Turn Off Predictive Text on iPhone Without Auto-Correction

To turn off Predictive Text on an iPhone, open `Settings > General > Keyboard` and turn off `Predictive Text`. If your iOS version shows a separate `Show Predictions Inline` switch, turn that off too to remove gray words that appear in your sentence. This removes Apple’s predictive suggestions across Messages, Mail, Notes, and other apps without automatically disabling `Auto-Correction`.

Check which kind of prediction is bothering you

iPhone’s keyboard has several related features, and each one behaves differently.

• Predictive suggestions: The row of suggested words above the keyboard. Tapping a suggestion inserts it into your text.
• Inline predictions: A gray word or phrase that appears after your cursor as you type. Pressing the Space bar may accept it, depending on the prediction and your iOS version.
• Auto-Correction: The keyboard automatically replaces a word it thinks is misspelled after you type it, commonly when you press Space, punctuation, or Return.

Turn off Predictive Text if you want to remove the suggestion bar. If gray words still appear in your sentence, turn off Show Predictions Inline when that option is available. Neither setting necessarily disables Auto-Correction. If the iPhone changes words after you type them, you must change Auto-Correction separately.

Before starting, make sure you have:

• Your iPhone available and unlocked.
• The language keyboard you normally use installed and active.
• A recent iOS version, since the exact wording can vary slightly between releases.

Turn off Predictive Text in Keyboard settings

Change the setting once in the Settings app; you do not need to repeat it in Messages, Mail, or Notes.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Keyboard.
4. Turn off Predictive Text.

Settings > General > Keyboard > Predictive Text

If your iOS version shows a separate Show Predictions Inline option, turn it off as well to remove gray word completions. It usually appears near Predictive Text on the Keyboard screen. On some releases, turning off Predictive Text controls both the suggestion bar and inline predictions, so you may not see a separate switch.

The change takes effect when you leave the setting. You do not normally need to restart the iPhone or close every app. If a text field was already open, tap in it again or dismiss and reopen the keyboard so it refreshes.

Confirm the suggestions have disappeared

Test the setting in an app that uses Apple’s keyboard. The change applies immediately in Messages, Mail, Notes, and other apps that use that keyboard: the suggestion row should disappear, while the keyboard itself remains available. Auto-Correction can continue working unless you turn it off separately.

1. Open Messages or Notes.
2. Tap a text field so the keyboard appears.
3. Type a short sentence without tapping any suggested words.

With Predictive Text disabled, the suggestion row should no longer offer word choices. If your iOS version had a separate inline-prediction switch and you turned it off, gray completions should also be gone.

Repeat the check in Mail or another app if that is where the problem was most noticeable. Apple’s keyboard setting is shared across apps, but an app using its own keyboard or text-completion system may behave differently.

Keep Auto-Correction on—or turn it off too

Turning off Predictive Text does not necessarily disable Auto-Correction. Your iPhone can stop displaying suggestions while still correcting words automatically as you type.

Leave Auto-Correction on if you want to remove the suggestion bar while keeping common spelling mistakes fixed. To stop automatic replacements as well:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Keyboard.
4. Turn off Auto-Correction.

Settings > General > Keyboard > Auto-Correction

You can leave Spell Check on if you still want possible misspellings marked without having the phone replace them automatically. The available keyboard options and their labels can vary by iOS version and keyboard language.

To turn the features back on, return to Settings > General > Keyboard and enable Predictive Text. If you disabled Show Predictions Inline, enable that switch too. Turn Auto-Correction back on separately if you changed it.

What to do if predictions still show up

If suggestions remain after you turn off Predictive Text, identify which keyboard or feature is producing them.

First, check the active keyboard language. Tap and hold the globe or emoji key, then choose the language you normally use. Different language keyboards can have different prediction behavior and settings. Return to Settings > General > Keyboard and review the options for the active keyboard language.

Next, check whether you are using a third-party keyboard, such as one installed from the App Store. Tap and hold the globe key to identify the active keyboard. Third-party keyboards can provide their own suggestion bar and prediction settings, which are not controlled entirely by Apple’s Predictive Text switch. Open that keyboard’s app or keyboard settings and disable suggestions there, or switch back to the standard iPhone keyboard.

If the phone is changing words rather than displaying suggestions, turn off Auto-Correction; that is a separate feature. If only gray completions remain, look again for Show Predictions Inline and disable it when that option is available.

Finally, close and reopen the app, then test in Notes or Messages. Do not reset the entire keyboard dictionary just to hide predictions. If you want to restore the standard behavior, enable Predictive Text, Show Predictions Inline if present, and Auto-Correction separately in Keyboard settings.

Conclusion

Start with `Settings > General > Keyboard > Predictive Text`, then test in Messages or Notes. The suggestion bar should disappear across apps using Apple’s keyboard; inline gray completions require `Show Predictions Inline` to be off when that switch is available. Leave `Auto-Correction` enabled if you still want spelling fixes, or turn it off separately if the iPhone is changing words you want to keep. If suggestions remain, check the active language keyboard and any third-party keyboard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will turning off Predictive Text remove the keyboard itself?

No. The keyboard continues to work normally. You lose the predictive suggestion bar and, depending on your iOS version or separate settings, inline word completions.

Can I turn off suggestions but keep Auto-Correction?

Yes. Turn off `Predictive Text` and leave `Auto-Correction` on. These are separate settings in `Settings > General > Keyboard`.

Why does my iPhone still change words after Predictive Text is off?

That is usually `Auto-Correction`, not Predictive Text. Go to `Settings > General > Keyboard` and turn off `Auto-Correction` if you want to approve every word manually.