Dictionary Auto Learn
Let VoiceInk learn from the corrections you make after dictation.
What Auto Learn Does
Dictionary Auto Learn helps VoiceInk improve as you use it. When you correct recently dictated text, VoiceInk reviews the changed part using the AI provider and model selected in Dictionary settings.
The review looks for user-specific phonetic corrections, such as a complete personal name, internal project, private product, username, or uncommon specialized term. It distinguishes those from ordinary edits and familiar public terminology. The AI can suggest a Vocabulary entry, a Word Replacement, both, or nothing.
What happens next depends on your review setting. VoiceInk can apply useful suggestions immediately, or hold them for you to inspect and approve first.
You continue editing normally. VoiceInk detects the correction after you leave the text field, begin another dictation, paste another result, or the observation period ends.
Auto Learn Setup
Auto Learn is enabled by default. During onboarding, the enhancement provider and model you configure are also selected for Dictionary Auto Learn.
If you skip AI enhancement during onboarding, VoiceInk uses the first enhancement provider and model you connect later. You can review or change this selection at any time by opening Dictionary and clicking the gear button.
After the initial selection, Dictionary Auto Learn has its own provider and model setting. Changing a Mode does not change it.
Using Auto Learn
Grant VoiceInk Accessibility permission, dictate into an app as usual, then correct a misheard name or term in the inserted text. VoiceInk compares the text it inserted with the final edited text and saves useful changes for review.
Depending on the correction, VoiceInk can suggest:
- The corrected term to Vocabulary, helping supported transcription models and AI enhancement recognize it.
- The original and corrected text to Word Replacements, allowing the same mishearing to be corrected automatically.
- Both entries when recognition and automatic replacement would be useful together.
When different mishearings lead to the same corrected term, VoiceInk keeps them together. For example, voicing, voice ink, and voice inc can all lead to VoiceInk without creating conflicting entries.
Normal rewrites, grammar edits, case-only changes, abbreviation expansions, and changed numbers or facts are not reusable phonetic corrections and should be rejected. Common brands and technical terms such as Apple, Google, Xcode, Markdown, React, PostgreSQL, and GitHub are also excluded by the automatic review policy. You can still add them manually.
A complete personal name can become Vocabulary. An isolated first name or surname may be suggested only as a Word Replacement unless it is genuinely a complete one-word name.
Choose a Review Workflow
Open Dictionary, click the gear button, and choose Immediately or Manually under Review corrections.
| Setting | What happens |
|---|---|
| Immediately | Corrections are sent to the selected AI provider as they are captured. Accepted suggestions are added to the Dictionary automatically. |
| Manually | Corrections stay queued locally until you select Review Now. The AI prepares suggestions, but nothing is added until you approve it. |
Dictionary settings shows the number of corrections waiting for AI review or your approval.
Review Corrections Manually
With Manually selected, open Dictionary settings and select Review Now. VoiceInk sends the pending corrections to your selected AI provider, then opens Review Corrections with the resulting suggestions.
For each suggestion, you can:
- Select or deselect the entire correction.
- Toggle Word Replacement and Vocabulary independently using the arrow and book buttons.
- Click the original or corrected value to edit it before applying.
- Select Apply Selected to add only the corrections you chose, or Apply All when every suggestion is selected.
Select Dismiss All to discard every suggestion currently shown. Closing the panel without applying or dismissing keeps the suggestions available for later review.
Manual means approval first
In manual mode, captured corrections remain on your Mac until you select Review Now. After the AI prepares suggestions, they still require your approval before VoiceInk changes Vocabulary or Word Replacements.
Notifications and Undo
VoiceInk shows a notification when it applies new Dictionary entries. When a single correction is applied automatically, select Undo from the notification if you do not want to keep it.
Learned entries appear alongside entries you added manually. You can edit or remove them at any time from Vocabulary or Word Replacements.
Privacy and Provider Choice
Auto Learn shares each changed passage and up to three context words on either side with the AI provider you select. This helps the model understand whether the correction is a reusable term or an ordinary edit.
Your recording, clipboard, screen, and the full contents of the text field are not included.
Select Ollama connected to a local model server to keep AI review on your Mac. VoiceInk Refine and Local CLI cannot be used for Auto Learn review. If you select a cloud provider, it processes the shared text according to its own privacy policy. This can happen even when your transcription model runs locally. Disable Auto Learn or choose local review if you want to avoid those cloud requests.
When a Review Cannot Be Completed
If the configured provider or model is unavailable, VoiceInk keeps the correction pending and shows a warning in Dictionary. Open Dictionary settings to review the problem, choose another provider or model if needed, and select Retry.
Some apps and text fields do not expose their editable text through macOS Accessibility. Auto Learn cannot detect corrections in those fields, but your editing and dictation continue normally.