Keyboard autocorrect is a function that replaces a mistyped word with the word it thinks you meant, as you type. On a phone, it comes from the operating system's on-screen keyboard. On a physical keyboard, it comes from the computer's software or, on some keyboards, from the keyboard itself. Below, we explain how the pieces fit, how to adjust autocorrect on Android and iPhone, how it works on a mechanical keyboard, and what to check before you buy one.
TL;DR
- Autocorrect swaps words automatically. Predictive text only suggests them, and spell-check only flags them. On an iPhone these are three separate switches.
- On a phone, you adjust autocorrect in the keyboard settings: Settings > General > Keyboard on iPhone and iPad, and the Gboard text correction settings on Android.
- A physical keyboard can correct text in two ways: through the operating system, or through its own firmware. QMK is the best-known firmware for this.
- A Simon Fraser University study found that fixing a wrong autocorrection takes about 5.5 seconds, so a setup that behaves predictably matters more than one that corrects aggressively.
- Our KeBe keyboards include autocorrect functionality alongside a Matrix-Dvorak layout, assembled by hand in Canada.
Table of Contents
- What keyboard autocorrect actually does
- Where autocorrect lives: your device or your keyboard
- How to adjust autocorrect on a phone or tablet
- Why a correction sometimes goes wrong
- Does autocorrect make you type faster?
- Autocorrect on a mechanical keyboard
- What to check before you choose a keyboard with autocorrect
- Perspective: why we put autocorrect on a keyboard
- Try autocorrect built into the keyboard
- FAQ
- Sources
What keyboard autocorrect actually does
Autocorrect watches what you type and, when a word is not in its dictionary or looks like a slip of the fingers, replaces it. Usually it fires when you press space or punctuation. The goal is simple: fewer typos reach the page, and you spend less time going back to fix them.
The trouble is that three different features get lumped together under the one name.
| Feature | What it does | Does it change your text? |
|---|---|---|
| Autocorrect | Replaces a word it considers wrong | Yes, automatically |
| Spell-check | Flags possible misspellings, often with an underline | No, you choose |
| Predictive text | Offers the likely next word or the rest of the one you are typing | Only if you pick a suggestion |
The distinction is documented. Accessibility researchers at OCAD University's SNOW project describe word prediction as guessing the word you are typing, and the next one, from word frequency and context, which cuts keystrokes. Spell-check works differently: some programs replace words they recognize as wrong, while others only highlight them and offer alternatives.
On Apple devices the split is explicit. PCMag explains that turning off Auto-Correction stops automatic replacements, while Check Spelling can keep flagging possible misspellings and offering alternatives. That is useful to know, because many people who say they hate autocorrect really dislike one of the three behaviours, not all of them.
How the correction is chosen
Good autocorrect does more than look a word up in a list. It also weighs which keys sit next to each other, since a slip usually lands on a neighbouring key. A well-known approach is described in a United States patent on keyboard systems with automatic correction: it resolves sloppy input on physical and virtual keyboards by matching the distance between where you pressed and where each character sits.
That last point matters for physical keyboards. Key layout changes which mistakes are likely. On a staggered row, you often hit the wrong key diagonally. On a straight-column grid, errors tend to be a single column off. We come back to that in our own view below.
Where autocorrect lives: your device or your keyboard
This is the question behind most searches for a mechanical keyboard with autocorrect. The answer is that autocorrect almost always lives in one of two places.
The operating system or an app. On a phone or tablet, autocorrect belongs to the on-screen keyboard. On Android, automatic spell check and text prediction are provided by specific apps and services, as Juniper Systems' Android 11 support note puts it. On a laptop or desktop, word processors, browsers and the operating system each have their own spelling behaviour. Plug in any keyboard and you inherit whatever the software does.
The keyboard itself. Some keyboards run firmware that sees every key press before the computer does. QMK, an open-source mechanical keyboard firmware, can intercept key presses to provide rudimentary autocorrection no matter which device the keyboard is plugged into. The catch is that on a typical QMK keyboard this usually takes manual configuration.
The practical difference is portability. Software autocorrect behaves differently in your email, your code editor and your chat app, and it may be off entirely in some of them. Correction built into the keyboard travels with it, because the same corrections apply on your work laptop, your home desktop and a borrowed machine.
How to adjust autocorrect on a phone or tablet
Since most people who type this keyword want to change a phone setting, here is the short version for each platform.
iPhone and iPad
Open Settings > General > Keyboard. PCMag's walkthrough lists three controls:
- Auto-Correction turns automatic replacements on or off.
- Predictive Text controls the suggestions above the keyboard.
- Check Spelling controls the indicators on words that look misspelled.
If one correction keeps going wrong, you do not have to switch everything off. According to the same guide, you can tap an autocorrection to restore the original word, add your own words through Text Replacement, turn off Auto-Correction while keeping Check Spelling or Predictive Text on, or reset the Keyboard Dictionary.
Android and Gboard
Settings differ a little between phone makers, but Gboard's controls sit under the keyboard's own settings in the Languages and Input section, in a Text Correction group. Gboard has also added Writing Tools, which offer proofreading and rephrasing on supported Android devices, including in Canada. Google's help page for Writing Tools notes that they can take a few hours to be ready the first time and need a stable internet connection.
If your phone uses a different keyboard app, such as the one Samsung ships, look for the same three ideas under different names: correction, prediction and spell check.
Why a correction sometimes goes wrong
Every autocorrect user has a story about a name turned into a common word. A few reasons explain most of them.
- Names and jargon are not in the dictionary. Your surname, a product code or a technical term looks like an error. Adding it to a personal dictionary or a text replacement fixes it for good.
- Spelling variety. If your dictionary is set to American English, Canadian spellings can get flagged. The Government of Canada's Language Portal lists Canadian spellings such as colour, centre, defence and licence (noun), which differ from American ones. Set the language to English (Canada) on every device you type on.
- Special text. Good autocorrect leaves things like web addresses, email addresses and file paths alone. If it does not, that is a sign the correction logic is basic.
- Fast typing. The faster you type, the more the software has to guess, and the more a wrong guess costs.
Does autocorrect make you type faster?
The honest answer is that it depends on how accurate it is. A 2020 study in the Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, by Simon Fraser University researchers with 170 participants, measured predictive features on mobile keyboards. Word prediction saved an average of 3.43 characters per phrase but added about two seconds compared with typing the word. Fixing a wrong autocorrection took an average of 5.5 seconds, and autocorrection had no significant overall effect on typing speed.
The lesson is useful rather than discouraging. Autocorrect pays off when its mistakes are rare and easy to undo, because one wrong correction costs several seconds. So the question to ask of any setup is not "does it correct a lot?" but "does it correct predictably, and can I undo it quickly?"
Typing skill matters just as much. People get steadily better on any keyboard, physical or virtual, as they get used to it, a point made in one long-running comparison of hardware and software keyboards. A layout that suits your hands produces fewer errors for autocorrect to catch in the first place. If you want a place to build that skill, our free Dvorak typing trainer teaches one letter at a time, and our guide to typing trainers explains how to practise on a layout that fits.
Autocorrect on a mechanical keyboard
Mechanical keyboards have a reputation for being "dumb": each switch sends a key code and the computer decides everything else. That is changing. Programmable firmware means the keyboard can do work before the key code ever leaves it, including swapping common typos for the correct word.
There are three ways to get autocorrect with a mechanical keyboard.
- Rely on the computer. Use your operating system's spelling settings and your apps' own correction. Easiest, but inconsistent across programs.
- Configure open-source firmware yourself. Flexible, and appealing to people who enjoy tinkering. As noted above, it generally requires manual setup.
- Buy a keyboard that ships with autocorrect. The correction is there from the first day, with no configuration project before you can type an email.
The third path is what we built for. KeBe keyboards include autocorrect functionality as part of the keyboard, so typo correction is part of the product you plug in rather than a side project.
What to check before you choose a keyboard with autocorrect
If you are comparing keyboards that advertise autocorrect, these are the questions that separate a good one from a frustrating one.
Compatibility and where the correction runs
Find out whether the correction runs in the keyboard or depends on software you must install. Keyboard-side correction works on any computer you plug into, which is handy if you move between a work and a home machine. Also check the connection type: our wired versus wireless comparison covers latency, battery and portability.
Language and spelling
Confirm that the correction suits the way you write. Canadian writers want colour and centre to pass untouched, and bilingual users need to know what happens when they switch language mid-sentence.
Switch type and key feel
Correction helps with slips, but feel prevents them. Light, low-profile switches and short travel suit fast typists; our guide to short travel keyboards shows what to look for. If you are still deciding on the basic technology, read mechanical versus membrane keyboards first.
Layout and ergonomics
A layout that reduces finger travel reduces errors. If you spend hours typing, our comparison of an ergonomic keyboard versus a regular one walks through the trade-offs.
Customization
Hot-swappable switches let you change the feel without soldering, which matters if you want to fine-tune your keyboard. Our hot-swappable keyboard guide explains what they are and how to choose.
Perspective: why we put autocorrect on a keyboard
We started from a simple observation: most typos come from finger travel, not carelessness. On a staggered layout, your fingers reach diagonally for many letters, and the further a finger has to go, the more often it lands on the wrong key.
That is why KeBe keyboards use a Matrix-Dvorak layout with a straight-column key grid and hand-centred letter placement. The aim is to minimize finger movement, and with it the fatigue and errors that come from reaching. We add a dual-spacebar design so both thumbs can share the work.
Autocorrect is the second half of that idea. Even a well-fitted layout leaves the occasional slip, so we include automatic typo correction in the keyboard. Because it belongs to the keyboard, you do not have to install anything or depend on whichever app you happen to be typing in.
We also want you to stay in control. A correction should be predictable, and that is the standard we hold our own design to. Pair it with hot-swappable switches and per-key RGB lighting, and you can set the keyboard up to suit your hands, not the other way round.
Joshua
Try autocorrect built into the keyboard
KeBe sells ergonomic mechanical and membrane keyboards with the Matrix-Dvorak layout, low-profile switches, hot-swappable keys, per-key RGB lighting, an integrated USB-C port and hub, a screwless nylon case, a typing trainer and autocorrect. Each one is assembled by hand in Canada. Upcoming models are available through pre-orders and a waitlist, so you can be first in line.
See the current models and availability in the KeBe Canadian store. If you would like to see how the layout feels before buying, start with the free Dvorak typing trainer.
FAQ
Is autocorrect the same as predictive text?
No. Autocorrect replaces a word automatically, while predictive text only suggests words or phrases as you type, and you choose whether to accept them. Spell-check is a third feature that flags possible errors without changing them. On an iPhone, each has its own switch.
Can a mechanical keyboard have autocorrect?
Yes. Programmable firmware can intercept key presses before they reach the computer, which allows correction that works on any device. With open-source firmware such as QMK, this usually takes manual setup. Some keyboards, including ours, include autocorrect from the start.
How do I turn autocorrect off on my iPhone?
Open Settings > General > Keyboard and switch off Auto-Correction. You can leave Check Spelling and Predictive Text on if you still want flagged words and suggestions. If only certain words cause trouble, add them through Text Replacement or reset the Keyboard Dictionary instead.
Does autocorrect make typing faster?
Not automatically. In a 2020 study of 170 participants, autocorrection had no significant overall effect on typing speed, and fixing a wrong correction took about 5.5 seconds on average. A comfortable layout and predictable correction do more for your speed than aggressive correction.
Why does autocorrect change Canadian spellings?
Usually because the dictionary is set to American English. Spellings such as colour, centre and defence are Canadian standards that differ from American ones. Set the language to English (Canada) on your phone and computer, and add any names or terms it still flags.
Sources
- Word prediction, SNOW, OCAD University
- How to Turn Off Autocorrect on iPhone and Other Keyboard Settings to Tweak, PCMag
- US7880730B2, Keyboard system with automatic correction
- Automatic spell check and text prediction, Juniper Systems support
- Autocorrection with QMK, Getreuer
- Use writing tools with Gboard, Gboard Help
- Canadian, British and American: It's all English, Government of Canada
- The Effects of Predictive Features of Mobile Keyboards on Text Entry Speed and Errors, ACM
- Hardware vs Software Smartphone Keyboards, xDumaine