How to Delete a Word from Your Keyboard Dictionary

What deleting a word from your keyboard does

When you delete a word from your keyboard dictionary, you remove it from the list of words your keyboard suggests as you type. This stops autocorrect from changing what you type into that word, and stops it from appearing in your predictive suggestions. The word stays in your device's main dictionary — you can still type it manually — but your keyboard stops treating it as a frequent or learned word.

Most people delete words because autocorrect keeps changing something they type into the wrong word, or because they added a word by accident and now it keeps suggesting it. The steps differ depending on whether you use an iPhone, Android phone, Windows computer, or Mac.

Key Takeaways

• On iPhone, you remove words from the keyboard dictionary by going to Settings, General, Keyboard, and tapping "Edit" next to Text Replacement.
• On Android, the method depends on which keyboard app you use — Google Keyboard, Samsung Keyboard, and third-party keyboards all have different menus.
• On Windows, you can remove words from autocorrect by opening Settings, going to Devices, then Typing, and deleting entries from the autocorrect list.
• On Mac, you delete words from the dictionary by opening System Settings, Keyboard, Text Input, and removing them from the Text Replacements list.
• If you cannot find where to delete a word, clearing your keyboard's learned data and starting fresh is usually faster than hunting through menus.

Deleting words on iPhone

On iPhone, words you have added to your keyboard dictionary live in the Text Replacement section. Open Settings, then tap General. Scroll down and tap Keyboard, then tap Edit next to Text Replacement at the bottom of the screen.

You will see a list of every shortcut and word you have added. Swipe left on the word you want to remove, and a red Delete button appears. Tap it. The word is now gone from your keyboard's suggestions and autocorrect will stop using it.

If you want to clear everything at once instead of deleting one word at a time, you can reset your keyboard entirely. Go back to Settings, General, Reset, and tap Reset Keyboard Dictionary. This removes all learned words and custom shortcuts, but keeps your main language dictionary intact.

Deleting words on Android

Android keyboards vary depending on which app you use. If you use Google Keyboard (Gboard), open the app, tap the three-line menu icon, go to Settings, then Dictionary. You will see a list of words you have added. Tap the word you want to remove, then tap Delete.

If you use Samsung Keyboard, open Settings on your phone, go to General Management, then Language and Input. Tap Samsung Keyboard, then tap Text Shortcuts. Find the word in the list, tap it, and tap Delete at the bottom of the screen.

For other third-party keyboards like SwiftKey or Microsoft Keyboard, the path is usually Settings, Apps, then the name of your keyboard app, then Settings within that app. Look for a section called Dictionary, Learned Words, or Shortcuts. The exact name and location varies, but the delete button is always there once you find the word.

Deleting words on Windows

Windows stores autocorrect entries in a central location. Open Settings, then go to Devices on the left side. Click Typing, then scroll down to the Autocorrect section. You will see a list of words Windows has learned or that you have added.

Find the word you want to remove and click the X button next to it. The word disappears immediately. If you have many words to remove, you can delete them one at a time, or you can click the option to turn off autocorrect entirely if it is causing more problems than it solves.

If you use Microsoft Word separately from Windows, Word has its own autocorrect list. Open Word, go to File, then Options, then Proofing, then AutoCorrect Options. Find the word in the list, select it, and click Delete.

Deleting words on Mac

On Mac, open System Settings and click Keyboard on the left side. Click Text Input at the top, then look for the Text Replacements tab. You will see a list of every word and shortcut you have added to your keyboard.

Find the word you want to remove, click it once to select it, then click the minus button at the bottom left of the list. The word is deleted. If you want to remove many words at once, you can select multiple entries by holding Command and clicking each one, then delete them all together.

When to clear your entire keyboard dictionary instead

If autocorrect is changing many words incorrectly or suggesting words you do not want, deleting them one at a time takes a long time. It is often faster to clear your entire keyboard dictionary and let it rebuild from scratch.

On iPhone, use Reset Keyboard Dictionary as described above. On Android, go to your keyboard settings and look for a Reset or Clear Data option — the exact location depends on which keyboard you use. On Windows, you can turn off autocorrect entirely in Settings, Devices, Typing. On Mac, you can delete all text replacements by selecting them all at once and clicking the minus button.

After you clear everything, your keyboard will start learning new words again as you type. It usually takes a few days of normal typing before suggestions become useful again.

Why your keyboard keeps suggesting a word you deleted

If you delete a word but it keeps appearing in suggestions, the word may be stored in more than one place. On iPhone, check both Text Replacement and your main dictionary — you may need to reset the keyboard dictionary entirely. On Android, some keyboards sync learned words to your Google account, so deleting it locally does not remove it from the cloud. Go to your Google account settings and check Manage Your Google Account, then Security, then Third-party apps with account access, and revoke access to your keyboard app if you want to clear synced data.

On Windows and Mac, if a word keeps appearing, it may be in Word's autocorrect list rather than your system keyboard. Check both locations and delete it from each one separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will deleting a word from my keyboard dictionary prevent me from typing it?

No. Deleting a word from your keyboard dictionary only removes it from suggestions and autocorrect. You can still type the word manually whenever you want. Your device's main language dictionary remains unchanged.

Can I undo a deletion if I change my mind?

On most devices, no — once you delete a word from your keyboard dictionary, it is gone. You can add it back by typing it again and confirming it when your keyboard suggests it, or by manually re-entering it in the Text Replacement or Shortcuts section. On some Android keyboards that sync to the cloud, you may be able to restore from a backup.

Why does my keyboard keep autocorrecting a word even after I deleted it?

The word may be in your device's main language dictionary rather than your learned dictionary. You cannot delete words from the main dictionary without resetting your entire keyboard. Try turning off autocorrect for that specific word by adding it as a text replacement that maps to itself — for example, mapping "teh" to "teh" so it stops changing to "the".

Do I need to restart my phone or computer after deleting a word?

No. Deletions take effect immediately on all devices. If a word is still appearing after you delete it, the deletion did not work — check that you deleted it from the correct location, or try clearing your entire keyboard dictionary.

What is the difference between deleting a word and turning off autocorrect?

Deleting a word removes it from your keyboard's learned list but keeps autocorrect on for everything else. Turning off autocorrect disables the feature entirely, so no words are automatically changed. If only one word is causing problems, delete that word. If autocorrect is wrong more often than it is right, turn it off.