Word 2016 For Dummies
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The AutoCorrect feature in Word 2016 fixes hundreds of common typos and spelling errors on-the-fly. You have to be quick to see it in action.

For example, in Word you can't type the word mispell (with only one s). That's because AutoCorrect fixes that typo the split second that you press the spacebar.

AutoCorrect also converts common text shortcuts into their proper characters. For example, type (C) and AutoCorrect properly inserts the © copyright symbol. Ditto for (TM) for the trademark. Typing - -> is translated into an arrow, and even :) becomes a happy face.

Beyond spelling, AutoCorrect fixes common punctuation. It automatically capitalizes the first letter of a sentence. AutoCorrect capitalizes I when you forget to, properly capitalizes the names of days, fixes the iNVERSE cAPS lOCK pROBLEM, plus other common typos.

Undoing an AutoCorrect correction

You can reverse AutoCorrect instant changes, but only when you're quick. The secret is to press Ctrl+Z (the Undo command) immediately after AutoCorrect makes its correction. The change is gone.

Even when you're not quick with the Undo command, you can peruse AutoCorrect changes. These are flagged by a blue rectangle that appears under the corrected text's first letter, as shown in the figure. Position the mouse pointer at that rectangle, and click to see various AutoCorrect options.

Adjusting an AutoCorrection.
Adjusting an AutoCorrection.

To restore the text to how it was typed originally, choose the option Change Back to whatever, where whatever is the original text, such as :) shown here.

To prevent AutoCorrect from ever making the change again, choose the option Stop Automatically Correcting whatever. Although the text won't be corrected, it may still show up as a typo or a spelling error.

Adjusting AutoCorrect settings

To control how AutoCorrect behaves, as well as review — or even add — words it corrects, follow these steps:

  1. Click the File tab.

  2. Choose Options.

    The Word Options dialog box appears.

  3. Click the Proofing category on the left side of the window.

  4. Click the AutoCorrect Options button.

    The AutoCorrect dialog box appears, with the AutoCorrect tab forward.

The AutoCorrect tab lists all problems that AutoCorrect fixes for you, plus common typo corrections. That's also where you can remove the AutoCorrect entries you detest:

To remove an entry in the AutoCorrect list, scroll to find that item, such as :) for the happy face. Click to select the entry, and then click the Delete button.

To add an entry, use the Replace and With text boxes. For example, to replace kludge with kluge, type kludge in the Replace box and kluge in the With box.

Click the OK button when you're done making adjustments, and then close the Word Options dialog box.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book author:

Dan Gookin wrote the first-ever For Dummies book, DOS For Dummies. The author of several bestsellers, including all previous editions of Word For Dummies, Dan has written books that have been translated into 32 languages with more than 11 million copies in print.

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