Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Automatic AutoCorrect Exceptions for Beginning Sentences.

Automatic AutoCorrect Exceptions for Beginning Sentences

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 22, 2025)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365

Ken asked about a problem he was having with AutoCorrect not capitalizing words at the beginning of sentences as he expected. When typing a document, he would sometimes discover that AutoCorrect was not capitalizing the first word of some sentences, despite being configured to do so. The reason for this is because AutoCorrect watches (to a limited extent) how you type and tries to adjust itself for what it perceives as your needs. If you are typing along and Word makes an AutoCorrect correction, and you immediately backspace and type over the correction, Word figures that you don't want it to make those corrections any more in the future. To ensure this, it adds the last word of the sentence, with its ending punctuation, to the AutoCorrect exceptions list. Depending on the way you type, this can cause some problems. For instance, consider this scenario:

You finish a sentence and type the closing punctuation mark and space after the punctuation mark.
You type the first word of the next sentence with the initial letter of that word in lowercase.
You press the space after the first word, and AutoCorrect automatically capitalizes the first letter of that first word.
Before starting on the second word, you change your mind about what the first word should be.
You backspace through the old first word.
You type a new first word, with the initial letter in lowercase.

When you type the space after this new first word, AutoCorrect does two things. First, it doesn't correct the capitalization of the first letter of the new first word—it leaves it lowercase. Second, it automatically adds the last word of the previous sentence, with its terminating punctuation mark, to the AutoCorrect exception list. This means that any time you end a sentence with that word in the future, AutoCorrect will not automatically adjust the capitalization of the first word in the following sentence. If you don't want Word to behave this way (second-guessing why you are backspacing), then you should follow these steps:

Display the Word Options dialog box. (In Word 2007 click the Office button and then click Word Options. In Word 2010 and later versions display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
Click Proofing at the left side of the dialog box.
Click the AutoCorrect Options button. Word displays the AutoCorrect dialog box. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The AutoCorrect tab of the AutoCorrect dialog box.

Click the Exceptions button. Word displays the AutoCorrect Exceptions dialog box. (See Figure 2.)

Figure 2. The AutoCorrect Exceptions dialog box.

Clear the check box labeled Automatically Add Words to List.
Click OK three times to dismiss all the dialog boxes.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6005) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Automatic AutoCorrect Exceptions for Beginning Sentences.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Moving Footnote Text into the Document

Need to move the contents of a footnote up into the main body of your document? You can use normal editing techniques to ...

Discover More

Moving Captions with Pictures

Put a caption with a picture and you'd probably like the two elements to behave like they belong together. If you are ...

Discover More

Solving a Quadratic Equation

One of the staples of high school algebra classes is the quadratic equation. If you need to solve such equations in ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Adding Vertical Lines at the Sides of a Word

Vertical lines are even easier to add around a word than are horizontal lines. There are a variety of methods you can use ...

Discover More

Understanding Font Styles

Fonts, by default, come with one or more styles that define variations of how that font is displayed in your document. ...

Discover More

Unable to Set Margins in a Document

If you find that you cannot set the margins in a document, chances are good that it is due to document corruption. Here's ...

Discover More

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

Notify me about new comments ONLY FOR THIS TIP

Notify me about new comments ANYWHERE ON THIS SITE

Hide my email address

What is five minus 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)

This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.