How do I stop my phone autocorrecting badly?

Autocorrect learns from what you accept, so the corrections that annoy you are usually ones it has been taught. That works both ways: it can be untaught, and there are settings that cover most of the rest.

Step by step

1. Reject corrections rather than fixing them afterwards.When it changes a word, tap the original in the suggestion strip, or tap the corrected word and choose the original. Doing this a few times teaches it not to make the change.
2. Add words to the personal dictionary.Names, places, jargon and the words you actually use. Both iPhone and Android keyboards have a personal dictionary in the keyboard settings, and adding a word there stops it being corrected.
3. Use text replacement for long or awkward strings.Set a short trigger that expands to an address, an email or a phrase. Useful in its own right and it removes the strings autocorrect most often mangles.
4. Reset the keyboard dictionary if it has learned wrongly.If a typo has become a suggested word, resetting the keyboard dictionary clears everything it has learned. It is a fresh start rather than a repair, and it also clears the good learning.
5. Check which languages the keyboard is using.A keyboard with two languages enabled corrects towards both, which produces strange results. Remove languages you do not use.
6. Separate autocorrect from predictive text.Autocorrect changes what you typed; predictive text suggests what comes next; autocapitalisation is separate again. They are individual settings and you may only want one of them off.
7. Turn off autocorrect if it is not earning its place.It is a single switch in the keyboard settings. Predictive suggestions can stay on, so you still get suggestions without silent changes.
8. Try a different keyboard.Third-party keyboards behave differently and some suit particular typing styles far better. Check the permissions it asks for before installing one — a keyboard sees everything you type.
9. Consider dictation for long messages.Dictation avoids the problem entirely for longer text and has improved considerably. Proofread before sending, since its mistakes are different rather than fewer.

Tips

• Autocorrect gets sharply worse when you type quickly and inaccurately, because it has less to work with. Slowing slightly often helps more than any setting.
• Swipe typing and autocorrect interact — if swipe input produces consistently wrong words, try typing normally for a message and see whether it improves.
• Turning autocorrect off entirely is a legitimate choice. Plenty of people type faster without it.

Questions people ask