A computer-implemented method comprising: accessing a directory of entities that indicates, for each entity, (i) a reference name of the entity, (ii) an entity type associated with the entity, and (iii) a geographic location associated with the entity; obtaining, for each of one or more of the entities, a plurality of names for the entity, wherein the plurality of names for the entity is a set of names by which the entity may be referred and which includes the reference name for the entity; obtaining, for each of the one or more entities, a phonetic representation of each of the plurality of names for the entity; selecting a particular geographic area and a particular entity type; selecting entities from the directory that (i) have an entity type that matches the particular entity type, and (ii) have a geographic location that matches the particular geographic area; generating, for each of the selected entities, a record in an entity type-specific, geo-localized entity database, wherein, for each of the selected entities, the record indicates at least (i) a reference name of the selected entity, (ii) a respective phonetic representation of each of the plurality of names for the selected entity; receiving an utterance that includes (i) a first term that indicates the particular entity type, and (ii) a second term that indicates an entity name; determining a candidate transcription of the utterance, the candidate transcription including a type term corresponding to the first term and a name term corresponding to the second term; determining a geographic location corresponding to the utterance; and characterised by determining that the name term does not match a reference name of an entity of the entity type corresponding to the type term and in a geographic location matching the geographic location corresponding to the utterance; in response to determining that the name term does not match the reference name of the entity of the entity type corresponding to the type term and in the geographic location matching the geographic location corresponding to the utterance, obtaining a phonetic representation of the second term and determining that the phonetic representation of the second term matches a particular phonetic representation of a particular name associated with a particular entity and by which the particular entity may be referred; and in response to determining that the phonetic representation of the second term matches the particular phonetic representation of the particular name associated with the particular entity, replacing the name term in the candidate transcription with the reference name of the particular entity to generate an output transcription and outputting the output transcription. accessing a directory of entities that indicates, for each entity, (i) a reference name of the entity, (ii) an entity type associated with the entity, and (iii) a geographic location associated with the entity; obtaining, for each of one or more of the entities, a plurality of names for the entity, wherein the plurality of names for the entity is a set of names by which the entity may be referred and which includes the reference name for the entity; obtaining, for each of the one or more entities, a phonetic representation of each of the plurality of names for the entity; selecting a particular geographic area and a particular entity type; selecting entities from the directory that (i) have an entity type that matches the particular entity type, and (ii) have a geographic location that matches the particular geographic area; generating, for each of the selected entities, a record in an entity type-specific, geo-localized entity database, wherein, for each of the selected entities, the record indicates at least (i) a reference name of the selected entity, (ii) a respective phonetic representation of each of the plurality of names for the selected entity; receiving an utterance that includes (i) a first term that indicates the particular entity type, and (ii) a second term that indicates an entity name; determining a candidate transcription of the utterance, the candidate transcription including a type term corresponding to the first term and a name term corresponding to the second term; determining a geographic location corresponding to the utterance; and characterised by determining that the name term does not match a reference name of an entity of the entity type corresponding to the type term and in a geographic location matching the geographic location corresponding to the utterance; in response to determining that the name term does not match the reference name of the entity of the entity type corresponding to the type term and in the geographic location matching the geographic location corresponding to the utterance, obtaining a phonetic representation of the second term and determining that the phonetic representation of the second term matches a particular phonetic representation of a particular name associated with a particular entity and by which the particular entity may be referred; and in response to determining that the phonetic representation of the second term matches the particular phonetic representation of the particular name associated with the particular entity, replacing the name term in the candidate transcription with the reference name of the particular entity to generate an output transcription and outputting the output transcription.