# Managing the vocabulary

To add words to the system or delete words that you don't want to appear in your recognition results, select the menu icon and open the Manage Vocabulary page or say manage vocabulary.

The Manage Vocabulary page lists words that you have added to the vocabulary. Changes you make here apply only to you; other users of the system won't be affected. The vocabulary that was delivered with the speech recognition software isn't listed.

Your system administrator can manage the vocabulary for groups of users. You can include words in your list that your system administrator has added centrally; select the options icon and select the corresponding filter.

## Adding words

To add new words, select +. You can also add words directly from the text you're working on; select the word and say add that to vocabulary.

On the Add Word page, enter the word you want to add.

Note: Short phrases, abbreviations and acronyms are also valid; the system will add them to the vocabulary as you have written them here.

### Pronunciation

If the word is pronounced as it's written, select Use Default Pronunciation. The system will recognize the word based on its spelling. Alternatively, select the microphone icon to record how you pronounce the word.

If how the auto-text name is written and how it's pronounced are very different (for example, a word from another language or an abbreviation), select Enter the word as you would pronounce it and type in how you pronounce the word. The system will recognize the word based on the pronunciation you provide.

Examples of words for which the spelling is different from the pronunciation:

Word | Pronunciation
--- | ---
coup d'etat | coo detah
Worcester | wooster
MB | megabyte
income/expenditure | income slash expenditure
IEEE | i triple e

For abbreviations pronounced as individual letters, type capital letters separated by spaces (don't use dots or lowercase). For example:

Word | Pronunciation
--- | ---
USA | U S A
PhD | P H D
jpeg | J peg
XY chromosomes | X Y chromosomes

When you enter a pronunciation, follow these rules:

- Use alphabetic characters only. Don't use:

  Digits (for example, use 'twelve' instead of '12') unless they are part of common words (for example, use '3D' instead of 'three D').

  Punctuation marks (for example, ., ", ! or ?).

  Symbols (for example, +, & or $) except for hyphens used in compound words (for example, 'C-spine').

- Follow standard capitalization rules (for example, use capital letters for proper names).

- Avoid using capital letters (except for acronyms or if the standard capitalization rules require it, see above).

- For acronyms that are spelled out, use capital letters (for example, CIA); if they are not recognized, separate the capital letters by spaces (for example, C I A).

- For acronyms that are pronounced as words, use lowercase (for example, use 'pet CT' for 'PETCT' or 'pick' for 'PICC').

- Don't use very short names that are acoustically difficult to capture (such as one syllable only).

- Use full words instead of abbreviations (for example, use 'without' instead of 'wo').

- Check for typos.

## Modifying words

To modify an existing word, select it in the list and select the edit icon ; you can change the spelling or the pronunciation.

Words that the system has already recognized from your speech can't be modified; nor can words for which several pronunciations have been entered.

## Training words

To record how you pronounce an existing word, short phrase, abbreviation or acronym, select it in the list and select the microphone icon .

On the Manage Vocabulary page, words you have trained in this way are indicated by this icon:

## Disabling words

A word that is disabled in the vocabulary will no longer be recognized; it's removed from the vocabulary and the language model. This means that information about the word, in the context of a sentence, is lost.

Important: This functionality should be used with extreme caution as disabling a word can have serious consequences for your recognition results. Don't disable words in the Dragon vocabulary delivered with the product. If you "re-add" a word that already existed in the vocabulary and was disabled, it won't include the language model information essential for accurate speech recognition processing.

To disable an existing word, select it in the list, select the delete icon and confirm your action (you can select more than one word).

To disable a word that isn't listed on the Manage Vocabulary page, select the options icon > Disable > Confirm. Enter the word you want to disable and select Disable.

You can also disable words directly from the text you're working on; select the word and say do not recognize that word.