Teaching Flow Language-Specific Abbreviations and Acronyms

Last updated: July 30, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

Is Flow expanding "BTW" to "by the way" when you mean the Dutch abbreviation? This guide shows you how to use the Dictionary to override Flow's defaults so acronyms transcribe exactly how you want — in any language. Most setups take under two minutes.

Quick checks

  • Is there a default entry in the way? Flow seeds a few default dictionary entries (including "btw" → "by the way"). To reuse "BTW" as your own abbreviation, edit or delete the existing entry first.

  • Are you signed in? Dictionary changes only sync across devices when you're signed in to your Flow account. On Android, signing out clears the local dictionary; signing in as a different user does the same before pulling that user's data.

  • Are you on the right platform to create the rule? Replacement rules (misspelling → correction) can only be authored on desktop or iOS. Android can sync and trigger them, but not create them.

How to add a language-specific abbreviation

Mac and Windows

In the Flow Hub:

  1. Open the Hub and select Dictionary from the sidebar.

  2. Search for your acronym (e.g., "btw"). If an entry exists, click it to edit. If not, click Add new.

  3. Enable the Correct a misspelling toggle.

  4. Enter what Flow currently transcribes in the Misspelling field (e.g., "btw" or "by the way").

  5. Enter your desired output in the Correct spelling field (e.g., "BTW").

  6. Click Add word (or press Enter), then click the star icon to give the entry higher priority during dictation.

  7. Dictate the acronym in a test message. If it appears as you specified, the entry is working.

You can also select multiple entries (Shift+click or Cmd/Ctrl+click) and use the bulk toolbar to delete them or, if you have team features, share them with your team in one action.

Note: The Add word button and Enter key are disabled until the Misspelling field contains at least one letter or number.

Tip: Press Cmd+N (Mac) or Ctrl+N (Windows) to open the Add New Word dialog instantly, or Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search your dictionary. When not focused in an input, you can also press c to open the Add New Word dialog and / to focus the search field. Additional shortcuts: Arrow Left/Right switch tabs; Arrow Down/Up (or j/k) move through the list; Enter opens the highlighted entry; Shift+click or Shift+Arrow extends a selection; Cmd/Ctrl+Backspace bulk-deletes selected rows; Escape clears the selection.

Note: If your plan includes team features, the Add dialog's Share with team toggle lets you add the entry to the team dictionary. On plans without team features, the toggle is disabled and shows a tooltip explaining how to set up a team.

iOS

In the Flow Keyboard app:

  1. Open Flow Keyboard and go to Dictionary.

  2. Tap the floating action button at the bottom-right corner.

  3. Enable the Correct a misspelling toggle.

  4. Enter the misspelling and the correct spelling.

  5. Tap Save.

  6. Dictate the acronym in any app. If it appears correctly, you're done.

Note: The Correct a misspelling toggle only appears when adding a new word. When editing an existing entry, the misspelling and correction fields appear directly.

Note: On iOS, tapping a row (not just long-press) opens the edit sheet. Auto-learned words display a ✨ suffix; words imported from Contacts display a 👤 suffix; team words appear with a small team icon in the All tab.

Note: On team-eligible plans, the Share with Team toggle appears only when adding a new word (not when editing) and only in the All tab. It does not appear on the Personal or Team tabs.

Tip: Long-press an entry for copy, edit, and delete options, or swipe left to delete it.

Android

In the Flow app:

  1. Open the Flow app and go to Dictionary.

  2. Tap the + button to open the Add Word dialog.

  3. Enter the word you want Flow to recognize.

  4. Tap Add.

  5. Dictate the acronym in any app. If it appears correctly, you're done.

Important: Android's dictionary supports vocabulary words only — there is no field for a misspelling-and-correction pair. To create a replacement rule (e.g., btw → BTW), add it on desktop or iOS. It will sync to Android and apply during dictation. When editing a synced replacement rule on Android, only the trigger word is visible and editable — to view or modify the replacement value, use desktop or iOS.

Tip: Swipe right on an entry to open edit mode, or swipe left to delete it (deletion requires a confirmation dialog). Edits replace the original entry — no duplicate is created.

Best practices

  • Match your pronunciation: If you say letters individually ("bee tee double-u"), enter that as the misspelling instead of "BTW."

  • Use precise capitalization: Enter "BTW" in the correct spelling field, not "btw" or "B.T.W."

  • Add variations: If you sometimes say "B T W" as separate letters and sometimes as a word, add an entry for each.

  • Skip periods: Use "BTW" rather than "B.T.W." unless your style guide requires them.

  • Star critical entries: On desktop, starred entries are prioritized during dictation. Starring is desktop-only — iOS sorts by modification date, and Android has no star. Starred status is stored locally on that device and does not sync, so star the entry on each desktop machine where you need it.

Common issues

The Add/Save button is greyed out when adding a misspelling correction on desktop

The Add word / Save button stays disabled until the Misspelling (trigger) field contains at least one letter or number. Entries that are blank or consist only of spaces, punctuation, or symbols are not accepted. Type a valid trigger word to enable the button. Pressing Enter also respects this check — it will not save a blank or symbol-only entry.

Editing a dictionary word on Android created a duplicate entry

This was caused by edits leaving the original entry behind alongside the new one. Fixed in a recent version of Wispr Flow — edits now replace the original entry. To clean up duplicates already in your dictionary:

  1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

  2. Open the Dictionary screen, swipe left on each duplicate, and tap Delete to confirm.

FAQs

Why does Flow keep expanding my acronym even after I add it to the dictionary?

The misspelling field may not match how you actually pronounce the acronym — if you say it letter by letter ("bee tee double-u"), enter that phrasing instead of "BTW." Also confirm you deleted or edited any existing entry for that acronym, and on desktop, star the entry to raise its priority.

Can I use the same acronym differently in different languages?

Flow cannot automatically detect language context for ambiguous acronyms. If you need "BTW" in Dutch but "by the way" in English, add the Dutch "BTW" entry and spell out "by the way" fully when speaking English.

Do dictionary changes sync across my devices?

Yes, when signed in to your Flow account. Changes apply immediately on the current device. Sync to other devices happens automatically:

  • Desktop: syncs once when the app launches. To pick up changes from other devices later, click the Sync (refresh) button in the Dictionary page toolbar (the tooltip shows the last sync time) or restart the app.

  • iOS: syncs when the app loads. The local dictionary is refreshed whenever the app loads.

  • Android: syncs at sign-in and whenever the Dictionary screen is opened.

To see another device's changes immediately, restart the app or open the Dictionary screen.

What's the difference between adding a word and correcting a misspelling?

Adding a vocabulary word helps Flow recognize it during dictation. Correcting a misspelling creates a replacement rule that swaps the misspelling for your version after transcription. Replacement rules are only created by entries you author with the Correct a misspelling toggle enabled — words Flow auto-learns from your edits become vocabulary additions only. For acronym corrections like btw → BTW, use misspelling correction.

Why am I seeing an error when trying to add a word?

Entries are limited to 60 characters, and behavior varies by platform:

  • Desktop: typing stops at 60 characters.

  • iOS: entries must be shorter than 60 characters; a red inline error appears at save.

  • Android: entries up to 60 characters are accepted; typing beyond that is allowed but you'll see "Word is too long (max 60 characters)" when saving. Android also shows inline errors for empty fields, duplicates, or words that already exist as a snippet.

Can I add team dictionary entries from Android?

No — adding entries directly to the team dictionary from Android is not supported. Use desktop or iOS to add team entries. On Android, the team filter chips (All, Personal, Shared with team) appear only for users on a Business plan with active or trialing status.

Limitations and notes

  • Each entry is limited to 60 characters. See the FAQ above for platform-specific behavior when you hit the limit.

  • On desktop, a valid "Correct a misspelling" trigger must contain at least one letter or number — blank, spaces-only, or symbol-only triggers cannot be saved.

  • Bulk Import is desktop-only and can be enabled in Settings → Experimental.

  • Team Dictionary access depends on your platform and plan:

    • Desktop: available to enterprise members with an active, trialing, or past-due enterprise subscription; or to enterprise members on a paying personal subscription (active, past-due, or trialing).

    • iOS: requires a Team or Business plan (monthly or yearly) in active or trialing status. Past-due is not eligible.

    • Android: team filter chips appear only for users on a Business plan (monthly or yearly) with active or trialing status. Team plans are not included on Android.

Still stuck?

Reach out to support if:

  • Your dictionary entry still isn't applied after starring it and dictating a fresh test phrase.

  • Entries aren't syncing between your devices after restarting the app or reopening the Dictionary screen.

  • You see a notification that your dictionary couldn't be loaded and the issue persists after updating.

  • You see an error message that isn't covered above.

Include your platform, app version, and the exact entry (misspelling and correct spelling) you're trying to add. Most dictionary issues are resolved in one reply.