Auto-correct Features May Not Always Correct Correctly
Anyone who writes any book, paper, or even everday correspondence is well aware of the features of auto-correct in word processing programs. These do not alert you to a misspelling – instead, they fix it for you.
I found a recent article in the San Jose Mercury News by Sue McAllister entitled “Auto-correct can be a Fix – or Put You in One” to be especially useful (August 22, 2011).
This function is designed to correct mistakes we make when we are in a hurry, compose sloppy messages, or simply do not know how to spell a word. In fact, some systems claim to actually learn the words that a writer uses most often.
Here are some funny examples that auto-correct ended up with:
“I like fried children.”
“Is your sister busty?”
“Juan Urine” – instead of Juan Uribe of the Los Angeles Dodgers
The article reports that the iPhone’s auto-correct system contains a dictionary of between 40-60,000 words. Some software allows you to keep your original spelling, and others allow you to disable the feature.
What have you seen across your screen that you don’t think the writer intended? Send them to me through the comment function so that others can see!
