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To stop your iPhone or iPad from automatically changing words, open Settings > General > Keyboard and turn off Auto-Correction. Predictive Text and custom text shortcuts are separate controls, so disabling them is not a substitute for switching off Auto-Correction.

Turn off Auto-Correction on the onscreen keyboard

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap General, then Keyboard.
  3. Turn off Auto-Correction.

Apple describes Auto-Correction as a feature that uses the keyboard dictionary to check spelling and automatically correct misspelled words. Apple says it is on by default. See Apple’s Auto-Correction and predictive text instructions.

Check the separate setting for an iPad external keyboard

If you type on an Apple external keyboard connected to an iPad, check its hardware-keyboard setting as well: open Settings > General > Keyboard > Hardware Keyboard and turn off Auto-Correction. Apple documents this as a separate control for the external keyboard. See Apple’s iPad guide to external-keyboard typing options.

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Know the difference between corrections, predictions, and shortcuts

What you want to stop Setting to check What it controls
Automatic spelling changes Auto-Correction Automatically corrects misspelled words while you type.
Word suggestions or inline completions Predictive Text Shows suggested words and phrases, including inline predictions where supported.
A phrase that expands when you type a shortcut Text Replacement Manages user-created shortcuts and their replacement text.
Corrections while typing with an iPad external keyboard Hardware Keyboard > Auto-Correction Controls Auto-Correction for the Apple external keyboard.

Predictive Text does not switch off Auto-Correction

To hide suggested words, go to Settings > General > Keyboard and turn off Predictive Text. Apple says this also disables inline text predictions, but spelling corrections may still appear. Turn off Auto-Correction separately if the problem is words being changed automatically. On iPhone, you can also touch and hold the Emoji or keyboard-switch key, tap Keyboard Settings, and change Predictive Text. Apple’s iPhone guide explains Predictive Text.

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Remove a custom text shortcut

If a particular phrase keeps expanding, open Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement. Tap Edit, remove the unwanted entry, and confirm its deletion. This manages custom substitutions; it is different from turning off automatic spelling correction. Apple’s instructions cover Text Replacement.

Undo or change an individual correction

On iOS 17 and later, Apple says a corrected word is temporarily underlined. Tap the word to choose an option from the pop-up menu if you want to fix that one change without disabling Auto-Correction altogether. See Apple’s Auto-Correction guidance.

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