10.6: Auto-correct only works with on-the-fly spell checking

In order for Snow Leopard's new auto-correction feature to work, you need to have both "Correct spelling automatically" and "Check spelling while typing" enabled under Edit » Spelling and Grammar. I searched in the OS help files and online, and I couldn't find any documentation that actually stated this. In fact, TextEdit's Help says:

To have TextEdit automatically correct spelling errors, do one of the following:

To automatically correct spelling in the current document, choose Edit > "Spelling and Grammar" > Correct Spelling Automatically.

To automatically correct spelling in new documents, choose TextEdit > Preferences, click New Document, and select "Correct spelling automatically."

Logically, this hint is pretty obvious: the system won't auto-correct if it's not checking while typing. However, allowing "Correct spelling automatically" to be checked and then having nothing happen is confusing behavior for users. It seems to me that a better behavior would be to have the option grayed out unless "Check spelling while typing" is checked.

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10.6: Auto-correct only works with on-the-fly spell checking
Authored by: mozart111 on Thu, Oct 22 2009 at 8:21AM PDT

The auto-correct in Snow Leopard is appalling. My iPhone works quite well. Leopard worked quite well. Snow Leopard? IMO doesn't worlk.

See didn't correct work. Highlight the word and right click - and THERE IT IS - correct spelling. Select and it works.

Why if the right click offers the correct spelling, the AUTO-CORRECT doesn't?

SO frustrating. Apple has totally made bad decisions on the dictionary and auto correct in Snow Leopard. And THIS is what the competition shold use to fight Apple.

Pathetic Apple.

10.6: Auto-correct only works with on-the-fly spell checking
Authored by: PCheese on Thu, Oct 22 2009 at 10:34AM PDT

Wow, how did you survive with just Leopard?

Anyway, if you play around with autocorrect on Snow Leopard, you'll notice it only autocorrects words where it has a really good guess at what you meant to type. To me it seems "worlk" could easily be either "work" or "world", and those are Snow Leopard's suggestions as well. If you were to try it on your iPhone, you'd notice that it doesn't autocorrect "worlk" either.

On the iPhone, it's difficult to go back and edit words, so it's better to autocorrect to *something* so that it's right at least some of the time instead of always being wrong. Furthermore, due to the slower speed of typing on the iPhone and the autocorrect animations, you always know when autocorrect is kicking in, allowing you to easily correct its mistakes.

The Mac is a different beast: it's much easier to go back and right-click or otherwise edit a word. It's also much easier to miss an autocorrect when it happens because there's no animation. It makes sense to have a higher threshold for autocorrect guesses, otherwise the time saved by autocorrect would be negated by the time needed to check for and fix its erroneous substitutions.

I, for one, am rather happy with the autocorrect implementation in Snow Leopard. It saves me enough time fixing silly typos, but isn't over-aggressive.

10.6: Auto-correct only works with on-the-fly spell checking
Authored by: bitwise on Fri, Oct 23 2009 at 10:27AM PDT

Nice post. Thanks.

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