# Teach NoteOwl names and jargon > Add “When I say” → “Replace with” rules in NoteOwl's Vocabulary, and names and jargon are spelled your way in dictation, meetings and imports from then on. Source: https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/templates/custom-vocabulary · Last updated 2026-09-27 · Checked against NoteOwl 1.0.0 To teach NoteOwl a name or a piece of jargon, open **Vocabulary** in the sidebar, click **Add entry**, type how NoteOwl writes it now under **When I say…** and how it should be written under **Replace with…**. From then on, NoteOwl spells it your way in speech it transcribes: in dictation, meetings and imports. Vocabulary is part of NoteOwl Pro, which you can try free for 7 days: see [start the 7-day NoteOwl Pro trial](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/pro/free-trial). ## Add a vocabulary rule 1. Click **Vocabulary** in the sidebar, under **Configure**. 2. Click **Add entry** at the top right. The **Add Vocabulary** sheet opens. 3. Under **When I say…**, type the word or phrase the way NoteOwl writes it now, such as "fern castle". 4. Under **Replace with…**, type it exactly as it should appear, capitals included, such as "Ferncastle". 5. Click **Add**, or press Return. The rule appears in the table, with **WHEN I SAY** on the left and **REPLACE WITH** on the right. If NoteOwl mishears a word in several ways, add a rule for each one. You can't add two rules for the same **When I say…** text: NoteOwl asks you to edit the one you have. ![NoteOwl's Vocabulary screen, Teach it how you talk, with an Add entry button and a table of rules that replace misheard spellings such as Ferncusel, Fern castle and Fern coastal with Ferncastle, and Pria with Priya](https://www.noteowl.ai/product/p2-vocabulary.webp) ## Where do vocabulary rules apply? To speech NoteOwl transcribes after you add them: dictation, meetings and imported recordings. The screen says so: **These apply to speech NoteOwl transcribes from now on — during dictation, meetings and imports.** Transcripts you already saved stay as they are, unless you re-transcribe them. | Where | What NoteOwl corrects | | ------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | Dictation into any app with **fn** | The words typed at your cursor, and the dictation NoteOwl saves | | Voice notes recorded with **New Dictation** | The voice note's text | | Meetings | The meeting transcript | | Recordings imported in **Transcripts** | The recording's transcript | NoteOwl applies your rules before it polishes, summarizes or reformats anything, so the corrected spelling carries through to summaries and polished text too. A meeting keeps the rules it started with, so editing a rule during a meeting applies from the next one. ## How do I try a rule before I use it? Use **Try it**, below the table. Type a sentence the way you'd say it, and NoteOwl shows what it would write, without recording anything. If no rule applies, it says **No rule matches this yet.** **Try it** uses the same rules as transcription, so what it shows is what you'll get. ## How does NoteOwl match what I say? By whole words, in any mix of capitals. "fern castle" matches "Fern Castle" but not "fern castles". When two rules could match the same words, the longer **When I say…** text wins. NoteOwl writes the **Replace with…** text exactly as you typed it. ## Edit or delete a rule * **Edit a rule**: click it in the table. Change it in **Edit Vocabulary** and click **Save**. * **Delete a rule**: click the bin at the end of its row. NoteOwl deletes it straight away and says **Deleted**, with the rule's **When I say…** text and an **Undo** button in case you clicked by mistake. Changes apply to speech NoteOwl transcribes after you make them. ## What if NoteOwl says my vocabulary couldn't be read? NoteOwl found your vocabulary file but couldn't read it, so it leaves the file exactly as it is. Until it can read it, your rules aren't applied to new transcription, and adding or editing is paused so nothing overwrites the file. Click **Try again** on the **Vocabulary** screen. If this happens during a meeting, NoteOwl says **Your vocabulary couldn’t be read — recording without your custom terms.** and keeps recording. ## Common questions ### Does NoteOwl fix names in transcripts I already have? No. NoteOwl applies vocabulary rules to speech it transcribes after you add them, in dictation, meetings and imports. Transcripts you already saved stay as they are unless you re-transcribe them. ### Is NoteOwl's Vocabulary case-sensitive? No. NoteOwl matches what you type under When I say… in any mix of capitals, and only as whole words. It writes the Replace with… text exactly as you typed it, capitals included. ### Does NoteOwl send my vocabulary anywhere? No. NoteOwl applies vocabulary rules on your Mac, and your list never syncs to a server. It's included when you use Export all data in Settings → Memory. ## Related - [Dictate into any app with the fn key](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/dictation/dictate-into-any-app): Tap fn to start dictating in any Mac app and tap it again to stop. NoteOwl types your words at the cursor and keeps exactly what you said. - [Record a meeting on your Mac](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/meetings/record-a-meeting): Record any call on your Mac with NoteOwl and no bot. Press ⌥Space or Start Meeting; the transcript, summary and action items are written when you stop. - [Choose or write a summary template](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/templates/templates): NoteOwl has 22 built-in summary templates in 7 groups. Rewrite a meeting summary with Summarize as, customize a template, or write your own with New template. - [Export a note, or all of your data](https://www.noteowl.ai/docs/data/export): Export a NoteOwl meeting, dictation or transcript as Markdown, PDF, text or subtitles, or save everything to one zip file with Export all data. Learn more: [Custom vocabulary, on the NoteOwl Features page](https://www.noteowl.ai/features/custom-vocabulary)