Autocorrection Feature User Autocompletion Word Letters Corrects Make

"Word processors" (computer programs that make it simpler to create written documents, such as Microsoft Word) have many "features" (characteristics; offerings) to help users prepare their documents. One popular feature is "autocorrection," which automatically corrects words that users "mistype" (type incorrectly). For example, if a user types "yuor" the autocorrection feature will change it to "your" without "alerting" (notifying) the user. This is different than "spell check," which alerts the user that a word is misspelled and offers several suggestions of similar words that are spelled correctly. Autocorrection also corrects capitalization problems. For example, if the first two letters of a word are capitalized, the autocorrection feature makes sure that only the first letter is capitalized. And if the first letter is "lowercase" (not capitalized) but the other letters are "uppercase" (capitalized), the autocorrection feature corrects the accidental use of "caps lock" (the key on a keyboard that changes all letters so that they are in uppercase).

An "autocompletion" feature, also known as "word completion," is different, but uses similar technology. An autocompletion feature "anticipates" (predicts; guesses) what the user is going to type and "inserts" (puts in) that word before the user finishes typing it. This is now common on smart phones with very small keyboards that are difficult to type on. Once the user types the first few letters of a word, the autocompletion feature suggests a few words and the user can "tap" (gently touch) one of them to insert the word more quickly than he or she can finish typing it.

Autocorrection and autocompletion features can be very helpful, especially for poor "typists" (people who type), but they are not "foolproof"-that is, they can make mistakes. When using autocorrection and autocompletion features, carefully "proofreading" (checking text for errors) becomes more important than ever.