Uppercase and Lowercase AutoCorrect Entries

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 9, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365


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Steven has set up an AutoCorrect entry that changes "Shp" to "Sheepskin". However, if he types "shp", AutoCorrect ignores it. He tried to add a lowercase "shp" to the AutoCorrect entries, but Word automatically changes it to "Shp" in the "Replace" box. Steven wonders how he can get Word to automatically change both "shp" and "Shp" to "Sheepskin."

After playing around with AutoCorrect for a bit, it quickly becomes obvious that how you capitalize both the "Replace" and "With" entries has significance. What you use depends on how you want AutoCorrect to do its work.

Here's how it works when it comes to the capitalization of the text in the "Replace" box:

  • If the text is capitalized (Shp), then the user must type the word, as capitalized (Shp), in order for AutoCorrect to be triggered.
  • If the text is lowercase (shp), then the user can type any variation of capitalization (shp, Shp, SHP) to trigger AutoCorrect.

Here's how capitalization of the text in the "With" box affects AutoCorrect:

  • If the text is capitalized (Sheepskin), then that is exactly how the replacement text will appear (Sheepskin).
  • If the text is lowercase (sheepskin), then the capitalization of the replacement text matches as closely as possible the capitalization of the "Replace" word as typed by the user. In other words typing "shp" means it is replaced with "sheepskin," typing "Shp" means it is replaced with "Sheepskin," and "SHP" is replaced with "SHEEPSKIN."

In Steven's case, what he is seeing follows these rules exactly. He set up the AutoCorrect entry as "Shp" being replaced with "Sheepskin." So, when he later types "shp" in the document, it is ignored. He should delete the AutoCorrect entry and replace it with a lowercase "shp" in the "Replace" box, and in the "With" box enter either "sheepskin" or—if he wants the replacement to always be initial capped—"Sheepskin."

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13495) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365.

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. ...

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What is three less than 6?

2024-03-10 14:59:22

Tomek

Re: Here's how it works when it comes to the capitalization of the text in the "Replace" box:

If the text is capitalized (Shp), then the user must type the word, as capitalized (Shp), in order for AutoCorrect to be triggered.
------------------
The situation becomes less clear if you type a capital letter inside the word. For example typing sHp or shP or sHP or SHP will all trigger AutoCorrect; the result will depend on capitalization of the "With" word.

Also, if the replace word contains any capital letters within it the AutoCorrect will be triggered by any word that has the capital letter anywhere, whether it matches the position in the Replace word or not. So for example ipHone as the replace word will be triggered by Iphone, iPhone, or iphonE (but not iphone).


2024-03-10 13:53:37

Tomek

Note that:
shp -> sheepskin may still be capitalized if it is the first word of the sentence.


2024-03-10 13:40:45

Tomek

@Karl:
read the tip again paying attention to the following part of the tip:

Here's how capitalization of the text in the "With" box affects AutoCorrect:
[,,,]
- If the text is lowercase (sheepskin), then the capitalization of the replacement text matches as closely as possible the capitalization of the "Replace" word as typed by the user. In other words typing "shp" means it is replaced with "sheepskin," typing "Shp" means it is replaced with "Sheepskin," and "SHP" is replaced with "SHEEPSKIN."

------
Make sure you use all lowercase in the "Replace:" box.


2024-03-09 15:47:26

Karl

This is great, except it doesn't help with using autocorrect to correct "Shp" and "shp" so that Shp = Sheepskin and shp = sheepskin. How do you do that?


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