VoiceInk Dictionary Auto Learn: how it learns from your corrections, and what it shares
By Ryleigh Newman · Published
Dictionary Auto Learn is on by default in VoiceInk. When you correct text it just dictated, VoiceInk has your AI provider review the changed part and suggest a Vocabulary entry, a Word Replacement, both, or nothing. Each review shares the changed passage and up to three words on either side with that provider. To keep that on your Mac, choose a local model server, or set reviews to Manually, or turn Auto Learn off.
I built YapToText, a dictation app for the Mac, so read what I say about VoiceInk with that in mind. Every fact about VoiceInk here comes from its own documentation at tryvoiceink.com, read on October 11, 2026.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
On this page: 7 sections
What it does with a correction
- You dictate into an app as usual, with Accessibility permission granted.
- You fix a misheard name or term in the inserted text.
- VoiceInk notices after you leave the field, start another dictation, or paste another result.
- It compares what it inserted with what you ended up with, and sends the changed part for review.
- The AI suggests a Vocabulary entry, a Word Replacement, both, or nothing.
The review looks for corrections specific to you: a full personal name, an internal project, a private product, a username, an uncommon specialized term. Ordinary rewrites, grammar edits, case-only changes and changed numbers are meant to be rejected. Its docs say common brands and technical terms such as Apple, Google, Xcode, Markdown and GitHub are excluded by the automatic policy, though you can add them by hand.
Review immediately or by hand
Open Dictionary, click the gear button, and choose under Review corrections:
From VoiceInk's Dictionary Auto Learn page, read October 11, 2026.
| Setting | What happens |
|---|---|
| Immediately | Corrections go to the selected AI provider as they are captured, and accepted suggestions are added to the Dictionary automatically |
| Manually | Corrections stay queued on your Mac until you select Review Now. Nothing is added until you approve it |
In the manual review panel you can select or deselect each correction, toggle Word Replacement and Vocabulary separately, edit the values, then Apply Selected or Dismiss All. When a single correction is applied automatically, the notification has an Undo.
What Auto Learn shares
Each review sends the changed passage and up to three context words on either side to the AI provider you selected. VoiceInk's docs say your recording, clipboard, screen and the full contents of the text field are not included.
- A cloud provider processes that text under its own privacy policy. The docs point out this can happen even when your transcription model runs locally.
- A local model server. Selecting Ollama connected to a local model keeps the review on your Mac.
- Not available for review. VoiceInk Refine and Local CLI cannot be used for Auto Learn.
- To avoid cloud requests. Turn Auto Learn off, or choose local review.
Auto Learn has its own provider and model setting, picked up from the enhancement provider you configured at onboarding. Changing a Mode does not change it. The VoiceInk privacy page covers the rest of what leaves the Mac.
When it does not learn
- The provider is unavailable. VoiceInk keeps the correction pending and shows a warning in Dictionary. Open Dictionary settings, pick another provider or model if needed, and select Retry.
- The app hides its text. Some apps and fields do not expose editable text through macOS Accessibility. Auto Learn cannot see corrections there. Dictation still works.
- It was an ordinary edit. Rewrites and grammar changes are rejected on purpose.
The VoiceInk dictionary page covers Vocabulary and Word Replacements themselves.
How YapToText learns words
YapToText, the free Mac app I built, does a smaller version of this with no AI provider involved. Fix the same word twice and it asks whether to make the correction stick. A setting called Suggest fixes from my dictations, on by default, offers corrections that keep recurring in your history, worked out on the Mac. And you can select the right spelling anywhere, press the Quick Edit key, and say add this to my dictionary.
It does not judge whether a correction is a name or an ordinary edit the way VoiceInk's review does. It counts repeats. Nothing is sent anywhere, because there is no provider to send it to. Custom vocabulary on a Mac compares how the apps handle your own words.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
The short version
- Default. On, using your enhancement provider.
- Shares. The changed passage plus up to three words each side.
- Keep it local. Ollama with a local model, or turn it off.
- Approve first. Dictionary, gear, Review corrections, Manually.
- Undo. From the notification, or delete the entry.
If VoiceInk changes Auto Learn, open an issue on GitHub and I will update this page. Every one gets read.
This app is completely free. You don't have to make an account. There are no subscriptions, no difficult downloads, and nothing is locked. Made for Apple silicon Macs. Source on GitHub.
Related
Sources
- https://tryvoiceink.com/docs/auto-learn-dictionary (checked 2026-10-11)
- https://tryvoiceink.com/docs/word-replacements (checked 2026-10-11)
- https://tryvoiceink.com/docs/local-cli (checked 2026-10-11)
- https://github.com/ryleighnewman/YapToText (checked 2026-10-11)
- https://apps.apple.com/us/app/yaptotext/id6786382289 (checked 2026-10-11)
Questions
What is Dictionary Auto Learn in VoiceInk?
A feature that watches the corrections you make to dictated text and suggests Vocabulary entries or Word Replacements, reviewed by your selected AI provider.
Does VoiceInk Auto Learn send my text to the cloud?
If your Auto Learn provider is a cloud one, it receives the changed passage and up to three words on either side. A local model through Ollama keeps it on the Mac.
How do I turn off VoiceInk Auto Learn?
Its settings are behind the gear button in Dictionary. Disable Auto Learn, or set Review corrections to Manually so nothing is sent until you choose Review Now.
Why did VoiceInk not learn my correction?
It rejects ordinary edits and common public terms, it cannot see text in apps that hide it from Accessibility, and a review stays pending if the provider is unavailable.