Where to find autocorrect settings on iPhone
Autocorrect lives in Settings under Keyboard, not in Mail or Messages. Open Settings, tap General, then Keyboard. You will see a toggle for Autocorrect near the top of the screen. From here you can turn it off entirely, or keep it on and adjust which words it corrects.
The same Keyboard menu controls related features: predictive text (the word suggestions that appear above the keyboard), spell check, and capitalization. Each has its own toggle, so you can turn off autocorrect alone and keep the others, or disable everything at once.
Key Takeaways
- Autocorrect is controlled in Settings > General > Keyboard, where a single toggle turns it on or off for all apps at once.
- Turning off autocorrect disables it everywhere on your phone — Mail, Messages, Notes, and third-party apps — not just one app.
- If you want autocorrect but need to stop it from changing specific words, add those words to your personal dictionary by typing them and tapping "Add to Dictionary" when the correction suggestion appears.
- Predictive text (word suggestions above the keyboard) is separate from autocorrect and can be turned off independently if you find it distracting.
Turn autocorrect off completely
Open Settings, go to General, then Keyboard. Find the Autocorrect toggle and tap it to turn it off. The toggle will no longer be green. Autocorrect will stop working when ready in every app on your phone.
This is the fastest way if autocorrect frustrates you more than it helps — for instance, if you type a lot of technical terms, names, or slang that the system keeps "correcting" to standard words. Once it is off, you will type exactly what you type, and the phone will not change it.
Keep autocorrect but add words to your dictionary
If you want autocorrect to work most of the time but need to stop it from changing certain words, teach your phone those words. Type the word normally in any app. When autocorrect suggests a different word, tap the suggestion to reject it. A menu will appear with the option "Add to Dictionary" — tap that.
The next time you type that word, autocorrect will recognize it and leave it alone. This works for names, technical terms, slang, or any word your phone does not know. You can add as many words as you need, and they stay in your dictionary across all apps.
Turn off predictive text separately
Predictive text is the row of word suggestions that appears above your keyboard as you type. It is separate from autocorrect. Some people find it helpful; others find it distracting. You can turn it off without touching autocorrect.
Go to Settings > General > Keyboard and look for the Predictive toggle. Turn it off if you do not want suggestions, or leave it on if you like tapping a suggested word to complete it faster. Turning off predictive text does not affect autocorrect.
Turn off spell check if needed
Spell check puts a red underline under words your phone does not recognize. It does not change the word automatically — it just marks it. You can turn this off separately in the same Keyboard menu if you find the red lines annoying.
Spell check is useful if you want to catch typos before you send a message, but it can also flag correct words that your phone's dictionary does not include. Disabling it will remove the red underlines without affecting autocorrect or predictive text.
Autocorrect settings explore to all apps at once
When you toggle autocorrect on or off in Settings, that change affects every app on your phone — Mail, Messages, Notes, third-party keyboards, and anything else that uses the system keyboard. There is no way to turn autocorrect on for one app and off for another.
If you need autocorrect for some tasks but not others, your only option is to toggle it in Settings each time you switch tasks. Some people keep it off and turn it on only when they are typing formal emails, then turn it back off again.
How to undo an autocorrect change you did not want
If autocorrect changes a word and you notice it right away, shake your phone. A menu will appear asking if you want to undo the last action. Tap Undo and the word will revert to what you typed. This works for autocorrect, deletions, and other recent changes.
If you do not catch it until after you have sent the message, you cannot undo it through the phone's settings. You will need to send a follow-up message or edit the message in the app if that app supports editing (iMessage does; SMS does not).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn off autocorrect for just one app?
No. Autocorrect is a system-wide setting that applies to all apps at once. If you need it off for one app, you have to turn it off in Settings, use that app, then turn it back on. Some third-party keyboards have their own autocorrect settings, but the built-in system keyboard does not.
What is the difference between autocorrect and spell check?
Autocorrect changes words automatically as you type. Spell check puts a red underline under words it does not recognize but does not change them. You can turn them on and off independently in the Keyboard settings.
If I add a word to my dictionary, will it sync to my other Apple devices?
Yes, if you are signed into the same iCloud account on all your devices. Words you add to your dictionary on your iPhone will appear in the dictionary on your iPad and Mac automatically. If you use a different iCloud account on another device, the dictionaries will not sync.
Why does autocorrect keep changing a word I use all the time?
Your phone does not recognize it as a standard word. The fix is to type it normally, reject the autocorrect suggestion, and tap "Add to Dictionary." After that, the phone will stop trying to change it. You may need to do this once for each word.
Does turning off autocorrect affect Siri or voice typing?
No. Autocorrect in Settings controls only the text keyboard. Siri and voice typing have their own correction systems that work separately. Turning off keyboard autocorrect will not change how Siri interprets what you say.