Dictation post-process
Dictation post-process is the LLM step that cleans raw transcription into polished text — adds punctuation + paragraphs, removes filler words, fixes grammar, expands abbreviations, applies user style. The reason modern dictation feels magical vs system dictation.
Raw Whisper transcription is good but raw — no smart paragraphing, occasional filler ('umm', 'you know'), inconsistent punctuation. Post-process pipes the raw text through an LLM with a prompt: 'clean this up, add punctuation + paragraphs, remove filler, preserve meaning'. Optional: domain-aware style prompts ('this is a Slack DM, keep casual'), per-app modes (formal email vs casual text vs commit message), custom vocab dictionaries for proper nouns. Wispr Flow / Superwhisper bake this in. Trade-offs: LLM can hallucinate words not actually said (especially proper nouns), latency adds ~500ms. The right mode for a given app is the difference between dictation feeling natural and feeling robotic.
When to use dictation post-process
- Any production dictation app.
Common mistakes
- Skipping post-process — feels like 2010 dictation.
- Over-prompting — LLM rewrites too aggressively, loses user voice.
FAQ
What is dictation post-process?
Dictation post-process is the LLM step that cleans raw transcription into polished text — adds punctuation + paragraphs, removes filler words, fixes grammar, expands abbreviations, applies user style. The reason modern dictation feels magical vs system dictation.
When should I use dictation post-process?
Any production dictation app.
What are the most common mistakes with dictation post-process?
Skipping post-process — feels like 2010 dictation. Over-prompting — LLM rewrites too aggressively, loses user voice.
Related terms
- Voice dictation — Voice dictation is the modern AI-augmented version of speech-to-text — hold a hotkey, speak, the LLM transcribes + cleans up + inserts. Wispr Flow, Superwhisper, MacWhisper, BetterDictation are 2026 leaders, replacing macOS / Windows system dictation.
- Streaming STT — Streaming STT (speech-to-text) emits partial transcriptions as the user speaks — instead of waiting for end-of-utterance — enabling sub-second response from a voice assistant.
Last updated: 2026-06-01. Raw markdown: https://promtable.com/glossary/dictation-postprocess.md.