If you searched how to add a dictionary in WhatsApp or how to activate dictionary in WhatsApp, you usually want one of two things: turn word suggestions on, or stop the keyboard from “correcting” a name, a brand, or a word in another language.
WhatsApp does not have its own dictionary screen on current Android and iPhone. Guides that say Settings → Chats → Dictionary are describing a menu that is not there. The dictionary is in the keyboard WhatsApp is using.
We cannot flip that setting for you. Shmooz is not WhatsApp Support.
Keyboard still “correcting” the wrong word?
Add the word in the phone keyboard. If the whole sentence is still wrong, paste the draft into Shmooz and rewrite it before you send. We cannot change WhatsApp settings for you.
Android — Gboard personal dictionary
- Open any WhatsApp chat and tap the message box so the keyboard shows.
- On Gboard, tap the gear, or go to phone Settings → System → Languages & input → On-screen keyboard → Gboard.
- Open Dictionary → Personal dictionary, pick the language, and add the word.
- Turn Auto-correction on in the same keyboard settings if the real problem is that suggestions never appear. That job is also covered in WhatsApp spell checker and autocorrect.
Samsung Keyboard is the same idea under Samsung Keyboard settings: add the word to the custom dictionary, and check “Suggest text corrections.” Long-press a marked word in the chat and use the dictionary option if the keyboard offers it.
iPhone
- Go to Settings → General → Keyboard.
- Turn on Autocorrection and Predictive if you want the suggestion bar. See predictive text on WhatsApp.
- iPhone does not show a big personal-dictionary list the way Gboard does. To keep a name, use Text Replacement (same Keyboard screen) or type the word and tap your spelling instead of the suggestion so the keyboard can learn it.
WhatsApp Web
web.whatsapp.com does not have a WhatsApp dictionary either. Spelling on a computer comes from the browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari) or the computer’s language settings. If a page tells you to “activate autocorrect inside WhatsApp Web settings,” that menu is not a real WhatsApp control. Right-click a marked word and use the browser’s “add to dictionary” only when the browser itself offers it.
When the dictionary is the wrong tool
A personal dictionary saves a word. It does not rewrite a clumsy sentence. If the draft is still wrong after the keyboard knows the name, paste it and ask for a clean version: rewrite a WhatsApp message before you send. You copy it back and send it yourself.
Keyboard still “correcting” the wrong word?
Add the word in the phone keyboard. If the whole sentence is still wrong, paste the draft into Shmooz and rewrite it before you send. We cannot change WhatsApp settings for you.
FAQ
Can you turn the WhatsApp dictionary on for me?
No. There is no support number and no remote switch. Ignore “WhatsApp dictionary APK” downloads — they are not WhatsApp.
Is this the same as spell check?
Close, but not the same search. Spell check and autocorrect are “turn the feature on.” Dictionary is “add this word so it stops getting changed.” Start with the keyboard list on this page. The on/off steps are on the spell checker page.
Will adding a word fix a banned account?
No. A dictionary does not unblock WhatsApp.
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