What is the Custom Dictionary?

The Custom Dictionary teaches Whisper words it consistently mishears — your name, brand names, technical terms, foreign words you use often. **Windows only.** **Find it at:** Settings → Tools → Custom Dictionary. **How it works:** You add entries in the format: `wrong → correct`. After every transcription, VoicePad replaces the wrong form with the correct form. **Examples that VoicePad ships with (~850 entries):** - `ay pi eye` → `API` - `cubernetes` → `Kubernetes` - `iPhone` (case-corrects from `i phone`) - German cities (München, Köln, Düsseldorf — corrects from common Whisper mistakes) - Tech brands (PostgreSQL, GraphQL, PyInstaller) **Adding your own entries:** 1. Settings → Tools → Custom Dictionary → **Add Entry** 2. **Original (wrong) word:** what Whisper transcribes 3. **Correct word:** what it should be 4. Save **Best practices — IMPORTANT:** - ⚠️ **Add maximum 20-30 entries at a time** and test before adding more - ⚠️ Too many entries causes Whisper hallucinations (Whisper biases too strongly toward your dictionary) - Add entries gradually, test after each batch - Remove entries that cause problems **What to add:** - ✅ Your name and family names (if Whisper mishears them) - ✅ Brand names you mention often (your company, products you use) - ✅ Technical jargon specific to your field - ✅ Foreign words you use in the wrong language (e.g. English words in German dictation) **What NOT to add:** - ❌ Common words (Whisper handles these fine; you'll create false corrections) - ❌ Too many similar words (Whisper gets confused) - ❌ Phrases longer than a few words (use commands instead) **Storage location:** `AppData\Roaming\VoicePad\custom_dictionary.json` This is a plain text JSON file. You can edit it manually if you prefer, but the UI is safer. **Backup before bulk changes.** Copy the file before adding many entries. If something breaks, restore. **Coming soon:** Learning System will automatically add corrections when you tap Thumbs Down + edit a transcription. See [What is the Learning System?](#).