It is designed to enhance your texts, documents and emails.
But as anyone who has used spell check or autocorrect will know all too well, the software doesn’t always get it right.
The famous screw-duck autocorrect may be the first mistake that comes to mind, but many Brits also have trouble spelling their own names.
In fact, a new report claims that a whopping 41 per cent of baby names born in Britain are mistaken due to typos.
From Ottilie to Eesa, these are the most frequently autocorrected names in Britain.
A new report claims that a whopping 41 per cent of baby names born in Britain are mistaken due to typos. From Ottilie to Eesa, these are the most frequently autocorrected names in Britain
In the study, experts from ‘I Am Not a Typo’ (IANAT) entered into Microsoft Word a list of baby names registered in Britain.
Of all the names registered in England and Wales in 2021 with at least three occurrences (13,532), 5,492 were found to be “incorrect”.
Names considered typos include many of African, Asian, and Eastern European origin.
However, popular Scottish, Welsh and Irish names were also found to be incorrectly considered typographical errors.
Ottilie topped the list of girl names, followed by Esmae, Liyana, Ayda and Seren.
Meanwhile, Eesa was the most frequently autocorrected boy’s name, followed by Rafe, Matei, Finnley and Zayan.
An analysis of National Records of Scotland data found that of all names given to children in 2022 in Scotland, 41 per cent were “typos”, including popular names such as Ruaridh, Lochlan, Maeva, Ayda and Fiadh.
The famous screw-duck autocorrect may be the first mistake that comes to mind, but many Brits also have trouble spelling their own name (file image)
Meanwhile, several popular baby names in Wales (including Alys, Seren and Osian) and Northern Ireland (including Oisin, Daithi, Meabh and Eabha) were also flagged as incorrect.
Based on the findings, the team has written a open letter to the tech giants, asking them to fix autocorrect.
“Esmae, her 398 born in England and Wales in 2021, is apparently wrong,” the researchers wrote in the letter.
The same happens with the 447 born in 2020, the 501 born in 2019, the 480 born in 2018 and the 502 born in 2017.
‘That’s 2,328 in the last five years. “That compares to 36 cases of the name Nigel in that time.”
Professor Rashmi Dyal-Chand, a researcher at Northwestern University, has lent her support to the campaign.
Based on the findings, the team wrote an open letter to the tech giants, asking them to fix the autocorrect.
“My name is Rashmi, not Rashi, Rush me or Sashimi, despite the autocorrect,” she said.
‘For people with names like mine, autocorrect is neither convenient nor useful. It’s useless. And yes, it is harmful.”
Journalist Dhruti Shah has also spoken out about the impact of having her name automatically corrected.
‘My name is Dhruti. Not Drutee, Dirty or even Dorito,’ he said.
And yet, these are all words that my name was changed to, often due to an autocorrect decision or a rushed message.
“My name isn’t even that long, just six characters, but when it appears as a mistake or is mangled and is considered an unknown entity, it’s like saying that it’s not just your name that’s wrong, but that you are.”