Dragon shouts (Thu'um) are powerful word-based abilities. Each shout has three words of power, and normally you must find a word wall and spend a dragon soul to unlock each word. From the console you can add shouts, teach individual words, and top up dragon souls instantly.
How to unlock a shout
- Open the console with the tilde key (
~) — see the open the console guide. - Type
addshout <ShoutID>to add the shout to your character. - Add dragon souls with
player.modav dragonsouls 10so you can unlock the words. - Unlock each word in the Magic menu, or force them with
unlockword <WordID>.
Useful commands
addshout <ShoutID>— grants a whole shout.player.teachword <WordID>— teaches a single word of power.unlockword <WordID>— unlocks a learned word so it is usable.player.modav dragonsouls 10— adds ten dragon souls.
Notes & tips
- Each word costs one dragon soul to unlock — add a few souls before unlocking a full three-word shout.
- Find shout and word IDs in our dragon shout list or with
helpin the console. - Shouts also have a cooldown between uses; adding them via the console does not remove that timer.
Frequently asked questions
How do I unlock a dragon shout with the console?
Use addshout <ShoutID> to add the full shout to your character, then unlockword for each of its three words so all power tiers are usable. You also need dragon souls to actually unlock the words in the menu.
How do I learn just one word of power?
Use player.teachword <WordID> to teach a single word of power. This is useful when you have absorbed the wall word but have not yet unlocked it because you lack a dragon soul.
How do I get dragon souls to unlock shouts?
Add them directly with player.modav dragonsouls <number>, for example player.modav dragonsouls 10. Each shout word costs one dragon soul to unlock in the menu.
Why is my shout grayed out after adding it?
A shout's later words stay locked until you spend a dragon soul on them. Add souls with player.modav dragonsouls, then unlock the word in the Magic menu, or use unlockword to force it.