Managing Large Dictionaries

As you use TalkWriter, your dictionary can grow to hundreds or thousands of entries. A large dictionary means better accuracy, but it helps to stay organized. Here is how to manage a big dictionary efficiently.

Searching Your Dictionary

When you have 1,000+ words, scrolling is impractical. Use the search bar instead:

1. Open Settings > Dictionary
2. Click the search bar at the top of the word list
3. Type any part of the word you are looking for
4. Results filter in real time as you type

tip

The search checks both the word and its pronunciation hint. Searching for "heart" finds both the word "heart" and any entry with "heart" in its pronunciation.

Organizing with Tags

Group related words using tags to keep things tidy:

Tag	Example Words
client-names	Bjornsson, Nakamura, Vasquez
medical	Omeprazole, Metformin, Lisinopril
project-alpha	AlphaCore, AlphaSync, AlphaDB
addresses	450 Broadway, Suite 12B

Adding a tag:

1. Edit any word in your dictionary
2. In the Tags field, type a tag name
3. Click Save

Filtering by tag:

1. Click the filter icon next to the search bar
2. Select one or more tags
3. Only words with those tags are shown

Bulk Actions

For large-scale changes, bulk actions save time:

• Select multiple words by holding Shift and clicking
• Bulk delete selected words with the trash icon
• Bulk tag selected words by right-clicking and choosing Add Tag
• Bulk export your entire dictionary as a CSV backup (see Import & Export)

warning

Always export your dictionary before making bulk deletions. There is no undo for deleted words.

Performance Tips

Tip	Why It Helps
Remove outdated words	Fewer irrelevant entries keeps lookups clean
Merge duplicates	Avoid two entries for the same word
Use specialized packs	Pre-built packs are optimized for performance
Review quarterly	A quick cleanup every few months keeps things lean

Recommended Review Schedule

Frequency	Task
Weekly	Add new words as you encounter transcription errors
Monthly	Review recently added words — remove any you no longer need
Quarterly	Export a backup and do a full review of your word list
Yearly	Audit tags and remove unused categories

Bulk Editing via CSV

For large-scale changes, the import/export workflow is faster than editing one by one:

1. Export your full dictionary as a CSV
2. Open the CSV in a spreadsheet application
3. Sort, filter, find-and-replace, or delete rows
4. Import the updated CSV back into TalkWriter

---

FAQ

Does a large dictionary slow down TalkWriter? No. TalkWriter is optimized for dictionaries with thousands of entries. Users with 5,000+ words report no noticeable slowdown.

Can I sort my dictionary alphabetically? Yes. Click the Word column header to sort A-Z or Z-A.

Is there a maximum number of words? There is no enforced limit. The system handles tens of thousands of entries.