Mobile Phones Android How to Use Autocorrect on Android Avoid embarrassing errors and personalize your Android dictionary by Molly McLaughlin Writer, Editor Molly K. McLaughlin has been a technology writer since 2004. Her work has appeared on many tech sites across the web including PCMag, Dealnews, Wirecutter and many others. our editorial process Twitter LinkedIn Molly McLaughlin Updated on January 22, 2021 reviewed by Ryan Perian Lifewire Tech Review Board Member Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. our review board Article reviewed on Oct 12, 2020 Ryan Perian Android Switching from iOS Tweet Share Email What to Know Go to Settings > System > Languages & input > Virtual keyboard. Tap Text correction in keyboard settings. Toggle Auto-correction on or off.Add your own words: From Text correction, tap Personal Dictionary and select your language. Use the plus sign to enter a new word.Enable or disable spell-checker: Tap Settings > System > Languages & input > Advanced. Tap Spell-checker and toggle on or off. This article explains how to use the Autocorrect function on your Android device and personalize your Android dictionary so you can avoid embarrassing errors. Instructions apply to Android devices with Android Pie (9), Oreo (8), or Nougat (7) from all manufacturers, including Samsung, Google, Huawei, and Xiaomi. Note that Samsung Galaxy phones have different autocorrect settings, which we note below. Manage Autocorrect on Android On newer Android smartphones (except for Samsung models) autocorrect is enabled and disabled on an app-by-app basis. Here's where to find these settings. On your Android device, open the Settings app. In the Settings screen, tap System. On Android 7.1 and earlier, select Languages & input instead of System. Tap Languages & input. Tap Virtual keyboard. This refers to the keyboard that displays on the screen, not a connected external or Bluetooth device. A page that lists all the virtual keyboard apps installed on your device appears. Select the keyboard that you're currently using. In the settings for your keyboard, tap Text correction. Turn on the Auto-correction toggle switch to enable the autocorrect feature. Turn off the Auto-correction toggle switch to disable autocorrect. Add Words and Abbreviations to Your Personal Dictionary You can also update your dictionary directly in Android apps. These options are in the settings for your virtual keyboard. Open the Settings app. Tap System. On Android 7.1 and earlier, select Languages & input. Tap Languages & input. Tap Virtual keyboard to access the settings for your on-screen keyboards. In the list of keyboards on your system, select your active keyboard. Tap Text correction to access the settings for auto-correction, including the dictionary for the phone. Tap Personal Dictionary. Select Delete learned words to reset your dictionary on certain keyboards. On some keyboards, including the default Android Open Source Project keyboard, there's a list of available languages. Select your language. Tap the plus sign to add a new word to the dictionary. Words that are entered in your personal dictionary aren't auto-corrected or flagged by spell check. Enable and Disable the Android Spell Checker Google has a feature called Spell-checker, which helps avoid typos and offers word suggestions as you type. The Spell checker is enabled by default, but you can turn it off. To turn Spell Checker on or off on Gboard: Go to Settings. Tap System > Languages & input > Advanced. Underneath Languages & input, you'll see the name of the default keyboard (in this case Gboard). Tap Spell checker. Turn the Use spell checker toggle switch on or off. Tap Languages to change the default language. Optionally, tap the Default spell checker gear icon, then turn on the Look up contact names toggle switch. The spell checker cross-checks first and last names with your contact list. Autocorrect Options on Samsung Phones Samsung Galaxy phones have different autocorrect settings than smartphones with stock Android. Autocorrect settings are under Smart typing. Go to Settings. Tap General management. Tap Language and input. Tap On-screen keyboard. Select the Samsung keyboard Tap Smart typing. In the Smart typing screen, choose which options to enable. Turn on the toggle switch next to an option to enable it. The Text shortcuts option also serves as your personal dictionary. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit