Custom vocabulary · Pro

Custom vocabulary: names and jargon spelled your way

NoteOwl’s custom vocabulary is a list of simple rules — “When I say” this, “Replace with” that — so names, company names and jargon are spelled your way in everything NoteOwl transcribes from then on: dictation, meetings and imports.

The replacements run entirely on your Mac, and vocabulary rules are part of NoteOwl Pro, with a 7-day free trial in the app.

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NoteOwl’s Vocabulary screen, “Teach it how you talk.”: rules under When I say and Replace with, such as “Ferncusel” and “Fern castle” to Ferncastle, “Pria” to Priya and “Priasha” to Priya Shah, with an Add entry button
The Vocabulary screen in NoteOwl, with rules for a client’s name and a colleague’s.

How do you add custom vocabulary in NoteOwl?

Open Vocabulary in NoteOwl’s sidebar and click Add entry. Under “When I say…”, type the word the way NoteOwl writes it now; under “Replace with…”, type how it should be spelled; then click Add. Everything NoteOwl transcribes from then on uses it.

  1. 1

    Open Vocabulary

    In NoteOwl’s sidebar, choose Vocabulary, under Configure.

  2. 2

    Click Add entry

    In the sheet that opens, under “When I say…”, type the word or phrase the way NoteOwl writes it now.

  3. 3

    Type the right spelling

    Under “Replace with…”, type it exactly as it should appear, capitals included, then click Add.

  4. 4

    Try it

    Type a sentence the way you’d say it, and NoteOwl shows what it would write — without recording anything.

Click a rule to change it. The bin beside it deletes it, and Undo puts it back if you clicked by mistake.

Where do your vocabulary rules apply?

In everything NoteOwl transcribes after you add a rule. The Vocabulary screen says it plainly:

“These apply to speech NoteOwl transcribes from now on — during dictation, meetings and imports. Transcripts you have already saved are left as they are, unless you re-transcribe them.”
Dictation into any app
Uses your vocabularyYes
What changesThe words typed at your cursor, and the dictation NoteOwl saves
Voice notes recorded in NoteOwl
Uses your vocabularyYes
What changesThe note’s text
Meetings
Uses your vocabularyYes
What changesThe meeting transcript
Imported recordings
Uses your vocabularyYes
What changesThe transcript of the file
Re-transcribe, in Transcripts
Uses your vocabularyYes
What changesThe new transcript uses the rules you have now
Transcripts already saved
Uses your vocabularyNo
What changesLeft as they are, unless you re-transcribe them
Re-transcribe is on each imported recording in Transcripts: it runs speech to text again on the saved audio and replaces the transcript.

Which names and terms should you add?

Names, jargon and shortcuts — the screen’s own three. Treat it as a custom dictionary for everything NoteOwl hears: people’s names, clients and products, the acronyms of your trade, and short phrases you want written out in full.

  • People’s names

    Colleagues, clients and anyone whose name is easy to mishear, such as “Pria” → Priya.

  • Company and product names

    Your clients, your own products and brand names with unusual spellings.

  • Jargon and acronyms

    The terms of your trade, written the way your team writes them: “k8s” → Kubernetes, “see sharp” → C#.

  • Shortcuts

    A short phrase you say, replaced with the longer text you want written.

“k8s → Kubernetes” and “see sharp → C#” are the examples NoteOwl itself suggests on an empty Vocabulary screen.

How does NoteOwl match a vocabulary rule?

Word for word, once the speech is transcribed and before anything is formatted: NoteOwl finds the words under “When I say…”, ignoring case and matching whole words only, and writes the “Replace with…” text in their place.

That is why the screen is headed Applied before formatting: when NoteOwl polishes a dictation, it starts from your spelling.

  • Whole words, any case

    Matching ignores case and only replaces whole words, so a rule never changes part of a longer word.

  • Longer phrases first

    When two rules could match in the same place, the longer phrase wins.

  • Written exactly as you typed it

    The replacement keeps your capitals, spaces and punctuation.

  • One rule per mishearing

    Add a rule for each way NoteOwl writes a name. The screen at the top of this page has eleven for one client.

Are your vocabulary rules private?

Yes. Your rules are kept on your Mac and applied there, so they work offline and are never uploaded. Export all data includes your vocabulary, so a copy goes with everything else you export.

“Names, jargon, shortcuts. Replacements run entirely on-device.”
Under the Vocabulary screen’s title
“Replacements run fully on-device — your custom vocabulary never syncs to a server.”
At the foot of the Vocabulary screen

Is custom vocabulary free?

No. Vocabulary rules are part of NoteOwl Pro, along with meetings and imported recordings. Dictation into any app and voice notes are free and unlimited, forever.

NoteOwl Pro is $79 once for one Mac, with a 7-day free trial in the app and no card.

Dictation into any app
FreeUnlimited
ProUnlimited
Voice notes
FreeUnlimited
ProUnlimited
Custom vocabulary
FreeNo
ProYes
Meetings and imported recordings
FreeNo
ProYes

NoteOwl’s vocabulary at a glance

The facts, in one table. NoteOwl transcribes with on-device AI models and applies your vocabulary on the Mac, so it works offline.

Where it is
Vocabulary, in NoteOwl’s sidebar under Configure
A rule
“When I say…” → “Replace with…”
Applies to
Speech transcribed from now on: dictation, meetings and imports
Saved transcripts
Left as they are, unless you re-transcribe them
Matching
Ignores case; whole words only; the longer phrase wins
Test a rule
Try it, without recording anything
Where it runs
On your Mac; replacements run entirely on-device
Plan
NoteOwl Pro, $79 once for one Mac; 7-day free trial in the app
Requirements
macOS 26 or later, Apple Silicon (M1 or newer), 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended

What else does NoteOwl do?

Vocabulary rules make NoteOwl’s transcripts read right. NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for Mac: it records meetings without a bot, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and lets you chat with everything you’ve recorded.

  • Free speech to text for Mac

    Tap fn, talk and tap again: the words type at your cursor in any app, and one tap polishes them in the right tone for that app. Free and unlimited.

  • Transcription with speaker identification

    Vocabulary fixes the words; speaker labels say who said them. Name a voice once and NoteOwl recognises it in every meeting after.

See all of NoteOwl’s features

FAQ

Questions about custom vocabulary

What is custom vocabulary in NoteOwl?

Custom vocabulary in NoteOwl is a list of rules that fix how names and jargon are written: when NoteOwl hears one thing, it writes another, such as “Pria” as Priya. The rules apply to dictation, meetings and imports from the moment you add them, and run entirely on your Mac.

Do my vocabulary rules work when I dictate into other apps?

Yes. With NoteOwl Pro, your vocabulary rules apply while you dictate into any app: the words typed at your cursor use your spelling, and so does the dictation NoteOwl saves. Dictation itself is free and unlimited; the vocabulary rules are part of NoteOwl Pro.

Does custom vocabulary change transcripts I already have?

No. A vocabulary rule applies to speech transcribed after you add it, and transcripts you have already saved are left as they are. To apply new rules to an imported recording, click Re-transcribe on it in NoteOwl’s Transcripts.

Are NoteOwl’s vocabulary rules case-sensitive?

No. NoteOwl matches a vocabulary rule whatever the case of the words it hears, and only replaces whole words, so a rule never changes part of a longer word. The replacement is written exactly as you typed it, capitals included.

How is custom vocabulary different from naming speakers?

Vocabulary rules fix the words inside what was said, such as a client’s name spelled wrong. Naming speakers sets who said each line of a NoteOwl meeting transcript, and NoteOwl then recognises that voice in later meetings. The two work side by side.

Are my vocabulary rules uploaded anywhere?

No. NoteOwl keeps your vocabulary rules on your Mac and applies them there: the replacements run entirely on-device and work offline. NoteOwl’s Export all data includes your vocabulary, so a copy goes with everything else you export.

Is custom vocabulary free in NoteOwl?

No. Vocabulary rules are part of NoteOwl Pro, a one-time $79 purchase for one Mac with no subscription, and you can try it free for 7 days in the app with no card. Dictation into any app and voice notes stay free.

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macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended

About NoteOwl

NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.

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