Word.ws English Dictionary

predictive text

predictive text noun: a system for inputting text on a device where individual buttons correspond to several characters that attempts to guess which word was intended (typically out of a writable vocabulary), as opposed to a system where disambiguation is achieved through repeated presses of the same key.

predictive text: a system for inputting text on a device where individual buttons correspond to several characters...
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Noun

predictive text (uncountable)

  1. A system for inputting text on a device where individual buttons correspond to several characters that attempts to guess which word was intended (typically out of a writable vocabulary), as opposed to a system where disambiguation is achieved through repeated presses of the same key.
  2. A system, as in a word processor, that attempts to predict and autocomplete the text being typed.
    • […] whereas before it more ^([sic]) akin to a typewriter, nowadays, with built in functions such as spelling check and predictive text, Microsoft Word has evolved to the point where it appears to “know” what you would like to do.2012, Anthony Elliott, Routledge Handbook of Identity Studies, page 138

Questions about predictive text

What does predictive text mean?
Predictive text means a system for inputting text on a device where individual buttons correspond to several characters that attempts to guess which word was intended (typically out of a writable vocabulary), as opposed to a system where disambiguation is achieved through repeated presses of the same key.
What part of speech is predictive text?
Predictive text is a noun.

Words near predictive text in the dictionary

  1. predictive parser
  2. predictive parsers
  3. predictive power
  4. predictive programming
  5. Predictive Shopping
  6. predictive text
  7. predictive texting
  8. predictively
  9. predictiveness
  10. predictives
  11. predictivities

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: predictive text (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “predictive text.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/predictive_text. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.