Where to find autocorrect settings on iPhone
Autocorrect lives in Settings under Keyboard. Open Settings, tap General, then Keyboard, and you will see the autocorrect toggle at the top of the list. The toggle is on by default — if it is blue and switched to the right, autocorrect is active. Tap it once to turn it off entirely, or keep reading if you want to adjust it instead of killing it completely.
The same Keyboard menu holds related settings that often matter more than the autocorrect toggle itself. Below autocorrect you will find "Predictive," which suggests words as you type without changing what you have already written. Many people turn off autocorrect but leave predictive on, because predictive does not force a change — you can ignore the suggestion or tap it. You will also see "Check Spelling," which underlines misspelled words in red but does not fix them automatically.
Key Takeaways
- Autocorrect is controlled by a single toggle in Settings > General > Keyboard, and turning it off takes one tap.
- Predictive text and spell-check are separate toggles in the same menu, and many people keep those on while turning autocorrect off.
- If you turn autocorrect back on later, it will remember your custom dictionary — words you have rejected will not be corrected again.
- Autocorrect learns from what you type, so the more you use your iPhone, the fewer unwanted corrections you will see.
- You can also add words to your personal dictionary so iPhone stops trying to "fix" them.
Why autocorrect changes what you type
Autocorrect works by comparing what you type against a built-in dictionary and a record of words you have used before. When you type a word that does not match anything in either list, or when you type something close to a common word, iPhone assumes you made a typo and swaps in what it thinks you meant. This happens the moment you hit space or punctuation, before you see the word on screen.
The problem is that autocorrect does not know context. If you type "teh" it will change it to "the" every time, even if you meant "teh" as slang or a name. If you type a word that is not in its dictionary — a brand name, a technical term, a word from another language — autocorrect will try to "fix" it to something close. The more specialized your vocabulary, the more autocorrect will fight you.
Turning autocorrect off completely
To disable autocorrect entirely, open Settings, go to General > Keyboard, and tap the autocorrect toggle so it turns gray and switches to the left. That is all. From that moment on, iPhone will not change anything you type. You will still see red underlines under misspelled words if spell-check is on, but nothing will be corrected without your permission.
The downside is that you lose the benefit of autocorrect catching real typos. If you type "teh" and autocorrect is off, it stays as "teh" unless you notice and fix it yourself. Many people find this trade-off worth it, especially if they type technical terms, code, slang, or words in multiple languages. If you change your mind later, the toggle is right there to turn it back on.
Keeping predictive text but turning off autocorrect
A middle ground exists: turn off autocorrect but leave predictive text on. Predictive text shows you word suggestions above the keyboard as you type, but it does not force a change. You can tap a suggestion to use it, or ignore it and keep typing. This gives you the speed benefit of autocorrect without the frustration of unwanted corrections.
To use this setup, turn off the autocorrect toggle but leave predictive on. Now when you type, you will see suggestions pop up, but nothing will change unless you tap it. This works well if you type quickly and want help with common words, but you do not want iPhone deciding what you meant. Spell-check can stay on too — the red underlines are just warnings, not changes.
Teaching iPhone your vocabulary
Every time you reject an autocorrect suggestion by tapping the X or by continuing to type, iPhone learns that word. Over time, autocorrect becomes less aggressive because it has seen what you actually use. If you type "iPhone" a hundred times and reject the correction to "i Phone" each time, eventually iPhone stops trying to "fix" it.
You can also add words directly to your personal dictionary. When you type a word and see the autocorrect suggestion you do not want, tap the X next to the suggestion instead of accepting it. iPhone will remember that word and stop correcting it. This is faster than rejecting the same correction over and over, especially for words you use regularly.
Autocorrect in different keyboards and languages
If you use multiple keyboards — English, Spanish, French, or a third-party keyboard app — autocorrect settings explore to all of them. The toggle in Settings > General > Keyboard controls autocorrect globally, not per-keyboard. However, each language has its own dictionary, so autocorrect behaves differently depending on which keyboard you are using.
If you switch between languages frequently, you might find autocorrect more useful in some languages than others. English autocorrect is usually aggressive because the dictionary is large and common typos are well-known. Smaller language dictionaries may be less intrusive. If you use a third-party keyboard app like Gboard or SwiftKey, that app has its own autocorrect settings separate from the iPhone system settings.
What happens if you turn autocorrect back on
If you turn autocorrect off and later decide you want it back, your personal dictionary stays intact. Words you rejected will not be corrected again, and words you added will still be in your custom list. This means you can turn autocorrect on and off without losing the learning iPhone has done about your typing habits.
When you turn autocorrect back on, it will behave exactly as it did before you turned it off — it will not reset to factory defaults or forget anything. This makes it safe to experiment. If you turn it off for a week and hate typing without it, turning it back on costs nothing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn off autocorrect for just one app?
No. Autocorrect is a system-wide setting that applies to all apps on your iPhone. You cannot turn it off in Messages but keep it on in Mail. However, some apps like Notes or third-party keyboards have their own text correction settings that may override the system setting.
Why does autocorrect keep changing a word I use all the time?
iPhone may not recognize the word as part of your vocabulary yet, or it may be correcting it to a more common word. Tap the X on the autocorrect suggestion each time it appears, and iPhone will learn to stop. If the word is a proper noun or brand name, adding it to your dictionary by rejecting the correction multiple times will speed up the process.
Does turning off autocorrect affect spell-check?
No. Autocorrect and spell-check are separate. You can turn off autocorrect and keep spell-check on, which means you will see red underlines under misspelled words but nothing will be corrected automatically. You can also turn off spell-check independently if you do not want the underlines.
What is the difference between autocorrect and predictive text?
Autocorrect changes what you have typed without asking. Predictive text shows suggestions above the keyboard and only changes something if you tap the suggestion. Predictive is less intrusive and gives you control over every correction.
If I add a word to my dictionary, will it sync to my other Apple devices?
Yes, if you use iCloud sync. Words you add to your iPhone dictionary will appear on your iPad and Mac if they are signed into the same iCloud account. This means your personal dictionary follows you across devices.