Where to find the spell check toggle on your iPhone

Spell check on iPhone lives in Settings under Keyboard, not in Mail or Messages where you might expect it. Open Settings, scroll down and tap Keyboard, then look for the toggle labeled "Check Spelling" — it will be switched on by default. Tap it once to turn it off. That single action disables spell check across Mail, Messages, Notes, and any other app that uses the system keyboard.

The toggle affects your entire phone, not individual apps. If you turn it off, no app will suggest corrections or underline misspelled words in red. If you change your mind later, the same toggle turns it back on.

Key Takeaways

  • Spell check on iPhone is controlled from Settings > Keyboard > Check Spelling, not from individual apps.
  • Turning off the toggle disables spell check everywhere on your phone at once — Mail, Messages, Notes, and all other apps.
  • The red underline disappears when ready after you toggle it off; you do not need to restart your phone.
  • You can turn spell check back on the same way if you change your mind later.

Why spell check might be slowing you down

Spell check can feel intrusive if you type in multiple languages, use technical terms, or write in a casual style where corrections feel like interruptions. Every time you pause, your iPhone is checking what you typed and flagging words it does not recognize. For some people, this constant feedback is helpful. For others, it breaks concentration.

Turning it off does not affect autocorrect — the feature that automatically changes "teh" to "the" as you type. Spell check and autocorrect are separate systems. You can have one on and one off, or both on, or both off. If you want to keep autocorrect but lose the red underlines, spell check is the one to disable.

What happens after you turn spell check off

Once you toggle off Check Spelling, the red underlines vanish from any text you are currently typing. Words your iPhone would normally flag as misspelled will no longer show that red line underneath. You will still see autocorrect suggestions as you type — those come from a different system — but you will not see the spelling feedback.

If you have already typed something with red underlines visible, those underlines disappear as soon as you toggle the setting off. You do not need to close and reopen apps or restart your phone.

Turning spell check back on if you need it later

Return to Settings > Keyboard and tap the Check Spelling toggle again to turn it back on. The red underlines will reappear the next time you start typing. This is useful if you only want spell check off temporarily — for example, while you are writing a draft or taking notes in a format where corrections feel distracting.

Some people turn spell check off while drafting and back on while editing. There is no penalty for switching it on and off; it is just a toggle that controls whether your phone checks your spelling in real time.

Spell check and autocorrect are not the same thing

Autocorrect changes words as you type — it turns "teh" into "the" without asking. Spell check underlines words in red and suggests corrections, but does not change anything unless you tap the suggestion. They are two separate features controlled in two different places.

If you turn off spell check but autocorrect is still on, your iPhone will still auto-correct obvious typos. If you want to turn off autocorrect as well, go to Settings > Keyboard and toggle off "Auto-Correction". Both toggles sit in the same menu, so you can adjust them independently based on what feels right for how you type.

Spell check in different languages and keyboards

If you use multiple keyboards or languages on your iPhone, spell check respects the language setting for each one. When you switch to a different keyboard, spell check uses the dictionary for that language. Turning off Check Spelling in Settings disables it for all keyboards and languages at once — there is no per-language toggle.

If you type in a language your iPhone does not recognize well, or if you mix languages frequently, turning off spell check can reduce false corrections. You can always turn it back on for languages where it works well and off for others by toggling the single setting on and off as needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off spell check affect autocorrect?

No. Spell check and autocorrect are separate features. You can turn off spell check and keep autocorrect on, or vice versa. They are controlled by different toggles in the same Settings menu.

Will spell check turn back on after I update my iPhone?

No. Your settings stay the way you set them after a software update. If you turn off spell check, it will remain off after you update iOS.

Can I turn off spell check for just one app?

No. The spell check toggle in Settings controls it system-wide across all apps. There is no per-app spell check setting on iPhone.

What if I turn off spell check and then want it back?

Go back to Settings > Keyboard and toggle Check Spelling back on. The red underlines will return the next time you type.

Does spell check work the same way on iPad?

Yes. iPad has the same Check Spelling toggle in Settings > Keyboard. The process is identical to iPhone.