Mac dictation keeps misspelling names? Start here.

The steps below start from the menu bar icon. If you turned off “Show in menu bar,” that icon is hidden. Click Dictaty in the Dock, or open it from your Applications folder, then turn “Show in menu bar” back on if you want the icon there. macOS can also hide it when the menu bar is full.

Start with a few words you actually use: a coworker’s name, a product name, or a term you keep correcting. Keep the spelling and capitalization you want in the finished text.

1. Open the word listClick Dictaty in the menu bar, choose “Open Dictaty,” and find “Custom words” in the window. Click the heading if the list is collapsed.
2. Enter the spellingType one entry in “Word or phrase,” then click “Add” or press Return. For example, enter Siobhan as a name. Add each word or phrase separately.
3. Add a hint if it needs oneNext to the saved entry, “Sounds like … (optional)” lets you type how it sounds. For Siobhan, you might try Shivon if that is the spelling you keep seeing. You can leave this field empty.
4. Try your actual sentenceDictate something you would write, such as “I’ll send the notes to Siobhan this afternoon.” Read it back. If the name still comes out wrong, adjust the hint and try again. Use the 7-day trial to check your own names and terms.

The saved word is the spelling you want. The hint gives Dictaty another way to recognize a similar spelling in the text it heard. It is typed text, not a recording of your voice, and adding it does not train a speech model.

Dictaty also passes the 100 spellings you added most recently to the Mac’s built-in recognition, as extra hints while you speak. The full list, up to 250 entries, is still used when Dictaty checks the finished text.

A hint is not a command to replace every occurrence. Dictaty checks for a clear match to a whole word or phrase. When the match is uncertain, it leaves the recognized text unchanged.

• The list holds up to 250 entries. Each word or phrase can contain up to 80 characters, including spaces. A pronunciation hint also has an 80-character limit.
• A pronunciation hint shorter than three letters does not help when the entry is a single word. Use at least three letters, or correct that word yourself.
• Add one entry at a time. Commas and line breaks are not accepted in a word entry. A longer phrase still counts as one entry.
• Corrections need clear, complete matches. A word inside a longer word is not a match, and names with competing matches can stay as they were recognized.
• A familiar word may stay unchanged even if you meant a similar-sounding name. A pronunciation hint does not override the check for a word macOS recognizes as valid.
• Existing numbers, web addresses, email addresses, file paths, @mentions, and hashtags are protected from these spelling corrections. This is not a shortcut for inserting a full email address or a block of text.
• A word list cannot recover speech the app didn’t hear. Check the microphone and dictation language if ordinary words are wrong too, and read the result before sending it.

Apple documents a vocabulary editor for Voice Control: System Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control > Vocabulary. It supports words and phrases in compatible languages; a dimmed button means the selected language does not support it.

That is a separate feature from keyboard Dictation. Apple’s keyboard Dictation guide does not describe that editor. Try Voice Control if you want Apple’s built-in vocabulary option.

Wispr Flow has Dictionary and a “Correct a misspelling” option. It can pick up words from your edits, and words and corrections sync online across devices on the same account. Those features may suit you if you write on several devices.

Superwhisper separates Vocabulary, which gives recognition hints, from Replacements, which changes the finished text using fixed rules. Its help recommends a short vocabulary list. That separation is useful when you want both word hints and exact replacements.

Aqua Voice has a Dictionary for names and terms, plus Replacements for phrases that expand into longer text, addresses, or links. If that is what you need, its replacement feature does more than Dictaty’s spelling aid.