Stop iPhone Autocorrect: How to Disable Predictive Text

Dealing with iPhone Autocorrect Issues

It’s a common experience to encounter frustrating autocorrect behavior when attempting to spell an uncommon word on your iPhone. The device often attempts to correct it to a more conventional spelling, which can be disruptive.

While repeatedly backspacing to override the correction is possible, it’s inefficient, particularly when composing quick messages. A more effective approach involves directly instructing your iPhone on the correct spelling.

Consider this scenario: you need to check your account balance via text message, and your bank requires texting the code "bal". However, autocorrect consistently suggests "val" instead.

Attempting to proceed results in "val" being automatically inserted into your message.

To ensure "bal" is accepted, you must navigate back to the suggestion list and manually select the desired word.

This process can be tedious, but a straightforward method exists to teach your iPhone or iPad unfamiliar words.

Setting Up Text Replacement

Begin by opening the Settings application on your device.

Next, tap on "General", followed by "Keyboard".

Within the Keyboard settings, select either "Text Replacement" (on iOS 8 and later) or "Shortcuts" (on earlier iOS versions).

To add a new word, tap the "+" icon located in the upper-right corner. Enter the desired "Phrase" – the word you want your iPhone to recognize – and then tap "Save".

With the word now saved, you can confidently use it without fear of constant autocorrection.

This method is also beneficial for proper names that autocorrect frequently misinterprets.

It’s important to note that adding words to the text replacement list doesn’t guarantee suggestions for exceptionally long or irregular words. However, creating a shortcut can significantly simplify the process.

Utilizing Shortcuts for Efficiency

For instance, if you frequently meet a friend at a restaurant with a complex name, like Chick-Fil-A, a shortcut can streamline texting. Typing your designated shortcut will automatically expand to the full restaurant name.

To create a shortcut, return to the text replacement settings and add a shortcut phrase, as illustrated below.

Now, whenever you type your shortcut, such as "cfa", it will automatically be corrected to "Chick-Fil-A". This functionality extends to multi-word phrases and even entire sentences, resolving potentially frustrating texting situations.

Related: How to Tame (and Improve) the iPhone's Autocorrect Feature

Further exploration of autocorrect settings can unlock even more customization options on your iPhone.

By implementing these techniques, you can minimize autocorrect annoyances and refine its behavior over time, ensuring these issues become less frequent.