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If voice AI turns a product name into a common word, first check whether the mistake is in the transcript or in what the app does with the transcript. Developers can often improve recognition by supplying supported vocabulary hints; Apple Voice Control users can teach certain words or phrases. If ordinary speech is also unclear, investigate the microphone input separately.
First find where the mistake happens
Compare the words the speech recognizer produced with the words you said. If the transcript itself substitutes a common word for a rare brand, model, acronym, or product name, the issue is recognition vocabulary. Google Cloud uses “weather” versus “whether” as an example of this kind of confusion. If the transcript is correct but the app searches for the wrong thing, the problem is downstream interpretation, not transcription; changing speech-recognition vocabulary alone may not fix it.
This distinction is an implementation diagnostic, not a guarantee about how every vendor’s pipeline is built. Consumer voice assistants and search apps do not share one universal vocabulary setting or repair procedure.
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When you control the speech-to-text integration, pass recurring catalog terms to the recognition layer using the mechanism that platform supports. Depending on the service, that may be custom vocabulary, contextual phrases, phrase hints, or custom slots. Use the exact spelling you expect in the transcript, and verify the applicable documentation for your model, language, and service version.
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| Platform | Vocabulary mechanism | Limits and important behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Google Gemini transcription | custom_vocabulary for brand names and proper nouns. Google AI Gemini audio documentation |
Up to 1,000 entries are documented; Google says results are typically best with up to 100. Custom vocabulary cannot be combined with speaker diarization or word-level timestamps. Current documentation accessed 2026-10-04. |
| Apple Speech framework | contextualStrings for short phrases. Apple Developer Speech documentation |
No more than 100 phrases; Apple recommends keeping them brief, generally one or two words. Current documentation accessed 2026-10-04. |
| Amazon Lex | Custom vocabularies and slot values for proper nouns and catalog terms. Amazon Lex custom vocabulary documentation | Vocabulary configured for intent elicitation does not automatically apply to slot elicitation, or vice versa. Check the relevant configuration for the point in the conversation where recognition occurs. |
Keep the hints selective
Add names that users actually say, not every item in a large catalog by default. Short, distinct terms are easier to target than long lists of similar-sounding entries. Apple’s recommendation is generally one or two words per contextual phrase; Gemini’s 1,000-entry limit is a ceiling, not a recommended target.
Tune phrase boosts against confusable words
Google Cloud Speech-to-Text supports phrase boost values from 0 (exclusive) to 20. A stronger boost makes a hinted phrase more likely, but also increases false-positive risk: the recognizer may insert the product name when the speaker said something similar. Test the intended name alongside acoustically similar alternatives and tune from observed errors rather than automatically choosing the maximum. Google Cloud Speech-to-Text API reference
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Evaluate realistic audio and feature combinations
Test representative speakers, accents, microphones, background conditions, and names that sound alike. Keep the audio conditions and expected transcript with each test so a vocabulary change can be judged against both successful and incorrect recognitions. Also check interactions with features your application needs: Gemini custom vocabulary, for example, is incompatible with diarization and word-level timestamps. For Lex, confirm whether the relevant prompt is eliciting an intent or a slot.
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For Apple Voice Control users: teach the term
Apple Voice Control supports teaching the pronunciation of a word or phrase and importing a vocabulary list. Open Voice Control’s vocabulary controls and add the term or import the list there; confirm that the active Voice Control language supports custom vocabulary. These controls apply to Apple Voice Control, not as a universal setting for Siri or third-party voice search. Apple’s instructions are in Use Voice Control on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
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If ordinary words are misheard too, check the audio
When common words as well as product names are being recognized incorrectly, check that the microphone is capturing clear speech and try the device’s built-in microphone or another input. Apple notes that AirPods and third-party headsets can affect audio quality when using Voice Control. Trying a different headset is an input check, not a fix for missing vocabulary or incorrect search interpretation; no headset is established here as a general solution.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What to expect from vocabulary hints
Vocabulary adaptation can make intended names more likely to be recognized, but it does not guarantee a correct transcript for every speaker, language, or recording condition. The cited vendor documentation describes platform-specific controls and trade-offs, not a shared accuracy benchmark. No industry-wide accuracy percentage or independent comparison establishes one provider as universally better for product names.
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