Tip 200Correct Your Mac’s Dictionary

Here’s how to correct a few issues that arise with the built-in Mac spell-checking software that works in most apps.

Forcing Autocorrect to Learn Words

Some apps automatically correct what you type, replacing words with what OS X thinks are the correct ones. Needless to say, this doesn’t work 100 percent all the time, and in particular autocorrect has an irritating habit of correcting slang or unusual names into other words.

The solution is dogged persistence: if you see that autocorrect has changed a word you’ve typed correctly, hit Command+Z to undo the correction, hit the Right cursor key, and then type the word a second time. Autocorrect will again correct the word, so again hit Command+Z. On the third ...

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