Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. 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: Transposing Two Characters.

Transposing Two Characters

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated February 3, 2026)

I generally call myself "fumble fingers" when I do it, but it happens nonetheless. I'm typing along, and all of a sudden I notice that I have transposed two characters in a word. For instance, I type form instead of from. Unfortunately, AutoCorrect can't be programmed to correct my mistake, since both form and from are valid words.

If you find yourself doing this, the following macro will be of interest. It can be used to provide a command left out of Word—that of transposing two characters. All you need to do is position the insertion point between two characters you want to transpose and then issue the macro.

Sub TransposeCharacters()
    With Selection
        .MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1, Extend:=wdExtend
        .Cut
        .MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
        .Paste
        .MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
    End With
End Sub

This macro is made more valuable if you assign it to a keyboard shortcut, as described in other issues of WordTips. Once this is done, you can fumble your fingers all you want, and then transpose the characters without ever removing your fingers from the keyboard.

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10606) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Transposing Two Characters.

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...

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What is eight minus 1?

2026-02-12 00:11:03

Barbie

I do use Autocorrect for form instead of from. I use "from" a lot more than "form," so I have "form" Autocorrect to "fromr," which is flagged by the spell checker so I can verify which word I meant. However, I also have an autocorrect entry to change "formm" to "form," so if that's the word I want, I just remember to hit the M twice.
I use tired and tried (and tries\tires) about equally, but am constantly typing one for the other. So, I have each word Autocorrect to add an R to the end ("tried" to "triedr," etc.). Again, this flags the word in spell check so I can choose the correct one.

The suggested macro is clever...but in the same number of keystrokes\mouse clicks it takes to position the cursor and run a macro, couldn't you just type over the two letters correctly?

2021-01-08 15:39:16

Andrew

I do this without clobbering the Clipboard like this (assuming just the two characters to be transposed are selected):

With Selection
.Text = .Characters(2).Text & .Characters(1).Text
End With

Andy.

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