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Apple Writing Tools vs dictation cleanup
Apple Intelligence can rewrite and proofread anything you write on a Mac. Dictation apps clean up what you say before it lands. They sound similar and do different jobs. Here is what each one does and how to combine them.
By the SpeechBee team, who make SpeechBee. Checked against Apple's Mac User Guide on 12 October 2026
Apple Dictation
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What Apple's Writing Tools do
Writing Tools are part of Apple Intelligence. Select text in an app, Control-click it, choose Writing Tools, then Show Writing Tools, and pick an option:
- Proofread for grammar and wording.
- Rewrite, with tones such as Friendly, Professional or Concise.
- Describe a change in your own words.
- Summarize or Key Points for the important points.
- Compose with the ChatGPT extension, where available. When you use it, you choose what to send to ChatGPT.
Apple Intelligence needs a supported Mac with the Siri and device language set to a supported language. Apple says some features rely on server models and may have daily usage limits.
What dictation cleanup does
Cleanup happens between your voice and the page. Depending on the app, it can:
- Remove filler words such as "um" and "uh".
- Apply spoken formatting: "comma", "period", "new paragraph".
- Fix names from a custom dictionary.
- Expand snippets into longer text.
- Rewrite with AI in some apps, turning speech into polished prose before it lands.
Side by side
| Writing Tools | Dictation cleanup | |
|---|---|---|
| Works on | Text already on the screen | Speech, as you dictate |
| When | After you write | Before the text lands |
| Changes your wording | Yes, if you ask it to | Basic cleanup keeps it; AI rewriting changes it |
| Custom names and terms | No dictionary | Dictionary in most dictation apps |
| Where it runs | On device, with some features using Apple's servers | Depends on the app |
Rewriting at the source, or after
Some dictation apps, such as Wispr Flow and superwhisper's AI modes, rewrite your speech as it lands. That saves a step. It also means the text you see first is already the AI's version of what you said.
Keeping the two steps separate gives you a choice. Dictate your own words, read them, and then decide whether a paragraph needs Writing Tools. Plenty of writing doesn't.
How SpeechBee fits
SpeechBee is the app we make. By default it keeps your wording: it removes filler words (in English, German, Spanish and French), applies spoken punctuation and paragraphs, fixes names from your dictionary and expands snippets, all on your device.
On Macs with Apple Intelligence, you can turn on optional on-device AI cleanup, which uses Apple's on-device model to tidy the transcript before it pastes. If you prefer what you actually said, you can paste the raw version of the last transcript instead. You can also connect your own cloud AI provider and explicitly choose to clean a transcript with it; only the text is sent, never audio. All of it is off until you turn it on.
And when you want more, select the text and use Apple's Writing Tools as usual.
Hi Maya, I'll send the revised proposal tomorrow morning.
Most people read faster than they speak. SpeechBee reads the sentence you selected out loud, while you keep working.
Your words first, polish when you want it. Free for 7 days.
Voice to text and Read Aloud on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. After the week, $9 a month, $79 a year, or $99 once. Every plan has every feature.
Questions
Is Apple Intelligence the same as dictation?
No. Dictation turns speech into text. Apple Intelligence's Writing Tools edit text that is already written. You can use them one after the other.
Can Apple Writing Tools clean up dictated text?
Yes. Select the dictated text, Control-click, choose Writing Tools, and pick Proofread or Rewrite.
Does dictation cleanup change what I said?
Basic cleanup, such as removing filler words and adding punctuation, keeps your wording. AI rewriting in some apps changes it. Check which one your app does.
Does SpeechBee use Apple Intelligence?
Optionally. On Macs with Apple Intelligence, you can turn on on-device AI cleanup using Apple's on-device model. It is off by default.
Keep reading
Sources
All checked on 12 October 2026.
- Apple: Use Writing Tools on Mac
- Apple: Use Dictation on Mac
- SpeechBee facts from our homepage and the SpeechBee app's cleanup settings