Make Your Own Speakable Items

The Speech function in Mac has never been really good. However, there is a cool feature that you can do with it. This feature is that you can easily add speakable items of your own. Essentially, we're going to go to

(Your Home Folder)/Library/Speech/Speakable Items/

and put in a applescript file in that folder.


Step 1: Make the Action You Want as an Applescript

For this example, we'll be making a command to sleep your computer. The applescript for this would be:

tell application "Finder" to sleep


Step 2: Save the Applescript

Save the applescript as a .scpt file. (The default.) Save it with the text you want to say to complete the action. Keep in mind that the longer the name, the easier it will be for your computer to recognize your speech. So, instead of calling your applescript "Sleep", I would suggest calling it "Go to sleep".


Step 3: Move Your Applescript

To activate your spoken item, simply move it to: Your_Home_Folder/Library/Speech/Speakable Items/

Now, you should be able to speak your item and have it happen.