Dictation with automatic grammar correction

Updated 2 October 2026

Speech models write down what they hear, including the half-sentences and missing commas of natural speech. JustScribe can clean that up for you: after you finish dictating, it passes the text through a language model on your Mac and replaces what it typed with the corrected version.

It is off by default. Dictation without it is faster, and many people do not need it.

Turn it on

1. Open JustScribe’s Settings.
2. Go to Clean-up and switch on Clean Up Text.
3. Choose a model.

The Default mode fixes grammar, spelling and punctuation. You can also add modes with your own instructions and bind each to the apps it should be used in: Settings → Clean-up → Add Mode…. Dictation in an app with no mode of its own uses Default.

The two models

Apple Intelligence is the default. It uses the language model that ships with macOS, so there is nothing to download. If Apple Intelligence is switched off or not available on your Mac, JustScribe says so in Settings and links to the right place to enable it.

Llama 3.1 8B is Meta’s open model, in a compact 4-bit version that runs through Apple’s MLX framework. It works on any supported Mac with memory to spare, with no dependence on Apple Intelligence.

What happens when you dictate

1. You hold the shortcut and speak — or, in press-to-toggle mode, press it once to start; text appears as you go.
2. You release the key (or press it again in press-to-toggle mode); JustScribe transcribes the full recording again and corrects the typed text.
3. With clean-up on, the result goes to the language model with the instructions of the mode for the app you are in, and the text in your app is replaced with the corrected version.

Step 3 adds a short pause, longer for long dictations. Very long text is corrected in sentence-sized pieces so nothing is cut off.

What it changes, and what it does not

It fixes capitalisation, punctuation, spelling, and grammar slips such as a missing article or a wrong verb form. It is not asked to shorten, expand or restyle what you said, and it does not add content.

Because the corrected text replaces what was typed, keep the cursor where it is until the correction lands.

Privacy

Neither model sends your words anywhere. See the privacy policy for everything JustScribe does and does not do with your data, and offline speech to text on Mac for how the transcription itself works.

Questions

Does grammar correction send my text to a server?

No. Both options run on your Mac. The Apple Intelligence option uses the language model built into macOS, and the Llama option uses a model file downloaded to your Mac.

Which grammar correction option should I use?

Use Apple Intelligence if it is enabled on your Mac: it needs no download and no extra memory. Choose Llama 3.1 8B if Apple Intelligence is not available to you; it is a 4.6 GB download and uses about 5 GB of memory while loaded.

Will it rewrite what I said?

It is asked only to correct grammar, spelling and punctuation, not to rephrase. Like any language model it can occasionally change a word, so reread anything important.