What to Know

• TapSettings>General>Keyboard> toggleAuto-Correctionoff (or back on again).
• Spellcheck underlines errors and offers suggestions even when auto-correct is off.
• Using spellcheck:Tapand hold the replacement to use it, or type your own correction.

This article explains how to turn off auto-correct on the iPhone and iPad, and how to use spellcheck suggestions to make corrections with auto-correction off.Instructions apply to iOS 15 and later and iPadOS 15 and later.

How to Turn Auto-Correction 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.

1. On theHomescreen, tap theSettingsapp.

2. TapGeneral. 

3. Tap Keyboard.

4. Tap theAuto-Correctiontoggle switch to turn it off.

   If you change your mind about auto-correct, visit this same spot to toggle the switch to green/on.

   

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

Making Corrections With Auto-Correct Turned Off

With auto-correct turned off, your iPhone and iPad will still offer suggestions but not automatic corrections. The Check Spelling option looks for unfamiliar words and spellings and puts you in control of whether to change them.

As you type, your device marks any words it suspects with a red, dotted underline.

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

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

A Few More Keyboard Tips for Your iPhone and iPad

Along with auto-correct and spellcheck, here are a few other useful keyboard tips to make typing or composing messages easier on your iPhone and iPad:

• Virtual trackpad: To access the virtual trackpad, bring up the keyboard and tap and hold the spacebar. This gesture turns the keys blank and allows you to use the keyboard as a trackpad to move the cursor to a specific spot.
• Numbers and special characters: These items appear above some of the letters on the keyboard on iPhones and iPads. To activate these alternate numbers and characters, tap and hold the key on the keyboard. Then slide your finger up and make your selection.
• Predictive 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. You can also exclude certain phrases from predictive text.
• Dictation: Voice Dictation bypasses typing completely but still keeps the auto-correction and spellcheck options available. Bring up the keyboard, tap themicrophonenext to the space key, and speak to write a message. To insert a comma or period while you dictate, say, "comma" or "period."