Access autocorrect settings in the keyboard menu

Open Settings on your iPhone, then tap General. Scroll down and select Keyboard. You'll see a list of keyboard options, including Auto-Correction, which is toggled on by default. Tap the toggle next to Auto-Correction to turn it off entirely, or leave it on and adjust related settings below it.

If you want to keep autocorrect but reduce how aggressive it is, you can also toggle off Predictive text in the same menu. Predictive text shows word suggestions above your keyboard as you type; turning it off won't disable autocorrect, but it removes the suggestions that sometimes autocorrect uses to change your words.

Key Takeaways

  • Autocorrect is controlled in Settings > General > Keyboard, where you can turn it completely off with one toggle.
  • Turning off Predictive text reduces autocorrect suggestions without disabling the feature entirely.
  • You can add words to your personal dictionary so iPhone stops changing them, which is useful for names, slang, or technical terms you use often.
  • Autocorrect changes happen only when you tap the space bar or punctuation; tapping the word suggestion keeps your original text.

Add words to your personal dictionary so they won't be changed

If you use words that autocorrect keeps changing—a nickname, a brand name, or technical jargon—you can teach your iPhone to recognize them. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard, then tap Text Replacement. Tap the + button in the top right corner.

In the Phrase field, type the word or phrase exactly as you want it to appear. Leave the Shortcut field empty, or enter a shorter version if you want to type the shortcut and have it expand to the full phrase. Tap Save. From then on, that word will appear in your dictionary and autocorrect won't change it.

Understand when autocorrect actually makes changes

Autocorrect doesn't change your words the moment you type them. Instead, it waits until you tap the space bar, return key, or punctuation mark. At that moment, if your word doesn't match anything in the dictionary, iPhone suggests a correction. If you tap the suggested word, the change happens. If you tap your original word or just keep typing, your text stays as you wrote it.

This means you have a split-second window to reject autocorrect before it takes effect. Many people don't realize they can tap their original word to keep it, and instead assume autocorrect is forcing changes on them. Learning to tap your word instead of the suggestion gives you full control.

Turn off autocorrect for specific languages or keyboards

If you use multiple languages or keyboard layouts, you can control autocorrect separately for each one. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard, then tap Keyboards. Select the keyboard you want to adjust, and you'll see options including Auto-Correction. Toggle it off for that keyboard only, leaving autocorrect on for your other keyboards.

This is helpful if you switch between English and another language, or if you use a specialized keyboard layout for coding or technical work where autocorrect causes more problems than it solves.

Use Siri or voice typing if autocorrect frustrates you

If you find yourself constantly fighting autocorrect, voice typing is an alternative. Tap the microphone icon on your keyboard and speak your message. Siri transcribes what you say, and while it can make mistakes, it doesn't apply the same aggressive autocorrect logic that text input does. You can edit the transcription by hand afterward.

Voice typing works well for longer messages, emails, or notes where you don't need to type quickly. It's also useful if you're using words or names that autocorrect doesn't recognize, since Siri's transcription is based on what it hears rather than what it thinks you meant to type.

Check if a third-party keyboard might work better for you

The App Store offers alternative keyboards like Gboard, SwiftKey, and others that have different autocorrect behavior. Some are more conservative about changing words, and some let you customize the aggressiveness of suggestions. If you've turned off Apple's autocorrect but miss having suggestions, or if you want finer control over how corrections work, trying a third-party keyboard might solve the problem.

To add a third-party keyboard, download it from the App Store, then go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard. Select the app you installed, and toggle Allow Full Access if you want it to learn from your typing patterns. You can then switch between keyboards by holding the space bar while typing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does autocorrect change words I don't want changed?

Autocorrect compares what you type against a built-in dictionary. If your word isn't in that dictionary, iPhone assumes you made a typo and suggests the closest match. Adding the word to your personal dictionary through Text Replacement stops this from happening for that specific word.

Can I turn off autocorrect just for texting but keep it for email?

No—autocorrect is a system-wide setting that applies to all apps. However, you can turn it off entirely and use predictive text suggestions instead, which you can accept or reject as you type. This gives you more control without disabling the feature completely.

What's the difference between autocorrect and predictive text?

Autocorrect changes your words automatically when you hit space or punctuation. Predictive text shows suggestions above your keyboard that you can tap to insert. You can turn off one without turning off the other, giving you different levels of help depending on what you prefer.

Does turning off autocorrect affect spell-check?

No. Spell-check (the red underline under misspelled words) is separate from autocorrect. Turning off autocorrect won't remove the spell-check feature, and you can still see which words your iPhone thinks are misspelled.