Fact · Dictation on Mac
In Apple's Voice Control, recording how a custom vocabulary term is pronounced requires Dictation to be turned on, but you can save the term without recording it.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“To teach Voice Control how to say a phrase, Dictation must be turned on”
Use a custom vocabulary with Voice Control on Mac, Apple, Apple Support (Mac User Guide), 2026, Add individual vocabulary terms.
Open the original- What it measures
- Apple's steps add a term first, then record its pronunciation in a separate step. If Dictation is off, the Save Without Recording option lets you keep entering terms and record pronunciations later.
- What it does not show
- Apple's page shows its steps for the macOS version selected on the page (macOS 27 when we checked on 2026-10-16). Menu names may differ on older versions.