Dictating with an accent on a Mac
Updated
If Scribe mishears your words, start by checking the selected language and adding repeated spelling errors to the Dictionary. These settings let you correct known problems; they do not promise a particular accuracy for an accent.
Which languages should I choose?
Open Settings › Languages on the Mac, or the Languages item in the menu bar menu. You can choose up to three. Scribe listens for all of them at once and works out which one you are speaking, so you do not need to switch between them before each dictation.
Choose the languages you actually speak, and keep the list short. Apple’s on-device speech lists regional variants of some languages, such as English for the United Kingdom, Australia or India, and Scribe shows the ones installed on your Mac first. The Languages page has the full list of variants that were checked in October 2026.
Does the Parakeet pack help with European languages?
The pack provides recognition for languages Apple does not handle on-device; it is not a separate accent setting. The optional Parakeet language pack understands 25 European languages, including Czech, Polish, Dutch, Swedish and Greek. It is a 483 MB download, and you ask for it when you need it. Languages Apple already handles stay on Apple’s path. Until the pack is installed, languages that need it show Download language pack. The Languages page explains which languages use the pack.
What microphone should I use?
Try a short passage in a quiet room, then repeat it with your usual microphone. Compare the resulting words rather than assuming a particular microphone will fix the problem. Check that Scribe has microphone access under System Settings › Privacy & Security › Microphone. If a dictation says The microphone couldn’t be started, another app may be using the microphone, so close it and try again.
The Dictate on Mac page lists microphone startup errors and the permission to check. If access was denied, allow it there before trying again.
How do I teach Scribe words it misses?
Add the word to the Dictionary. Type the correct spelling in Word or name, then the ways Scribe tends to hear it under Heard as, separated by commas. For example, a surname written Okafor might be entered with Okafore and Oka for under Heard as. From then on, Scribe replaces those spellings with the correct one.
Replacements match whole words and ignore capitals. They run before and after Refine, so a rewrite does not undo them. Scribe’s Dictionary is most dependable for names and terms. Recognition does not always follow custom vocabulary on its own, so keep the list to the words that matter.
Can Scribe learn from my corrections?
Yes, with your permission. When you correct a spelling in text Scribe just inserted, it can ask once: Always spell “Okafore” as “Okafor”? You choose Add or Not now. After one Not now, Scribe waits until you make the same correction three more times before asking again. A second Not now stops the suggestion for that pair.
Nothing is added unless you press Add. Review everything under Settings › Dictionary › Corrections. The Auto-learning page explains the rules in full.
What if a word is still wrong?
Speak the word clearly at a natural pace, then check the result. If the same mistake keeps coming back, add it to the Dictionary. If a whole sentence comes out wrong, dictate it again. Scribe’s Paste Last Dictation item in the menu bar inserts the most recent text again, which helps if the text landed in the wrong field.
How can I check whether a change helped?
Use the same short passage before and after changing a setting. Include everyday sentences and a few names or terms that have been misheard. Read the result and note which errors repeat. A Dictionary entry is useful when a particular spelling comes out wrong in the same way; it is not a general adjustment to speech recognition.
Change one thing at a time so you can see what made a difference. Keep speaking in your normal voice. If a language uses the Parakeet pack, the whole take is transcribed when you release the shortcut rather than appearing word by word; a shorter live preview is expected on that path.
Does Scribe send my voice to a server?
Recognition runs on the Mac by default, and audio is not uploaded. Model downloads happen only when you choose them. The Dictionary and correction history also stay on the device.
Try it
Choose your languages, add three or four names you dictate often to the Dictionary, then dictate a short paragraph into a blank note. Download Scribe for Mac if you have not installed it yet. Languages and Dictionary have the details for each step.