Understanding the iPhone Custom Dictionary July 25, 2008
Posted by Pip in Explanations.Tags: dictionary, frustrations, praise, typing
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In order to make up for the less-than-stellar performance of a touch-screen keyboard, Apple’s done some really really excellent work with auto-correct and predictive type. Whenever you type, the iPhone is constantly second-guessing you, offering you words it thinks you’re trying to type, regardless of how many times you hit x instead of c.
It’s actually really, really good at this. Because of it, I can type with some confidence, making constant typing mistakes (I have small fingers, but damn those letters are easy to hit wrong), and still have my text come out pretty well as I intended.
Additionally, the iPhone learns new words for its custom dictionary from your typing. And according to Apple, those words even age – if you don’t use a particular custom word for a while, the iPhone will automatically remove it from the dictionary.
All very cool. But – and this is one of those things with the iPhone that just blows my f*cking mind – there’s no function to allow you to directly edit your custom dictionary.
Oooh… this kind of shit just makes me so MAD. If the phone just sucked, it’d be fine, but the iPhone excels in so many advanced areas, only to suck in some pretty basic ones. Apple spent all that time developing a learning predictive text program, only to leave out the one feature that would have made it really rock. Arghhh. They do this all over the place with this phone.
The only way to add custom words to the dictionary is to let a “mistake” stand. When the iPhone offers you its little pop-up suggestion, finish typing your word and then take the time to deny the suggestion (by tapping it instead of hitting space). But make sure the word is spelled right before you do that, or the WRONG spelling will be added to the custom dictionary.
If you make a real mess of your custom dictionary, the only way to fix it (since you can’t add or remove words at will) is to completely reset the dictionary (Settings > General > Reset > Reset Keyboard Dictionary), which will remove all of the custom words that have been entered.
Oh, Apple people who are not reading this blog at all, please let us add words directly. I’d love to have my last name tossed in there so it could predictively spell that, but the dictionary doesn’t offer me any suggestions when I type it. And there’s a lot of lingo in my line of work I’d like to add, please.
yes, it’s the really basic features that are missing that drive you crazy. As you pointed out, so much advanced development has been done on this phone only to leave out such basic stuff. For example I can’t find how to forward a text message or send a contact. Also it’d be cool to be able to enter your email address into the phone’s profile and have it as a button on the keyboard so you don’t have to keep typing it in! Oh well, there’s always hope for software updates!
Philby-
I was looking for the same functionality for sending contacts and was baffled that Apple didn’t build it in. But I just found an app on the App Store called (funnily enough) “Send Contact” that seems to be pretty cool. Problem is it requires any iPhone user to also buy the app, but it’s a good workaround til Apple builds it in.
oh my fucking god, Pip. I swear we share a brain or something because you think EXACTLY like I do.
the problem is when typing fast I tend to just allow whatever the iphone corrects for us. then I tend go back and delete how it INCORRECTLY corrected my word and change it back.
The problem is that it does not try to offer a suggestion/correct this second time, and therefore I don’t think it is adding my custom word “post-correction” to its dictionary.
it’s amazing how there are so many features on the original smart phones that are missing from iphone (custom dictionary editing, cut/paste… etc…)
apple needs to fix this soon.
hxzdlksqsswwgoqgwell, hi admin adn people nice forum indeed. how’s life? hope it’s introduce branch
There is a workaround. Add the words you want IN LOWERCASE into your contacts list and it will accurately spell these words. In fact, if you misspell them, it will predict the correct spelling. I’ve entered several glorious words and it works fantastically. The only thing you have to worry about now is your gf asking Qs like what the duck are curse words doing in your shotty contacts list. Cheers!!!
Found this info that you might find useful:
http://www.iphonehacks.com/2009/01/tips-to-add-words-to-iphones-dictionary.html
The ‘Reset Keyboard Dictionary’ thingy doesn’t work. It’s so irritating, I mistakenly entered an incorrect word and now it keeps falling into place everytime I type.
I’ve been looking everywhere for an answer but nobody seems to know how to remove a custom word from the dictionary.
UtahRugbyGuy Your the MAN!!!!
Finally I’ve overcome the super mega hyper irritating suggestions of iPhone by adding the words I want, for example, in somebody’s NICKNAME…
I’ve created a contact of myself, and then added in my nickname all the words I want iPhone to recognize and it WORKS!!!! HURRAY!!!
THANK YOU MAN!!! YOU’RE THE MAN!!!!
It is DUCKING great!!!