Dear Microsoft Word, I Meant What I Typed.

Author PSA because I’d like to save at least one of you from banging your head against your computer screen. 😂

Over the last couple of weeks, Microsoft Word has been testing my patience.

I love Autocorrect in Word. Unlike on my phone, it never changed words I had spelled correctly to words it thought I meant. Until recently.

It started doing things like changing knew to new. And then adding insult to injury by putting a blue squiggle under the wrong word it introduced into my manuscript.

The weird part? I watched it happen on the screen as I typed. It felt like AI was powering Autocorrect but I turned Copilot off as soon as Microsoft introduced it. So, that shouldn’t be possible, right?

Wrong.

It turns out that Microsoft Word has tied its background corrections into Microsoft Editor, which uses machine learning and AI pattern matching for contextual spelling corrections. Even with Microsoft Copilot turned off, this feature can still be active, as I can attest.

Instead of just fixing obvious typos like teh → the, it looks at the sentence, predicts what it thinks you meant to write and will change your words.

I’m sure someone, somewhere, appreciates that feature.

As an author, I absolutely do not.

The good news? Fantastic really, in my opinion. You can turn it off while keeping the traditional Autocorrect dictionary function on.

Here’s how:

1. Go to File → Options → Proofing

2. Click AutoCorrect Options.

3. Under the AutoCorrect tab, uncheck:

✔️Automatically use suggestions from the spelling checker

4. Click Okay.

Simple, right?

Now, that I’ve posted my PSA for the month, I’m going back to writing and my words not getting changed by mischievous sprites on my hard drive. 😉

Happy reading,
Lucy

Internationally bestselling and award-winning author Lucy Monroe has over 95 published novels and more than 12.5 million copies of her books sold worldwide. She writes emotionally intense, spicy romance about flawed characters finding someone who truly sees them and loves them for who they are. Her stories pull readers in, keep them hooked, and deliver a deeply satisfying happily ever after. Just ask her readers!

Now publishing independently, Lucy’s has written for 4 of the 5 big publishers in New York. Her latest series, Syndicate Rules & Syndicate Sins, explore the dark and decadent world of mafia romance with morally gray heroes, fierce heroines, and all the spice fans crave.

A voracious reader and longtime romance fangirl, Lucy loves connecting with fellow book lovers online.

For info on all of Lucy’s books, visit her website.

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