How to Turn On/Off Auto-Correct on the iPhone/iPad

If you find auto-correct annoying, turn it off

By
Daniel Nations
Daniel Nations
Daniel Nations
Writer
  • University of Texas at Arlington
Daniel Nations has been a tech journalist since 1994. His work has appeared in Computer Currents, The Examiner, and other publications. He is a developer who has published apps in the Apple App Store, Google Play marketplace and Amazon Appstore; he also has worked as a data analyst and DB administrator.
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Updated on May 4, 2022

What to Know

  • Open Settings > General > Keyboard. Move the slider next to Auto-Correction to the on or off position.
  • Check Spelling flags unfamiliar words when auto-correct is off. It offers suggestions for the user to accept or not.
  • Voice dictation bypasses typing but keeps auto correct and spellcheck active.

This article explains how to turn auto-correct on and off on the iPhone and iPad. It includes information on the Spell Check option and other keyboard tips. This information applies to iPhones and iPads running iOS 15 through iOS 10 and iPadOS 15 through iPadOS 13.

How to Turn Auto-Correction On or Off

Auto-correction is a helpful feature, but you may not want it on all the time. For all the good it can do and the time it saves, auto-correction errors can be embarrassing, frustrating, or unintentionally funny. Here's how to turn the feature off if you'd rather trust your typing skills on your iPad or iPhone.

Toggle auto-correction on or off in the Settings app.

  1. On the Home screen, tap the Settings app.

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  2. Tap General. 

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  3. Tap Keyboard.

    Custom keypad on iPad

  4. Tap the Auto-Correction toggle switch to turn it on or off.

    Turn off auto-correct on iPad

  5. With Auto-Correction off, your iPhone or iPad will stop automatically changing the spellings of words it thinks are mistyped.

How to Auto-Correct With Auto-Correction Turned Off

The Check Spelling option looks for unfamiliar words and spellings. Still, it puts you in control of whether the iPad changes them. As you type, iOS and iPadOS mark any words it suspects with a red, dotted underline.

Check Spelling on iPad

When a word is marked this way, tap it. A menu appears above with three options. Either tap the correct one or retype the word until it's correct.

The spellcheck selects the word automatically, so whatever you type replaces the highlighted text.

Predictive typing suggests words as you type. When typing a long word, keep an eye on the predictions across the top of the keyboard. To use one of the suggestions, tap to complete the word.

A Few More Keyboard Tips for Your iPhone and iPad

To access the virtual trackpad on the iPad, hold two fingers on the keyboard. This gesture turns the keys blank, then you can move the cursor with your fingers.

If your iPhone supports 3D Touch, press a single finger on the keyboard to activate the virtual trackpad.

Numbers and special characters appear above some of the letters on the keyboard on an iPad. To activate these alternate numbers and characters, tap and hold the key. Then slide your finger up and make your selection.

Voice Dictation bypasses typing completely but still keeps the auto-correction and spellcheck options available. Tap the microphone key next to the space key and speak to write a message. To insert a comma or period while you dictate, say, "comma" or "period."

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