autocorrect

noun

au·​to·​cor·​rect ˈȯ-(ˌ)tō-kə-ˈrekt 

: a computer feature that attempts to correct the spelling of a word as the user types it

The iPad boasts an autocorrect system that will try to figure out what you mean to type even when you don't quite tap the right keys.

—Dan Moren

autocorrect verb, transitive + intransitive

autocorrected; autocorrecting

When your phone autocorrects "I'll be around later" to "I'll be aroused later" in a text to your boss, a whole new level of mortifying sets in.

—NPR.org

Did you know "kale" autocorrects to "Jake"? I found this out over Labor Day weekend when I jotted down this month's recipe in the notes section of my phone.

—Francesca Olsen

Examples of autocorrect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Microsoft is finally rolling out spellcheck and autocorrect for its Notepad app in Windows 11, more than 40 years after the simple text editor was first introduced in Windows in 1983. —Tom Warren, The Verge, 8 July 2024

Microsoft has also added autocorrect to Notepad, which means typos are automatically corrected when spellcheck is enabled. —Tom Warren, The Verge, 8 July 2024

Andrew Cunningham Like other recent Notepad additions, spellcheck and autocorrect can be tweaked or disabled entirely in the settings. —Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 8 July 2024

Despite its grandiose name, AI isn’t intelligence at all but a math game anticipating what comes next: autocorrect on steroids. —Harry Siegel, New York Daily News, 18 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

auto- + correct entry 1

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

autocorrect

noun

au·​to·​cor·​rect

ˈȯ-(ˌ)tō-kə-ˈrekt

: a computer feature that attempts to correct the spelling of a word as the user types

autocorrect verb