Bypass Autocorrect To Type Anything in iOS

Often you need to type a name, special word or non-dictionary word on your iPhone or iPad. Autocorrect will then replace that word with something else from its dictionary. You can easily force iOS to accept anything you type by tapping one button.

Video Transcript: Hi, this is Gary with MacMost.com. On today's episode let's look at how to get around Autocorrect so you can type a word that is not in the dictionary on your iPhone or iPad.
I get asked this a lot. You want to type something on your iPad or your iPhone but it's not a real dictionary word. Maybe it's somebody's last name or it's a name of a company or something like that. Something that is not in the dictionary. How do you get it to not Autocorrect?
The problem is, is that you start typing something. So let's say I'm going to type a word that's not a real word here but is maybe somebody's last name. You can see if I were to press the spacebar it's going to change Qwe to a real word Awe and I don't want that. So how do I get around that.
Well if I start typing Qwe notice at the top I've got three buttons above the keyboard that are suggestions. The one in the center is the one that my iPad really believes that I want to type and if I hit the spacebar it's going to go and insert that one in there instead of what I have typed. This is great if you've misspelled a word. On the right I see another suggestion. So there's two suggestions there. I could use that second suggestion Qwerty by just simply tapping Qwerty. I can also use Awe by simply tapping Awe and it would change the word and insert a space.
But notice on the left, on the left I've got in quotes Qwe. It's basically giving me the option to use what I've typed verbatim without changing it. So if I want to use Qwe instead of hitting space which will change the word to Awe I simply tap where it says quote Qwe quote. You can see then it goes and says okay I'll use your word even though it is not in my dictionary, insert a space, and let you start typing the next word.
So that's how you go and use a word that's not in the dictionary basically going around the Autocorrect function.
Now often when I tell people about this they say that they don't see those three buttons above the keyboard. It looks like this instead. They get a thick line and a little white dash above the Y. This means they've collapsed those extra keyboard tools and if you didn't know they were there in the first place then you may have a lot of trouble figuring out how to get it back.
How to get it back is you tap and drag slightly upward where that white dash is above the Y. It will just bring up those tools again. So now you've got those three buttons back and you've got some extra tools to the left and the right side of the keyboard that change depending upon which app you are using. But usually you'll see those three buttons there and now as you type something you'll be able to use the left button to select what you have typed verbatim without having it Autocorrect.

Comments: 14 Responses to “Bypass Autocorrect To Type Anything in iOS”

Goldie Milgram

7 years ago

Very helpful, deserves wide dissemination. Thank you.

Jean H

You answered my question!!! I lost the expanded options when typing and didn't know how to get them back. Problem solved.

Anne

I do not see the thicker line with the white area on my iphone. I do see it on my iPad and I was able to bring up the three boxes there.

Gary Rosenzweig

Anne: Try this. Go to Settings, General, Keyboard and turn on Predictive.

Mavis Brauer

I had the same problem as Anne and turning on "Predictive" worked. I have seen the three spelling options in the past and apparently had unknowingly turned off that option. How do you turn it off?

Mavis: See my reply to Anne above.

Jan E. Wille

I do not see 'the thicker line' on either iPhone or iPad, and I have checked all options in 'Settings, General, Keyboard'. Maybe it has something to do with language? - I use Norwegian.

Jan: It could be. I'm sure the suggestions aren't available in all languages, but I would think Norwegian would be ok. Also, are you using the latest version of iOS?

9.3.1 (13E238)

Jan: Did you try switching to an English keyboard to check? You can easily switch between multiple keyboards in iOS.

I tried switching to English as 'iPad language', and then ‘the thicker line’ appeared. So Norwegian is probably not a supported language for this function.

Ray Ratchford

I have similar "auto correct" problem with my Mac. My current OS is 10.11.4, however this has been a nuisance for a very long time.

Glynne

Gary, does iOS "learn" new words so that you don't have to keep autocorrecting them? Can you edit its dictionary?

Glynne: Yes. The more you dismiss suggestions the more it will learn. There's no way to edit it directly.

Comments Closed.

Bypass Autocorrect To Type Anything in iOS

Comments: 14 Responses to “Bypass Autocorrect To Type Anything in iOS”

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