Excel AutoCorrect ?

[TomBarsh]

So I am documenting my investigation of "Health Savings Accounts" in the USA, commonly referred to as "HSA"

Excel keeps regularly and willfully changing my typing HSA to HAS. I don't understand why.

The AutoCorrect settings are set to "Ignore words in UPPERCASE". Plus I capitulated and added the word to the custom dictionary (successfully, although I don't know if it is actually functioning).

Then I realized that "spell checking" is not exactly the same as "AutoCorrect while typing". So I added an exception to AutoCorrect ...the dialog title bar indicates "AutoCorrect Exception" so I was sure I was on the right track here! I added the exception "Don't correct" "HSA". Oddly enough, in the same dialog is an exception not to correct IDs, as for "Identifications". I think that must be a default entry. And it works, I type in IDs and she likes it! Just not my HSA. But my HSA always comes out as HAS.

This affects Excel 2007 and also Office 365 (subscription model, includes latest versions of Excel, Word, etc).

Any ideas on how to fix? TIA


ETA: I have taken the temporary step of expunging the hsa/has pair from AutoCorrect and this is successful. In general I hate to take such drastic action; I'd rather learn the proper mode of change.

 

[JG2828]

Just remove it from the "Replace text as you type" list.
edit: just noticed your last statement. I wouldn't feel bad about removing this from the list. HSA is a real acronym these days and should not be auto-corrected to has.

 

[TomBarsh]

Yep, I have tried numerous options in that dialog, and also by using the Exceptions button on that dialog. So far, nothing has worked...except to remove that word pair form the list.

 

[TomBarsh]

Thanks! JG

 

[IDS]

Tom - I'm not sure why you are so reluctant to remove has from the autocorrect list, but an alternative is to type Ctrl-Z (undo) as soon as the "autocorrect" appears, and it will go back to what you typed. If HSA is the last text in the cell you need to add a space, so you can do the Ctrl-Z before you press enter. Ctrl-Z after enter just deletes everything.

This also works for other annoying "corrections", such as changing MPa to MPA, or you can add MPa to the Initial Caps exception list. This list only affects changes to capitalization, which is why it has no effect on spelling "corrections".

On a related (sort of) topic.

I had never noticed the Math AutoCorrect tab before today.
I just tried it, and it didn't do anything.
This link explains why:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...in-excel/dadf030c-2ba3-4080-9383-3050705792cf

It also has a fairly complicated way to get it to work, but I haven't had time to try that yet.

Doug Jenkins
Interactive Design Services

http://newtonexcelbach.wordpress.com/

 

[TomBarsh]

Thanks Doug. My reluctance is based on not wanting to disable things in an inappropriate way, until I have (mostly) mastered the art ...I have followed the opposite approach too many times in my life and sometimes it's irreversible(!).

I knew that I could remove that word pair but I thought there must be some way to get it to work correctly (I suppose that I still believe that, but I have moved on, lol)

 

[davidbeach]

If you remove the pair and find the results undesirable you can always add them back in. Back in the day that I was doing shop drawing reviews, an all caps NET would instantly rewrite itself to No Exceptions Taken; there were also a couple more that I've fortunately forgotten since then. But if there's any phrase you regularly use you can put in a marker for it to be expanded to the whole phrase. If your find that phrase showing up in totally unrelated contexts just remove it.