On iPad, set up a text replacement you can use to enter a word or phrase by typing just a few characters. For example, type “omw” to enter “On my way!” That one’s already set up for you, but you can also add your own.

A message with the text shortcut OMW typed in the text field and the phrase “On my way!” suggested below as replacement text.

Create a text replacement

  1. Do one of the following:

    • With an onscreen keyboard: Touch and hold the Next Keyboard, Emoji key or the Switch Keyboard key, tap Keyboard Settings, then tap Text Replacement.

    • With an external keyboard: Go to Settings  > General > Keyboard, then tap Text Replacement.

  2. Tap the Add button at the top right.

  3. Type a phrase in the Phrase field and the text shortcut you want to use for it in the Shortcut field.

Have a word or phrase you use and don’t want it corrected?

  1. Go to Settings  > General > Keyboard, then tap Text Replacement.

  2. Tap the Add button at the top right, then enter your word or phrase in the Phrase field, but leave the Shortcut field blank.

Create a text replacement for word and input pairs

When using certain Chinese or Japanese keyboards, you can create a text replacement for word and input pairs. The text replacement is added to your personal dictionary. When you type the text shortcut for a word or input while using a supported keyboard, the paired word or input is substituted for the shortcut.

Shortcuts are available for the following:

  • Simplified Chinese: Pinyin

  • Traditional Chinese: Pinyin and Zhuyin

  • Japanese: Romaji and Kana

Use iCloud to keep your personal dictionary up to date on your other devices

Go to Settings  > [your name] > iCloud, then turn on iCloud Drive.

Reset your personal dictionary

  1. Go to Settings  > General > Reset.

  2. Tap Reset Keyboard Dictionary.

    All custom words and shortcuts are deleted, and the keyboard dictionary returns to its default state.