How to Remove Words from iPhone Predictive Text: 3 Fixes

Predictive text on the iPhone suggests the three words you're most likely to type next. Unfortunately, sometimes our iPhone keyboard "learns" an incorrect spelling or text replacement.  Luckily, you can edit, reset, or delete predictive text options using autocorrect, keyboard shortcuts, or by resetting your iPhone keyboard. 

Related: How to Create Keyboard Shortcuts on Your iPhone

How to Change Predictive Text on iPhone

The best way to prevent unwanted suggestions from QuickType is to be attentive and avoid choosing the wrong word from the predictive text offerings. If you do end up with unwanted words, it's easy to fix. Here's how to remove a word from predictive text on iPhone, use keyboard shortcuts to fix predictive text, and reset predictive text on iPhone. For more great keyboard tutorials, check out our free Tip of the Day.   

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Jump To:

• How to Use Autocorrect to Fix Predictive Text
• How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Fix Predictive Text
• How to Reset Your iPhone Keyboard to Fix Predictive Text

How to Use Autocorrect on iPhone to Reset Predictive Text

If you have just a few misspelled words being offered by QuickType, this is a good option. To use your iPhone's autocorrect function to change a predictive text suggestion:

1. Open an app where you can backspace and correct yourself, such as Messages or Notes.
    
2. Enter your misspelled word, then a space. A red dotted line will appear under the misspelled word.
   
   
    
3. Backspace until a black bubble appears, offering the correct spelling.
4. Tap the black bubble to correct the word.
   
   

Eventually, the predictive text feature should learn the word that you actually prefer, but the misspelling will still be offered for the first few times. To ensure predictive text works properly, check the autocorrect settings on your iPhone.

How to Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Change Predictive Text

A second way to fix the problem, especially if there are just a few words that you need to correct, is to create keyboard shortcuts so that the incorrect or unwanted word becomes a keyboard shortcut for the correct word. 

How to Reset iPhone Keyboard to Clear Predictive Text

The third way to fix predictive text errors is the most extreme, and I wouldn't do it unless predictive text is so messed up it's become a chronic issue. Once you reset your keyboard dictionary, you'll start from scratch and lose all the tailor-made suggestions your iPhone has accumulated for you over the months or years. If you decide to reset your keyboard dictionary, here's how:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
   
   
    
2. Scroll down and tap General.
   
   
    
3. Scroll down and tap Transfer or Reset Phone.
   
   
    
4. Tap Reset.
   
   
    
5. Tap Reset Keyboard Dictionary.
   
   

That's it! Now you can start from the ground up with your keyboard's predictive text function and hopefully have better results in the future. If you enjoyed this tip, read up on how to hide predictive text  and turn off predictive text.