Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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.
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.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. 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: 
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:
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, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Transposing Two Characters.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
Some people like to have one space between sentences, while others prefer two. For those in the latter camp, you may ...
Discover MoreTypographers know that not all spaces are created equal. When creating a document, most people use spaces created by ...
Discover MoreSome people like to have Word replace previous information as they type; this is called 'overtype mode.' You can control ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2016-10-21 10:03:54
McL
For transposing character macro, inserted macro with hotkey cntrl+T. When I attempt to run this macro, I receive:
runtime error 4608
Value out of range
2015-05-25 17:12:26
Ed Tuggy
Allen, I like this tip, and may implement it. Meanwhile, it reminds me of a more general case that I wish was available in Word, if not in all programs. As far as I know, it isn't. What I wish for is the ability to make two selections and tell them to swap places. Then you could swap characters, words, phrases, you name it. Maybe somebody has some idea how to do this. I write macros for Word pretty regularly, but haven't yet noticed a way to do this. But now I'm starting to think again...
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.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2019 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments