Tip of the Week: How to Prevent Android From Suggesting Useless Autocorrect Words

Autocorrect--it’s probably safe to say that for every time it’s saved someone from a text message typo, it has also created an awkward situation by inserting a word it has “learned” from the user. This can be especially problematic if an uncouth or inappropriate word has been used often enough on a device that shares responsibilities as a personal device.

However, Android users have a way to remedy this issue before it can cause a potty-mouthed faux pas in a professional communication. This fix does require the 5.0 update, however, so make sure that the device that needs to have its autocorrect “cleansed” is sufficiently updated.

All it takes to remove a misspelled (or otherwise unwanted) word from the device’s dictionary is to enter the native text message application and correctly spell the word that autocorrect tries to “fix.” When its suggestion pops up, click on it but drag your finger upward instead of releasing pressure.

Once you do so, a trash can icon should appear. Drag the offending word to it and release. The suggestion has now been deleted, and will not reappear unless you re-teach the device that word. Therefore, you should be careful not to misspell that word in the future to avoid having to repeat this process.

It should be mentioned that third-party keyboards may not have this function, or if it does, it may be changed slightly. If you use SwiftKey, for example, dragging the unwanted word upwards doesn’t cause a trash can to appear. Instead, SwiftKey produces a pop-up that asks if you want the word removed.

Now you can finally have your Android forget how apt you once were to misspell (or overly use) a particular word, maintaining your professionalism on your device. For more handy tips and tricks, keep coming back to SCW’s blog.