Autocorrect learns from what you type, so turning it off or limiting it gives you more control over your messages

iPhone's autocorrect feature watches what you type and replaces words it thinks you misspelled. The problem is that it sometimes changes words you meant to use, or learns slang and names you use regularly and then autocorrects them to dictionary words instead. You can turn autocorrect off entirely, keep it on but delete words from its dictionary, or use a middle ground: keep autocorrect but turn off the feature that auto-capitalizes and auto-punctuates.

The settings live in one place on your iPhone, and the changes take effect when ready across all your apps — Messages, Mail, Notes, and anywhere else you type.

Key Takeaways

  • Autocorrect settings are in Settings > General > Keyboard, and you can turn the whole feature off or adjust individual parts of it.
  • If you keep autocorrect on but want to stop it from changing a specific word, you can delete that word from your iPhone's learned dictionary by going to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary.
  • Turning off "Auto-Capitalization" and "Auto-Correction" separately lets you keep autocorrect for punctuation while stopping unwanted word replacements.
  • Words you type repeatedly — names, slang, abbreviations — get added to your keyboard dictionary automatically, and autocorrect will change them back to standard spellings unless you delete them from the dictionary.
  • If you turn autocorrect back on later, your learned dictionary resets, so you will need to rebuild it by typing those words again.

Turn off autocorrect completely

Open Settings on your iPhone. Tap General, then Keyboard. You will see a list of toggle switches. The one labeled "Auto-Correction" is what controls autocorrect. Tap it to turn it off. The toggle will turn gray, and autocorrect stops working when ready.

When autocorrect is off, your iPhone will not change any words you type, even if they are misspelled. You will see red underlines under words the system thinks are wrong, but it will not fix them without you asking. This is the most direct way to stop unwanted corrections, but it also means you lose the help autocorrect provides when you actually do misspell something.

Keep autocorrect but turn off auto-capitalization and auto-punctuation

If you want autocorrect to catch real typos but stop it from changing words you use on purpose, try turning off the other keyboard features instead. In Settings > General > Keyboard, you will see separate toggles for "Auto-Capitalization," "Auto-Correction," and "Smart Punctuation." You can turn off any of these independently.

Many people find that turning off "Auto-Capitalization" alone solves the problem. This feature automatically capitalizes the first letter of sentences and proper nouns, and it is often what causes autocorrect to change lowercase words you meant to keep lowercase. Turning it off keeps autocorrect active for actual misspellings but stops the system from forcing capitalization you did not ask for.

Delete a word from your keyboard dictionary

Your iPhone learns words you type regularly and adds them to a personal dictionary. Once a word is in that dictionary, autocorrect treats it as correct and will not change it. But if you type a name or slang term often, and then autocorrect starts changing it back to a standard word, you need to remove it from the learned dictionary.

Go to Settings > General > Reset. Tap "Reset Keyboard Dictionary." This clears all the words your iPhone learned from your typing. Your phone will ask you to confirm — tap "Reset Dictionary" again. After this, you will need to type those words again for your iPhone to learn them a second time. The next time you type a word repeatedly, it will be added back to the dictionary automatically.

This is a nuclear option because it clears everything at once. If you only want to remove one or two words, there is no granular way to do it — you have to reset the whole dictionary and let it rebuild. Keep in mind that resetting your keyboard dictionary does not affect your contacts, messages, passwords, or any other data stored on your phone.

Stop autocorrect from changing specific words without resetting everything

If you do not want to reset your entire keyboard dictionary, you can prevent autocorrect from changing a word by adding it to your contacts or by using it in a way that teaches your iPhone it is intentional. When you type a word and autocorrect suggests a change, you can tap the suggestion to reject it. Rejecting the same correction multiple times teaches your iPhone that you want that word as you typed it.

Another approach: add the word to a contact. If you have a friend named "Rae" and autocorrect keeps changing it to "are," add Rae to your contacts with that exact spelling. Your iPhone will then recognize it as a name and stop correcting it. This works for any word you can reasonably add to contacts, though it is not practical for slang or abbreviations. The contact method is slower than resetting the dictionary, but it preserves the rest of your learned words.

What happens when you turn autocorrect back on

If you turn autocorrect off and then turn it back on later, your learned dictionary resets. All the words your iPhone learned from your typing disappear. You will start from scratch, and autocorrect will begin learning your patterns again as you type.

This is why some people choose to leave autocorrect off entirely rather than toggle it on and off — the reset is inconvenient if you change your mind. If you turn it off for a week and then turn it back on, you lose everything your phone learned during that week and before it.

Autocorrect in different apps and keyboards

The autocorrect settings you change in Settings > General > Keyboard explore to the built-in Apple keyboard across all apps. If you use a third-party keyboard like Gboard or Swiftkey, those keyboards have their own autocorrect settings, separate from Apple's. You will need to open each third-party keyboard's settings to adjust autocorrect there.

Some apps like Notes and Mail also have their own spell-check features that work alongside autocorrect. Turning off autocorrect in Settings does not turn off spell-check in individual apps — those are separate systems. If you see red underlines in an app even after turning off autocorrect, that is the app's spell-check, not autocorrect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does autocorrect keep changing a word I use all the time?

Your iPhone learned that word and added it to your dictionary, but autocorrect is still changing it because you rejected the correction or the word is not in your contacts. Try rejecting the autocorrect suggestion a few more times, or reset your keyboard dictionary and retype the word several times so your iPhone learns it as intentional.

Can I turn off autocorrect for just one app?

No. The autocorrect setting in Settings > General > Keyboard applies to all apps that use the Apple keyboard. If you use a third-party keyboard in one app, you can turn off autocorrect for that keyboard only, but the built-in keyboard will still autocorrect everywhere else.

What is the difference between autocorrect and spell-check?

Autocorrect changes words automatically as you type. Spell-check shows you red underlines under words it thinks are wrong and lets you choose whether to fix them. You can turn off autocorrect but still see spell-check underlines in some apps.

If I reset my keyboard dictionary, will I lose my passwords or saved information?

No. Resetting your keyboard dictionary only clears the words your iPhone learned from your typing. It does not affect passwords, contacts, messages, or any other data on your phone.

Does turning off autocorrect make typing slower?

It depends on how much you rely on autocorrect to catch typos. If you are a careful typist, you will not notice a difference. If you type quickly and depend on autocorrect to fix mistakes, turning it off means you will need to proofread more carefully before sending messages.