How to Toggle Autocorrect On or Off on an iPad

Autocorrect is an excellent writing aid to have, especially if you can’t don’t know what the correct spelling is. However, the feature can quickly become a nightmare if it modifies a word you’ve spelled correctly. Trying to change a word that autocorrect won’t accept is like racing your shadow; you’ll never win. It’s best to turn off the feature entirely in such a case.

This article will teach you how to disable autocorrect on an iPad. It will also discuss disabling other text features to make texting less difficult. Let’s get started.

How to Turn Off/On Autocorrect on an iPad

The idea behind autocorrect was to eliminate the frequent spelling errors brought on by the iPhone’s tiny keyboard. Although the feature is handy, occasionally, it generates hilarious, if not disastrous, mistakes.

By default, autocorrect is turned on. Fortunately, disabling the feature is relatively easy. Here’s how to turn autocorrect on or off on an iPad:

1. Open “Settings.”
   
2. Navigate to “General” and open the “Keyboard” menu.
   
3. Slide the “Auto-Correction toggle” on or off, depending on your needs.
   

Besides autocorrect, iPads have some other helpful grammar features, including predictive text, auto-punctuation, auto-capitalization, and spell check, to mention a few.

How to Turn Off/On Predictive Text on an iPad

The predictive text feature was introduced in iOS 8, and ever since, texting has never been easier. It goes one step ahead of autocorrect by predicting what it thinks you might type. As the name suggests, the feature takes up clues from what you’re already saying and tries to predict what you want to say next. Generally speaking, it gets the words right, but occasionally it doesn’t.

If you don’t like the feature or need to turn it on, here’s how.

1. Launch the “Settings” app.
   
2. Go to “General” and select “Keyboard.”
   
3. Slide the toggle button on or off next to the “Predictive” feature.
   

If you change your mind about the feature, you can enable it by re-switching the toggle.

Add Custom Words/Abbreviations to the Dictionary on an iPad

Sometimes, it might help to add words to the dictionary to allow spellcheck and autocorrect to accept them, such as when typing LOL or an intentionally misspelled word found in an app or business name. This makes the feature more tolerant of the terms that aren’t in the dictionary. Here’s how to go about it:

1. Go to “Settings.”
   
2. Navigate to “General” and go to the “Keyboard” menu.
   
3. Tap on “Text Replacement” and press the “+” button in the top-right corner of the screen.
   
4. Add in the words you want your iPad to identify.
   

How to Turn Off Spell Check on an iPad

Another fantastic grammar tool that is enabled by default is spell check. The feature is helpful because it highlights any misspelled words in your text.

To turn off spell check on an iPad, follow these steps:

1. Tap on the “Settings” app.
   
2. Scroll down the menu and select “General.”
   
3. Go to “Keyboard.”
   
4. Under the “ALL KEYBOARDS” section, turn off the “Check Spelling” feature.
   

How to Turn On/Off Auto-Capitalization on an iPad

As the name suggests, auto-capitalization capitalizes the first letter of every sentence, which can also be inconvenient for the autocorrect feature. The setting is a great timesaver, but if you need to turn it on or off, follow these steps:

1. Go to the “Settings” app.
   
2. Select “General” on the left and choose “Keyboard” on the right.
   
3. Under the “ALL KEYBOARDS” section, turn “Auto-Capitalization” on of off as needed.
   

How to Disable Caps Lock on an iPad

To disable the caps lock feature, follow these steps:

1. Go to the “Settings” app.
   
2. Select “General” and launch the “Keyboard” menu.
   
3. Turn off the toggle switch against the “Caps-Lock” feature.
   

How to Disable Smart Punctuation on an iPad.

Smart punctuation, as the name suggests, is yet another Grammar feature that’s designed to make your typing work a bit easier, especially for autocorrect. It automatically fills in punctuation marks in your text. But just like any other writing assistant, it’s bound to make mistakes.

To disable smart punctuation on an iPad, follow these steps:

1. Open the “Settings” app.
   
2. Select “General” on the left and tap on “Keyboard” on the right.
   
3. Turn off “Smart Punctuation.”
   

Note: Apple is constantly introducing useful features to enhance texting and autocorrecting. Because of this, keeping an eye out for new features might be worthwhile.

iPhone Autocorrect On/Off FAQs

Is the process of turning off autocorrect the same across all the iPad models?

Yes, the steps for turning off autocorrect are consistent, regardless of the iPad model you’re working on.

Does the predictive text feature learn from past experiences?

Yes, the predictive text feature capitalizes on machine learning to predict text. With the feature turned on, your device will eventually learn the words you frequently pair together. At some point, the feature will start suggesting words that might be appropriate in that circumstance. For that reason, you’ll see that the predictions improve over time.

How do you turn off autocorrect on an iPhone?

To turn off autocorrect on an iPhone, follow these steps:

1. Open “Settings.”

2. Scroll down to the “General” menu.

3. Scroll down and open the “Keyboard” menu.

4. Under the “All Keyboards” section, tap “Auto-Correction.”

Autocorrect: A Blessing and a Curse

Autocorrect is a blessing and has changed the way people text. But in some cases, it gets it horribly wrong. In fact, if you don’t pick up a word weirdly misused by autocorrect, you might come off as stupid. Even worse, you might enrage the other party, especially when the initial intent of the message is completely lost. Fortunately, turning off the feature on your iPad is quick and easy.

Have you ever sent a weird message because of autocorrect? Was the message hilarious or absurd? Please share your experiences in the comments section below.