Text Fails That Still Haunt Me.
By someone who now triple-checks every message like it’s a nuclear launch code. It took many embarrassing moments in my 20s to reach this point in my 30s.
Let me just start by saying: AutoCorrect is not my friend. It has betrayed me more times than my flaky bestie who always says “I’ll be there in 5” and shows up an hour later.
Let’s rewind to the most unforgettable (read: deeply traumatic) moment, I was texting my very serious English teacher to say “Thank you for the notes.” Innocent, right? WRONG. Because AutoCorrect decided to spice things up and changed “Thank you” to… “Luv u.” Yep. I professed my undying love to Ms. D’Souza. At 11:47 PM. On a Sunday. Next morning, she replied with: “I think you meant ‘thank you’. I’ll pretend I didn’t see that.” I haven’t made eye contact with her since. But wait, it gets better.
I once meant to text my mom: “Just finished school. Want to grab some dinner?” Autocorrect decided it was a good day to ruin my life. What actually got sent was: “Just finished school. Want to grab some sinner?” My Christian mom panicked. She replied: “What?? Where are you? Send me your location, I am coming to pick you up”.
Let’s not forget the classic typing “I’ll come in 5” and watching it morph into “I’ll commit.” To WHAT, exactly? A life of grammatical chaos?
Here are 3 simple tips from an experienced autocorrect failure. My experiences can be of use to you.
- Read Before You Send. Always!
Yes, even when you’re in a rush or typing with one eye open. Just 3 seconds of scanning your message can save you from telling your crush you “want to meat” them instead of “meet” them. - Add Slang to Your Dictionary
Autocorrect doesn’t get the Gen Z lingo (yet). If you keep saying “yeet” or “bet” and it changes to “beet” or “pet”… just add your slang to the keyboard dictionary and reclaim your street cred. - Use Voice-to-Text (But With Supervision)
Sometimes talking is faster than typing. Just double-check what your phone thinks you said. Because “I’m on my way!” might turn into “I own a whale!” and that’s a whole different situation.
Moral of the story? Type slow. AutoCorrect slower. And maybe don’t text your teacher past 10 PM. Trust me.
If you find these tips useful, let us know at friends@genwe.today.