"                                      |
    | Hyphen           |   `-`  | "Bindestrich"                                                   |
    | Slash            |   `/`  | "Schrägstrich"                                                  |
    | Quotation marks  |  `" "` | "Anführungszeichen öffnen"<br /> "Anführungszeichen schliessen" |
    | Parentheses      |  `( )` | "Klammer auf"<br /> "Klammer zu"                                |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Hungarian">
    | Punctuation      |        | Spoken forms supported                                                               |
    | :--------------- | :----: | :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Period           |   `.`  | "pont", "pontjel"                                                                    |
    | Comma            |   `,`  | "vessző"                                                                             |
    | New line         |  `\n`  | "új sor", "következő sor"                                                            |
    | New paragraph    | `\n\n` | "új bekezdés"                                                                        |
    | Exclamation mark |   `!`  | "felkiáltójel"                                                                       |
    | Question mark    |   `?`  | "kérdőjel"                                                                           |
    | Colon            |   `:`  | "kettőspont"                                                                         |
    | Semicolon        |   `;`  | "pontosvessző"                                                                       |
    | Hyphen           |   `-`  | "kötőjel", "mínusz jel"                                                              |
    | Slash            |   `/`  | "perjel", "törtvonal"                                                                |
    | Quotation marks  |  `" "` | "idézőjel", "idézet nyitása"<br /> "idézőjel zár", "idézet zárása", "idézőjel bezár" |
    | Parentheses      |  `( )` | "zárójel", "zárójel nyit", "nyitó zárójel"<br /> "zárójel zár", "zárójel bezár"      |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Norwegian">
    | Punctuation      |        | Spoken forms supported                                                                                                                                     |
    | :--------------- | :----: | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Period           |   `.`  | "punktum", "prikk", "full stopp"                                                                                                                           |
    | Comma            |   `,`  | "komma"                                                                                                                                                    |
    | New line         |  `\n`  | "ny linje", "neste linje"                                                                                                                                  |
    | New paragraph    | `\n\n` | "nytt avsnitt", "neste avsnitt"                                                                                                                            |
    | Exclamation mark |   `!`  | "utropstegn", "utrop"                                                                                                                                      |
    | Question mark    |   `?`  | "spørsmålstegn"                                                                                                                                            |
    | Colon            |   `:`  | "kolon"                                                                                                                                                    |
    | Semicolon        |   `;`  | "semikolon"                                                                                                                                                |
    | Hyphen           |   `-`  | "bindestrek", "strek", "dash"                                                                                                                              |
    | Slash            |   `/`  | "skråstrek", "slash", "fremoverskråstrek"                                                                                                                  |
    | Quotation marks  |  `" "` | "åpne anførselstegn", "åpne sitat"<br /> "lukk anførselstegn", "lukk sitat"                                                                                |
    | Parentheses      |  `( )` | "åpne parentes", "åpne paren", "åpne bracket", "åpne parenteser"<br /> "lukk parentes", "lukk paren", "slutt parentes", "lukk parenteser", "slutt bracket" |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Swedish">
    | Punctuation      |        | Spoken forms supported                                                                                                |
    | :--------------- | :----: | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Period           |   `.`  | "punkt"                                                                                                               |
    | Comma            |   `,`  | "kommatecken", "komma"                                                                                                |
    | New line         |  `\n`  | "ny rad"                                                                                                              |
    | New paragraph    | `\n\n` | "nytt stycke"                                                                                                         |
    | Exclamation mark |   `!`  | "utropstecken"                                                                                                        |
    | Question mark    |   `?`  | "frågetecken"                                                                                                         |
    | Colon            |   `:`  | "kolon"                                                                                                               |
    | Semicolon        |   `;`  | "semikolon"                                                                                                           |
    | Hyphen           |   `-`  | "bindestreck"                                                                                                         |
    | Slash            |   `/`  | "snedstreck"                                                                                                          |
    | Quotation marks  |  `" "` | "citattecken", "öppna citattecken", "citationstecken", "citat", "start citat"<br /> "slut citat", "stäng citattecken" |
    | Parentheses      |  `( )` | "start parentes", "öppna parentes"<br /> "slutparentes", "stäng parentes"                                             |
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<br />

<Check>
  **Notice the tabs atop the table above to see spoken punctuation phrases supported per language.**

  Some punctuation may be supported by more than one utterance. For example, either "open parentheses" and "open paren" can be spoken to return `(`. There are also some terms (e.g., "colon") that will be disambiguated by the language model to determine if the symbol or the word should be inserted based on the context.

  [Contact us](https://help.corti.app) if you have issues with `spokenPunctuation` recognition or would like to see other alternative phrases added.
</Check>

***

## Don't Smart Quote Me On That

Some applications provide support for "smart punctuation": Transformation of plain ASCII characters to look nicer and be more readable in modern text editors. Such smart transformations, however, can cause issues with speech-to-text integrations.

See a [detailed guide here](/stt/smart-punctuation) to learn how to insert and handle these characters appropriately, and prevent unexpected whitespace from being added into your text.

<br />

<Note>
  There are some terms (e.g., "colon") that will be disambiguated by the language model to determine if the symbol or the word should be inserted based on the context.

  Please [contact us](https://help.corti.app) to report errors, or for more information on this feature.
</Note>
