What circumstances make the wrong word choice insanely embarrassing? We’re looking at you, autocorrect. When you type a text and autocorrect decides that’s not really what you wanted to say, you’re going to get edited, often with cringeworthy results. But there’s hope! Read on, and take control of autocorrect – it’s only trying to be helpful, after all. Do you have a word that your phone constantly tries to help “fix?” Lettuce no on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Your Faithful Sidekick
Ever blasted through a text, knowing that you’re misspelling words but also knowing the autocorrect will fix ‘em on the fly? This is a dangerous (but oh so awesomely modern) way to live. If you’ve always had trouble spelling certain words, autocorrect can be a lifesaver. Is there a word that you simply cannot spell to save your life? That’s when autocorrect is your BFF. But as the saying goes, “live by the sword, die by the sword.”
You Said WHAT?!
Sometimes an auto-change can cause real problems! The New York Times wrote a few years back that someone ended up texting “gunman be at west hall” when they meant to say “gunna be at west hall today,” referring to West Hall Middle School in Oakwood, Georgia. The school went on immediate lockdown when the text was reported.
Autosave #FTW
Maybe an autosave term did you in—a word that gets saved for reuse. For example, say you work out a lot. You and a friend often text about dietary topics like carbs (as in carbohydrates). When you text the friend about picking them up in your car tonight, you end up sending “Look for my carb around seven.” Helpful hint: if you see an autosaved term that resembles a doodle from your two-year-old, delete it so it won’t be remembered. Every phone has a way to edit your save list!
The Nuclear Option
Ready to call it 100% quits? You can disable autocorrect! Here, let us google that for you. Android users, your answers are somewhere in here. And iPhone users, we’ve got you covered, too. But don’t blame us when your texts start to take a little bit longer to spellcheck.
Irreparable Words
There have been reports that there are certain sensitive words that the iPhone won’t ever try to correct. A conspiracy (or helpful hand) theory, perhaps? The Daily Beast reported that certain terms like “ammo,” “bullet,” “abortion,” and “rape” won’t get correction suggestions. So you’re on your own…the autocorrect gods may actually be able to turn a blind eye.
Sure, Blame the Phone
It may be convenient (and sometimes true) to blame the phone if something gets misspelled. But consider this: we’re all human. It’s conceivable that as a human, you made the mistake, not the software (at least, that one time). Our take: using an extra 10 seconds to check things over isn’t going to hurt in the grand scheme of things. But then again, what would we have to laugh at if we didn’t allow autocorrect to have a little fun? 📱
Lexicography 