docs / use pomvox

Using cleanup

A finishing pass for spoken text.

What cleanup does

Local cleanup handles fillers, punctuation, casing and spoken self‑corrections. “Thursday… no, Friday” can become “Friday.” That is an illustration, not a guarantee.

What to expect

Cleanup adds a little processing time and uses memory. Review important names, dates and numbers after dictating.

If cleanup can’t finish

Pomvox keeps your transcript when cleanup can’t produce an accepted result. You get your own words, not a guess.

Dictionary: words and fixups

Open Dictionary in the Pomvox window. These instructions use Pomvox 0.2.9.

Words give the cleanup model your preferred spellings for names and specialist terms. Type a spelling in Add a word… and press Return. This is a hint, not a guaranteed replacement, and needs cleanup to be on. Remove a word with its × button; to change a spelling, remove it and add the corrected word.

Fixups replace specific misheard words or phrases in the resulting text, even when cleanup is off. Use one when the same mistake keeps recurring. They match whole words or phrases without regard to case; they do not retrain the speech model.

Add and preview a fixup

Here is a fictional example: you want the name Nivara, but get nee vara.

1. Under Fixups, choose New rule (announced as New fixup rule by accessibility tools).
2. In Pomvox should write, enter Nivara.
3. In When it hears, enter nee vara and press Return to add it. Repeat for other misheard forms you actually want to replace. Review any suggested variants and deselect unwanted ones.
4. In Preview, type Send this to nee vara tomorrow. The result should read Send this to Nivara tomorrow. This previews this rule before saving; Cancel discards the edit.
5. Choose Add rule. Then use Try it on the Dictionary page to check the saved rules together, including sentences that should stay unchanged.

You need at least one added or selected misheard form before Add rule is available. Press Return after typing a form; text still in the input is not yet part of the rule. Keep Pomvox should write filled in for a spelling correction: an empty replacement removes the matched words.

When changes apply

Words save when you press Return. Fixups save with Add rule or, when editing, Save. Rule toggles and removals save as you use them. Pomvox reloads saved changes without an app restart; test with a new dictation after saving. Existing text in another app is not rewritten.

Changing Words may briefly show Applying… while the cleanup vocabulary updates. Try it tests literal fixups, not the cleanup model or microphone recognition. Previewing a replacement does not prove a dictation will contain that exact mishearing. Always review the final text.

Change or undo a fixup

Use the pencil button (Edit rule) to change a rule, preview it, then choose Save. To stop a correction while keeping the rule, turn its toggle off. Turn it back on to restore it. The trash button (Delete rule) removes it; record the spellings first if you might need to recreate it. Removing a rule does not undo text already inserted elsewhere—edit that text in its destination app.

If a correction is missing or too broad, follow Dictionary troubleshooting.