How to type a hyphen and a slash by voice in Windows

Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.

In Windows voice input a hyphen is typed by the command “defis” (hyphen) or “znak minus” (minus sign), a dash by a separate command “tire” (dash), and a slash by “kosaya cherta” (slash). All this works in Russian only in Windows 11. On Mac these marks are named the same way, only the dash there has a different symbol. Potok (potok.now) has no voice commands, and no separate phrase for a hyphen and a slash either.

A hyphen, a dash and a slash in voice input are different commands, not one mark, and it is easy to confuse a hyphen with a dash. Here is what to say in Windows, how it differs from Mac and what Potok has to do with it. The commands are spoken in Russian, so they are given here in Latin letters with an explanation.

How to type a hyphen and a slash by voice in Windows: a checklist

Check the system: Windows voice input with Win+H works in Russian only in Windows 11; in Windows 10 there is no Russian voice input.
For a hyphen say “defis” (hyphen) or “znak minus” (minus sign). In the official Win+H punctuation table these are two variants of the same phrase for the mark -.
For a dash you need a separate command “tire” (dash). It types a different symbol, the long dash —, not a hyphen.
For a slash say “kosaya cherta” (slash), and the mark / appears.
An example of a spoken phrase: “IT defis spetsialist, pyatdesyat kosaya cherta pyatdesyat” (“IT hyphen specialist, fifty slash fifty”). The command is put in as a word in the place of the mark, and the rest of the text is dictated as usual.
On Mac the commands are named the same way: “defis” types -, “tire” types –, “kosaya cherta” types /.
If you dictate in Potok (potok.now), it has no separate voice command for a hyphen or a slash, just as it has no other voice commands in general. How dictation on a MacBook works in principle is covered in the article about dictating text on Mac.

Hyphen and slash by voice: Windows versus macOS

In the official punctuation table of Windows voice input, a hyphen is typed with the word “defis” (hyphen) or “znak minus” (minus sign), two variants of the same phrase for the mark -. A dash is a separate command “tire” (dash) with a different result, the long dash —. A slash is typed with the words “kosaya cherta” (slash), and the result is the mark /. All the phrases are confirmed for the Russian language of Win+H, which works only in Windows 11.

On macOS the commands are named similarly, but the result differs at the level of the dash symbol: “defis” types a short hyphen -, “tire” types a medium dash – (not as long as in Windows), and “kosaya cherta” types the mark /, the same as in Windows. The logic of pronunciation is the same on both systems: the command word is spoken where the mark should be, and before and after it there is ordinary text.

Without Windows 11 these commands cannot be typed by voice in Russian at all: Windows 10 has no Russian voice input. How to turn on voice input on a laptop, if it is not yet running, is covered in a separate guide on starting voice typing.

Where Potok has its limit

Potok (potok.now) has no voice commands at all, including a separate phrase for a hyphen or a slash: such a command simply does not exist there. Potok is a cloud service, speech recognition happens on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. The free limit of words per week may not be enough for someone who dictates all day, and then you need a plan without a limit.

Frequently asked questions

Can I type a hyphen or a slash by voice in Potok?

Potok has no separate voice command for this, just as it has no voice commands in general. Such commands exist in Windows 11 voice input (“defis” for a hyphen, “tire” for a dash, “kosaya cherta” for a slash) and in Mac dictation.

How is a hyphen different from a dash in Windows voice input?

These are different commands: “defis” (hyphen) or “znak minus” (minus sign) type a short hyphen -, and “tire” (dash) types a separate long symbol, in the Russian punctuation table of Win+H.

How to type a hyphen and a slash by voice in Windows: how it is done and what to check?

How to type a hyphen and a slash by voice in Windows. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For How to type a hyphen and a slash by voice in Windows you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.

How to type a hyphen and a slash by voice in Windows: how Potok helps at this step?

How to type a hyphen and a slash by voice in Windows: does recognition work without an internet connection?

How to type a hyphen and a slash by voice in Windows. Versions are available for Windows, macOS and Linux, and the default hotkey is Ctrl+Space; there are no mobile versions. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. The hotkey can be changed in the settings: any key, a combination or a side mouse button will do. Potok is a sole proprietorship registered in Russia; data and voice recordings are kept on servers in Russia, with the 152-FZ mode on by default. For How to type a hyphen and a slash by voice in Windows you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.

How to type a hyphen and a slash by voice in Windows: how much it costs and what the free plan includes?

How to type a hyphen and a slash by voice in Windows. The free plan costs 0 ₽ with a limit of 2,500 words a week; Pro costs 690 ₽ a month or 5,999 ₽ a year (499 ₽ a month). Here is how Potok works: hold the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default), speak, release — and the finished text is inserted into the active field of any app. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For How to type a hyphen and a slash by voice in Windows you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.

Download Potok

Works with a single key in any program. 14 days of full access, then Free with 2500 words per week or Pro at 690 ₽/mo (499 ₽/mo paid yearly). Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet.

Download Potok

One subscription, two tools: dictation in any program on your computer and @potok_now_bot in Telegram, which transcribes voice messages, audio and video.

Built-in dictation and Potok

Based on Microsoft and Apple help pages.
Tool	Where it works	Russian language	Where speech is recognized
Windows voice typing (Win+H)	Windows 10 and 11	Windows 11 only	Microsoft cloud, does not work offline
Potok	Windows, macOS, Linux	primary language	cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline

Calculated from average typing and speaking speeds, not measured.
Task	Characters	Typing (200 chars/min)	Voice (900 chars/min)
chat reply	300	2 min	0.5 min
email	1500	8 min	1.7 min
post or meeting minutes	4000	20 min	4.4 min
article	10000	50 min	11.1 min

Primary sources: support.microsoft.com · support.apple.com · support.microsoft.com · support.apple.com