AutoCorrect is one of Word's under-used features. When it's turned on, AutoCorrect automatically fixes common typing mistakes, such as "teh" for "the." It sounds like a good idea, but some people find that level of interruption distressing. If you hate "auto" anything, you may want to turn it off. Choose Tools|AutoCorrect and deselect Replace Text as You Type.
However, what a lot of people don't realize is that you can add more entries to AutoCorrect in addition to the ones that come built into Word. Choose Tools|AutoCorrect. You see a big list of words with the incorrect spellings of the words on the left and the correct spellings on the right. Type the incorrect and correct spelling of a word into the Replace and With boxes. Be sure that Replace Text as You Type is enabled.
Another way to use AutoCorrect is to expand long words or abbreviations. For example, if you work for a business with a convoluted name, such as Johnson, Jackson, Jones and Jacobson, you could create an AutoCorrect entry called "jj" that magically changes this acronym into the full company name.
However, when you add AutoCorrect entries, be sure you don't add an abbreviation that is actually a word. For example, if your company name is Beyond Entertainment, and you create an AutoCorrect entry called "be," you will find the words Beyond Entertainment in a lot more places than you expected.
You can use AutoCorrect to store both text and formatting as well. Highlight some text and choose Tools|AutoCorrect. The highlighted text is inserted into the With box. This way, you can store formatted text such as fields, symbols, paragraph marks, imported graphics, or other non-text objects. Be sure to click the Formatted Text radio button to tell Word to save the entry with its original formatting. |
