Once you select the quoted text autocorrect will stop switching “floofy” to “floods”.ĭon’t worry, if you accidentally add a word you don’t want to add, you can correct it in one of two ways. This instructs the autocorrect system that you want the word (regardless of its dictionary status). If you did mean to type “floofy” you can select the quoted word “floofy”, as seen to the far left, in the suggestion bar above. If you didn’t meant to type “floofy” and you really wanted to type “floods” then hit the spacebar and it will automatically correct the word to the best alternative in its dictionary (the best choice is always the center word in the suggestion bar). When you type the word “floofy” autocorrect assumes that you didn’t mean floofy but a similarly worded word like “floods”, as seen in the predictive text bar above. Let’s look at how autocorrect treats “floofy” if we actually made a typo versus if we wanted to teach autocorrect to accept it. This is not a dictionary approved word but a slang term that means very light, fluffy, or airy, and as such it’s a perfect way to demonstrate how autocorrect learns (and can unlearn) a word. Let’s say, for example, you want to teach autocorrect to accept the word “floofy”. It’s much easier to set it on the right path from the start. When the iPhone predictive text engine/autocorrect system latches onto a word it can be difficult (but not usually impossible) to get it to let go. And the best offense when it comes to dealing with autocorrect is to aggressively manage the suggestions autocorrect throws at you. The best defense in autocorrection wrangling is a good offense.
Note: If you’re an Android user who wants to achieve the same ends for their Android phone, be sure to check out our similar article geared toward the Android OS here. We’ve gathered together multiple tips and tricks here to help you wrestle your iPhone’s autocorrect system into shape. Just because autocorrect is misbehaving, however, doesn’t mean you need to shut the whole system down. In fact there are entire websites, like the popular site Damn You Autocorrect, devoted to cataloging the mishaps and funny comments that result from overzealous text autocorrection. Your message goes from mundane to a triple entendre with a single flipped word. Your coworker’s uniquely spelled name becomes the name of a common household object.
When it’s malfunctioning or overly aggressive in its treatment of your text shorthand, slang, or even names it doesn’t recognize, it can get ugly fast.
RELATED: How to Improve Autocorrect on Google's Keyboard for Android When you type “youre” it corrects to “you’re”, when you type “fihs” it corrects to “fish” those and thousands of other slips-of-the-finger are all quickly and efficiently corrected so no one is the wiser to your punctuation and spelling follies.
When the autocorrect system in iOS is at the top of its game, it works beautifully and saves you from sending out texts with misspelled words.