Teach Flow your words with the dictionary
Last updated: July 15, 2026
Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Flow misspelling names, technical terms, or industry jargon? The dictionary teaches Flow your vocabulary so it recognizes specialized words and corrects persistent errors automatically.
What it is
The dictionary is a customizable word list that improves Flow's transcription accuracy for your specific vocabulary. Add words Flow should recognize — like names and technical terms — or create replacement rules that automatically fix persistent misspellings. Your dictionary syncs across all your devices.
When to use it
Use the dictionary when you want to:
Add names of colleagues, companies, or products Flow doesn't recognize (e.g., "Lyft," "FigJam").
Teach Flow technical acronyms or industry-specific terminology (e.g., "API," medical or legal terms).
Fix a word Flow consistently misspells the same way.
Import a large vocabulary list from a CSV file.
How it works in Flow
Overview
Dictionary entries work in two ways. Vocabulary words improve Flow's recognition of your specialized terms, while replacement rules fix specific misspellings.
Key behaviors
Word boosting: Vocabulary words improve recognition accuracy for uncommon or specialized terms during transcription.
Misspelling correction: Replacement rules automatically swap one spelling for another.
Fast replacements: Replacement rules and snippets apply as soon as you finish dictating.
Auto-add to dictionary: When enabled in Settings → System → Extras → Auto-add to dictionary, Flow learns distinctive or specialized words from your corrections. Common everyday words are filtered out automatically.
Auto-learned marker: Auto-learned words are marked with a ✨ sparkle icon in the desktop dictionary.
Instant availability: Changes to your dictionary take effect right away — no restart needed.
Cross-device sync: Entries sync automatically between Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.
Priority order: On desktop, personal dictionary words take precedence over team dictionary words when the same word exists in both. Starred words are pinned to the top of your dictionary list (desktop only).
Best practices
Add both singular and plural forms of terms (e.g., "API" and "APIs").
Use misspelling correction for words Flow consistently gets wrong the same way — it's more reliable than just adding the word.
Keep entries concise (60-character limit per word).
Star your most important words so they get higher priority during dictation.
Review your dictionary periodically to remove outdated terms.
How to use the dictionary
Add words to your dictionary
Mac and Windows
Follow these steps to add a word:
Open the Wispr Flow app.
Click Dictionary in the left sidebar.
Click Add new.
Enter the word or phrase you want Flow to recognize.
Click Save.
Dictate a phrase using your new word. If Flow transcribes it correctly, the entry is working.
iOS
Follow these steps to add a word:
Open the Wispr Flow app.
Tap Dictionary at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the + button.
Enter the word or phrase you want Flow to recognize.
Tap Save.
Dictate a phrase using your new word. If Flow transcribes it correctly, the entry is working.
Tap any row to open the edit sheet directly. AI-suggested words show a ✨ next to their text; contact-imported words show 👤.
Android
Follow these steps to add a word:
Open Wispr Flow.
Tap Dictionary at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the + button.
Enter the word you want Flow to recognize.
Tap Add.
Dictate a phrase using your new word. If Flow transcribes it correctly, the entry is working.
On Android, Flow rejects entries that are empty, too long, already in your dictionary, or already used as a snippet trigger, and shows an inline message explaining why.
Note: Words must be 1–60 characters on Android and desktop, and 1–59 characters on iOS. Duplicate entries are rejected on all platforms.
Add words from the scratchpad (Mac and Windows)
If a word is underlined as a potential misspelling in the scratchpad or main text editor, you can add it to your dictionary without leaving the page:
Right-click the underlined word in the scratchpad.
Select Add to Dictionary from the context menu.
The word is saved immediately and will no longer be flagged as a misspelling. You can also right-click to apply a suggested correction with one click.
Fix persistent misspellings
If Flow keeps transcribing a word incorrectly (e.g., "Draught" instead of "Draft"):
Go to Dictionary and click Add new (or tap + on iOS).
Enter the correct spelling (e.g., "Draft").
Toggle on Correct a misspelling.
Enter the wrong spelling Flow keeps producing (e.g., "Draught").
Click or tap Save.
Dictate a phrase that would trigger the misspelling. If Flow now produces the correct spelling, the replacement is active.
Important: Each word can only have one replacement rule. To change a correction, edit the existing entry rather than creating a new one.
Add a correction to an imported word
Words imported from a CSV file appear in your Vocabulary list and can have a correction added later.
Open Dictionary and find the imported word — look for the upload icon next to the entry.
Click the entry to open it.
Toggle on Correct a misspelling.
Enter the incorrect spelling Flow keeps producing.
Click Save.
On desktop, you can also add a plain word first and attach a replacement rule to it later — Flow treats this as an update to the existing entry.
Edit or delete entries
Mac and Windows
To edit: Click the entry to open it, make your changes, and click Save.
To delete: Click the trash icon next to the entry.
Select multiple entries with Cmd/Ctrl+click, Shift+click, or Shift+Arrow keys to bulk delete or bulk share with your team. A confirmation dialog appears before deletion. Cmd/Ctrl+Delete triggers bulk delete.
iOS
To edit: Tap any entry to open it, make your changes, and tap Save.
To delete: Swipe left on any entry to delete it.
Android
To edit: Swipe right on the word. Your changes will replace the existing entry.
To delete: Swipe left and confirm in the dialog that appears.
Search your dictionary
Mac and Windows
Press Cmd+F (Mac) or Ctrl+F (Windows) to open the search bar, or click the magnifying glass icon. You can also press "/" to focus the search bar when you're not typing in an input.
Search filters in real time and matches against both the word and its replacement. Press Escape to close the search bar.
To add a new entry from the keyboard, press Cmd+N (Mac) or Ctrl+N (Windows), or press "c" when not typing in an input.
iOS
Search is not currently available on iOS — browse the list to find entries.
Android
A search bar is always visible at the top of the dictionary screen. Type to filter entries in real time.
Star a word (Mac and Windows)
Starring a word gives it higher priority during dictation. When Flow encounters conflicting words or has many dictionary items, starred words are recognized first.
Click the star icon next to any dictionary entry. The star fills in to show it's active.
Click the star again to remove it.
Dictate a phrase containing the starred word. If Flow consistently transcribes it correctly even against similar-sounding words, the star is active.
Filter your dictionary
Mac and Windows
All users see filter tabs: All, Personal, and Shared with team. If you're not on a team plan, the team tab shows an upgrade prompt.
iOS
Team plan subscribers see filter tabs: All, Personal, and Team. On the All tab, team entries display a team icon. Non-team users see a flat list with no filters.
Android
Business plan users see filter chips: All, Personal, and Shared with Team. All other users — including regular Team plan users — see a flat list with no filters.
Sort your dictionary (Mac and Windows)
Use the sort options to change how your dictionary list is ordered:
Starred first: Brings starred words to the top, with ties broken by most recently modified.
Newest first: Most recently added entries appear at the top.
Oldest first: Earliest entries appear at the top.
Alphabetical (A–Z): Entries sorted alphabetically.
Your sort preference is saved automatically. On iOS, the dictionary is sorted by most recently modified, with alphabetical tiebreakers. Android does not have sort controls.
Copy a dictionary word (iOS)
Long-press a dictionary entry to open the context menu, which includes Copy, Edit, Delete, and — for team users — Move to team dictionary. Select Copy to see a "Word copied to clipboard" confirmation. When a replacement is set, the correct spelling — not the misspelling — is copied.
Bulk import from CSV (Mac and Windows)
Go to Settings → Experimental and enable Bulk Import.
Return to the Dictionary page and click Import.
Select a CSV file with one column (vocabulary words) or two columns (misspelling/correction pairs). You can also drag and drop a file onto the upload zone.
The import moves through four steps: Upload, Verify (Preview), Importing, and Success. After importing, all words from the CSV appear in your Vocabulary list with an upload icon. You can add or edit corrections for any of these entries at any time.
If every item in your file is a duplicate, the preview shows "All N items already exist in your dictionary" and the button changes to "Done". Only .csv files are accepted; invalid file types show an inline error.
Note: Bulk import supports up to 1,000 entries per file and a maximum file size of 3MB. Duplicate entries (within the file or against your existing dictionary) are automatically skipped. Rows with more than two columns and malformed rows (such as unterminated quotes) are silently skipped — the preview summary only shows the count of duplicates. Quoted fields are supported, so commas inside quotes won't split a value across columns. Bulk import supports both dictionary words and snippets, and when team features are enabled, a Share with Team toggle lets you import directly into the team dictionary.
Team features walkthrough (Mac and Windows)
If your organization is on a Business plan, Flow shows a 3-step guided walkthrough the first time you open the Hub. It introduces team insights, the team dictionary, and team snippets. The walkthrough appears as a card with step indicators and Back/Next buttons so you can move through it at your own pace. Solo Team-plan subscribers without a Business plan will not see this walkthrough.
Examples
Adding a colleague's name
Problem: Flow transcribes "McKenzie" as "Mackenzie."
Solution: Add "McKenzie" to your dictionary.
Result: Flow now recognizes "McKenzie" when you speak it.
Fixing a persistent misspelling
Problem: Flow keeps transcribing "Draft" as "Draught."
Solution: Add "Draft" with Correct a misspelling enabled, entering "Draught" as the misspelling.
Result: Flow automatically replaces "Draught" with "Draft."
Adding technical acronyms
Problem: Flow transcribes "API" as "A.P.I." or "a pie."
Solution: Add both "API" and "APIs" to your dictionary.
Result: Flow recognizes both singular and plural forms correctly.
Common issues
Bugs fixed in recent updates
The following issues have been fixed in recent versions of Wispr Flow:
Replacement rules and snippets not applying as quickly as expected after dictation.
The + button to add a new dictionary or snippet entry being hidden behind the system navigation bar on Android.
Editing a dictionary word on Android leaving behind a duplicate entry.
Renaming a dictionary word on Android creating a duplicate entry after syncing or relaunching the app.
Dictionary or Snippets not showing a "no results" message when searching or filtering returned no matches on Android.
Common words like "sprint," "feature," or "deploy" being saved to your dictionary automatically.
"Add to Dictionary" button staying visible after typing to replace a selection on iOS.
Dictionary and Snippets tabs appearing empty after launching the app on iOS.
Proper nouns and other words not being extracted correctly during dictation.
Dictionary words appearing on the Snippets screen (or vice versa) after syncing on Android.
App crashes when browsing the dictionary, snippets, or language list.
App crashes when a word appears in both personal and team dictionaries.
To resolve any of these:
Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.
Restart the app after updating.
FAQs
What's the difference between adding a word and correcting a misspelling?
Adding a word helps Flow recognize it during transcription. Correcting a misspelling replaces one word with another. Use misspelling correction when Flow consistently produces a specific wrong spelling.
How do team dictionaries work?
On Team and Business plans, admins can create shared dictionary entries that apply to all team members automatically. Individual users can still add personal entries. If the same word exists in both your personal and team dictionaries, your personal version takes precedence.
Why aren't common words like "sprint" or "roadmap" added to my dictionary automatically?
Auto-add to dictionary filters out common everyday words, so Flow only learns distinctive or specialized words from your corrections. To handle a common word a specific way, add it manually.
Can a word be both a dictionary entry and a snippet trigger?
On Android, no — a word can only be one or the other, and Flow shows a message if you try to add a word that's already in use in the other list. On desktop and iOS, this cross-check is not enforced, so you can add the same word as both.
Why aren't my replacement rules working on iOS or Android?
If replacement rules aren't taking effect on iOS or Android, check that you're signed in and that your dictionary is syncing across your devices.
Can I export my dictionary?
There is no built-in export feature. Contact support if you need to migrate a large dictionary.
Limitations and notes
Dictionary entries have a 60-character limit per word (59 characters on iOS).
Each word can only have one replacement rule.
On Android, a word cannot be both a dictionary entry and a snippet trigger. On desktop and iOS, this cross-check is not enforced.
Bulk import is available on Mac and Windows only (up to 1,000 entries per import, 3MB file size limit).
Team dictionary access requires a Team or Business plan on iOS. On desktop, team dictionary features require a Business plan.
Android does not support starring, sorting, or bulk import. Replacement rules can only be created on desktop or iOS, though Android still applies them during dictation.
iOS does not have search — browse the list to find entries.
Still need help?
Reach out to our support team if:
A dictionary word still isn't being recognized after you've added it and restarted Flow.
A bulk CSV import fails or skips entries you expected to import.
You need to export or migrate a large dictionary.
Include your platform (Mac, Windows, iOS, or Android), your Wispr Flow version, and an example word that isn't behaving as expected. Most dictionary issues are resolved in one reply.