If you regularly use a word that isn’t in your device’s dictionary, it can be annoying to see it flagged as a misspelling over and over. Or worse, unnecessarily getting corrected automatically. Thankfully, most devices offer a way to add custom entries to the internal dictionary.
Android
Method 1 – Adding On-the-Fly
- Open any app you can type with on your Android phone or tablet. In this case, I used Messages, but you could just as easily pick Gmail or Chrome
- Tap an area where you can enter text
- Enter the word you want to add
- Above the keyboard, suggested words will be offered. The word you typed, exactly as you typed it, should be the word on the far left
- Tap the word on the left to add it to the dictionary
Pro Tip: Misspelled words might be corrected as you type. To undo any corrections that may have been made automatically, tap Backspace 
Method 2 – Adding Directly to the Dictionary
- Open the settings app
- Tap “System”
- Tap “Keyboard”
- Tap “Personal dictionary”
- Tap the + in the upper-right and type the word. Optionally, add a shortcut
- Tap the back arrow to leave the screen. The word will be saved automatically
iPhone/iPad
Method 1 – Adding On-the-Fly
This method is identical to the Android Method 1 above. After typing the word in an app, tap the suggested word on the left in the predictive text bar. This will add it to the dictionary.
Method 2 – Adding Directly to the Dictionary
- Open the settings app
- Select General
- Select Keyboard
- Select Text Replacement
- Tap the + in the upper-right and enter the word in the “phrase” field. Optionally add a shortcut
- Save
Word/Google Docs
If you’d like to customize the dictionary in your Word or Google Docs software, check out this Tech-Talk.com article and video demonstrating how to edit the Word/G-Docs dictionary.
Summary
There you have it! Customizing your device’s dictionary can be quick and easy, and it will save you lots of frustration in the end.
