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Swype is a word-based text entry method on a standard keyboard.
Swype automatically inserts a space between words where necessary.
Swype can also determine the spacing requirements around most symbols, though it won't add a space next to period, hyphen, apostrophe, or double quote. For those symbols, use a punctuation "word".
Auto-spacing can be turned off for one word by Swyping from the Space key to the Delete key. An icon will show on the Space key to show that auto-spacing is turned off for the next word. Example: enter "myspace" by Swyping "my", Swyping from Space to the Delete key, and Swyping "space".
You can permanently turn the auto-spacing feature on or off in Swype Advanced Settings.
Swype recognizes special gestures as you trace a word to produce capital letters.
Shift – To capitalize a word, start on the first letter of the word and glide your finger above the top of the Swype keyboard window, then back down into the keyboard to the next letter. To capitalize more than one letter in a word (e.g. McDonald), glide your finger above the Swype keyboard after each desired capital letter.
ALL CAPS – To capitalize an entire word, start on the first letter of the word, glide your finger above the top of the Swype keyboard window, make a complete circle ("loop-the-loop") above the keyboard, then go back down into the keyboard to complete the word as normal. Keep your finger in contact with the screen the entire time. You can glide up to make the circle above the keyboard at any point in the word.
If you want to generate a number of words in ALL CAPS, you can also turn on CAPS Lock by double-tapping the Shift key. Tap it again to turn CAPS Lock off.
Swype recognizes special ways of moving your finger as you trace a word to produce two of the same letter in a row.
To enter a double letter within a word, make a circle on the key for the letter. Example: To enter the word "teen" and avoid getting the word "ten", start on the 't' key, glide your finger to the 'e' key and make a circle on the 'e' key, then glide to the 'n' key and lift your finger. If you prefer, you can also enter a double letter by "scribbling" horizontally back and forth across the key before moving on to the next letter. Use whichever gesture feels easier to you!
When Swype isn't certain of the word you intended, it displays a window with word choices.
If you continue Swyping, the first word in the window is automatically selected.
If your intended word appears lower in the window, tap and glide to select the word in the Word Choice Window. Set your finger down anywhere in the Word Choice Window and then glide it off the right side of the window, being sure to exit in the area next to your desired word. Gliding off the bottom displays more word choices (if there are any), and gliding off the left side of the window cancels word entry. Gliding off the top of the window selects the first word.
Customize whether Swype displays the Word Choice window by setting the 'Word Choice Window' slider in Swype Advanced Settings.
Try the default setting – you will find that the Word Choice Window usually pops up when you need it to. Remember that even when the Word Choice Window pops up, if you start Swyping a word, the window will be dismissed and the default word (at the top) will be output.
Many people learn to ignore the Word Choice Window as it pops up, looking at it only when they want to check a word.
Swype recognizes certain combinations of punctuation characters, spaces and letters, as "words" that can be Swyped rather than manually tapping these common sequences. For English, Swype has the following "words". The symbol "·" represents the space character.
Example: The period and space at the end of a sentence can be entered by Swyping from the Period to the Space key. This is much faster and easier than trying to tap precisely on the Period key and then on the Space key.
Performing the Double-letter gesture (the back-and-forth horizontal "scribble") over the Space key before lifting off will generate two spaces following the period.
You can see some of the punctuation used in these words displayed as alternate characters on the main keyboard, but they work whether you can see them or not. Example: To get space followed by an open quote, you would Swype from the space key to the key with the open quote, even though that key is shared with a letter.
If auto-spacing is turned on, Swype will add a space only where it's needed. Example: To get "Bill's", Swype "Bill", lift up, and then Swype "'s". Swype will know not to add a space between them.
Even though they are not shown on the keyboard, Swype associates a full set of accented letters with the corresponding unaccented letter ("base letter"). Swype your word as you normally would, using the base letter key for the desired accented letter. Swype recognizes words with accents and provides appropriate word matches with the correct accented characters. For example, you would enter the French word "café" by Swyping to the 'e' key at the end of the word.
Swype also provides access to accented letters when tapping to add words to the dictionary. Example: To explicitly enter the 'ñ' character, place your finger or stylus on the 'n' key and hold it there for longer than you normally would (a tap-long-hold rather than a tap-hold). This pops up a Character window for choosing among the accented letters associated with the key. Tap the desired letter from the Character window and then finish tapping the rest of the word followed by a space. Swype automatically learns the word with the accented character.
To capitalize an accented letter you are entering this way, tap the Shift key either before or after the Character window displays. The Character window will then show the capitalized accented letters.
Note that by "accented letters", we mean letters with any kind of diacritic mark and even some derived or related characters.
There is a Swype method for faster entry of common one-letter words: Simply touch on or near the key for the letter of the one-letter word, then glide over to the Space key before lifting your finger or stylus. If a space is needed, it will be automatically generated when you Swype the next word. You can still enter a one-letter word by tapping the key containing the desired letter, but you may find that it slows you down to tap a key precisely.
Automatic sentence capitalization (if enabled) applies to one-letter words.
Swyping from "a" to space will generate "a".
Swyping from "i" to space will generate "I" – no Shift gesture is necessary.
It is often faster to ignore the Word Choice window and just keep entering text, checking the text after you have entered a paragraph or so.
If you spot an incorrect word, edit it by double-tapping the word. The Word Choice Window will display, allowing you to select the intended word, which will automatically replace the highlighted word. The intended word will usually be the first word in the list, in which case you can touch anywhere in the window and glide up through the top of the window to correct the word. In addition, the text cursor will automatically return to where it was before you double-tapped the word, so that you can keep going with entering text where you were before you paused to review the last paragraph.
If you don't find the word you want anywhere in the Word Choice Window, simply Swype the word again and the new word entered will replace the incorrect word (in this case, the text cursor will be left at the end of the word you enter, in case you wish to do further editing there).
Instead of double-tapping a word to correct it, you can also tap
your finger once anywhere within the word, and then press the
Swype key
.
Once you tap the Swype key, the word containing (or next to) the cursor is highlighted and a Word Choice Window appears that shows the alternate word choices from when the word was entered. You can select the intended word, or begin Swyping a new entry to replace the word.
Note that Swype only keeps the list of alternate word choices for the few hundred words you most recently entered.
If the word you desire doesn't show up in the Word Choice Window when you try to enter it, you can teach Swype the word by adding it to Swype's dictionary. Example: Swype does not recognize the word "zaq". Instead of Swyping the word, tap each letter key carefully: 'z', 'a', 'q', followed by a Space, and Swype learns this is a new word. You can then enter "zaq" using the normal Swype entry method and it will appear in the Word Choice Window.
To teach Swype words that include symbols (for
example, “info@swype.com”), or
words that are all digits (like phone numbers or login ID's): First type
the word (or words) that you want to add, then highlight the text
area containing the new words. Finally, tap the
Swype key
.
Swype will identify any new words in the
highlighted text and add them to the dictionary. A Help screen will
display showing what words were added.
Example: If "(206) 555-0191" was in the highlighted text, Swype would add both
"(206)" and "555-0191" to the dictionary.
To remove a word from the dictionary, highlight ONLY the word that you want to delete, and then tap the Swype key. A message screen will display to confirm that you want to delete the word.
In addition to Swyping complete words, you can type using individual keys. This allows you to use the compact Swype keyboard to generate just about any text you might want. Swype gives you access to hundreds of different characters – without having to change to a different keyboard or remember complicated key combinations.
Short Tap: When a key is quickly tapped, the key's "base letter" or function will be generated or activated. This is the letter shown in the center of each key. This is just what you'd expect – if you tap the 'j' key, you get a 'j'. If the Shift key is tapped prior to tapping the key, the letter will be generated as a capitalized letter. Tap the Shift key then the 'j' key, and you get a capital 'J'.
Tap and Hold (tap-hold): When you contact a key for a little longer, this is a "Tap-Hold", and this generates the alternate character displayed on that key. For instance if you want to type the number '1', you can just tap and hold on the key with '1' until you see the '1' symbol appear. We also display this alternate character in a small pop-up window to let you know when you have tapped and held long enough.
Tap and Long Hold (tap-long-hold): When you contact a key for even longer, this is a "Tap-Long-Hold", and this generates a Character window that presents all of the letters or functions associated with the key. This window includes all of the accented and unaccented, punctuation, numeric or other special characters that are associated with this key. Just touch the key without moving your finger, and hold it there until the alternate character pop-up disappears.
Tap the Shift key before touching the key to get capitalized letters.
Note that ALL of the characters are Swype-able from the main keyboard (whether you can see them or not).
You can Swype using this view of the keyboard, but you will only get words that have at least one number or symbol.
Tip: You can enter symbols without having to tap the SYM key first. On the main Swype keyboard, simply tap-hold (by placing your finger or stylus on the key and remaining on the key for a moment).
Swype supports text entry in a number of languages. To switch between languages:
To toggle between the current language and last-used language, Swype from the Swype key to the key with the current Language indicator.
You can enter numbers from the main keyboard, but Swype also provides a ten-key layout on the Numeric keyboard for entering numbers and associated symbols.
To display the Numeric keyboard, first tap the SYM key, then the Shift key, then the '123' key.
Alternatively, Swype from the Swype key
to the key with a '5' on it.
The Numeric keyboard supports two methods of character entry: tapping, and tap-holding. Tap-holding a key will generate an alternate character on the key. Symbols are grouped on the keys by function or by characters that are in some way related in their appearance.
To return to the main keyboard, tap the 'ABC' key.
The Editing keyboard provides a quick way to move the cursor and highlight text.
To get to the Editing keyboard, Swype from the Swype key
to the SYM key.
If the application in which you are working supports editing functions, you can cut, copy or paste highlighted text.
Four arrow keys – Up, Down, Left and Right – are arranged in a cross with other cursor movement keys – Page Up, Page Down, Home and End – available nearby.
Tapping the Cursor Jump key on the Editing keyboard highlights the key and changes the function of the arrow keys to work as Paragraph Up, Paragraph Down, Word Left and Word Right. It makes the Page Up and Page Down keys work as Top of Page and Bottom of Page, and it makes the Home and End keys work as Beginning of Document and End of Document.
Tapping the Select Text key on the Editing keyboard makes it so the text area that the cursor moves across becomes highlighted or "selected".
When text is highlighted, you can then use the other keys to apply
editing actions or use the Swype key
to find any words in the selected text that are
not yet present in Swype's dictionary and automatically
add them.
To return to the main keyboard, tap the ABC key.
To gain speed when using Swype, trust the software to do its job. Try ignoring the Word Choice Window when entering text, instead editing at the end of the paragraph or thought.
Because Swype is very forgiving of inaccuracies, you can enter a word path quickly, without needing to precisely touch each letter – just getting close to the letters of the word is sufficient.
With longer words, it usually doesn't matter if you make mistakes when entering the path for the word. Even if you completely forget a letter, or trace through some of the letters in the wrong order, or head off in the wrong direction and "double-back" to get to the letter you meant to go to next, Swype will usually find the word you wanted. You may need to use the Word Choice Window to select it, but even if you know that you "goofed" on a longer word, just keep going – you'll usually find the word at the end.
You can also customize how hard Swype will "try" to find the word that you meant. In Swype Advanced Settings there is a slider labeled 'Speed vs. accuracy'. Setting the slider further to the right tells Swype to spend more time trying to figure out what word you meant. This allows you to be "sloppier" (and therefore faster!) in tracing out each word. The further to the right, the sloppier you can get, including tracing paths with more "spelling" errors. Swype will take a little longer to respond, depending on the speed of the processor in your device. Setting this toward the left end tells Swype to spend less time trying to figure out what word you may have meant, so that Swype makes a "quick decision" and responds with a word very soon after you lift your finger. If you tap the "Default" button, the slider is adjusted so that, on average, Swype responds within 1/4 of a second after you lift your finger (Swype measures device processor speed to determine this setting).
You don't have to wait for Swype to respond – keep entering the text that you want, and when you pause for a moment to think, Swype will catch up and all the words you entered will appear in the text.
When Swyping one-letter words, touch on or near the letter, then glide to the Space key.
One other suggestion: To increase your speed, try not to move your eyes to every letter of word as you enter them. Instead, look toward the middle of the keyboard and use your peripheral vision to direct your finger near the desired keys. It also helps to think one letter ahead of where you are in your word. Over time, you will learn common patterns found within words and become faster entering them.
The Swype Key is the key with the Swype logo on it, topped by an information icon. This is because the key acts in two main ways: it performs certain Swype functions as well as helping you learn more about Swype and how to use it better.
You can use the Swype key to:
Swype can be customized through Settings menus.
To customize Swype:
From the Main Swype Settings menu you can:
From the Advanced Swype Settings menu you can:
Swype is a new way to type | |
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Just trace a path through the letters of a word |
'the' | |
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The Swype Key | |
The Swype key only works if you Swype in words. | |
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'the' |
Just trace a path through the letters of a word. | |
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Go Faster! |
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You don't need to be quite so accurate...try going faster. | ||
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First Word is Automatic |
If your word is at the top of the list, you don't need to select it. |
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Quicker Word Selection | |
To get the word 'café,' put your finger anywhere in the Word Choice Window, and just glide it through the red arrow! |
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It's faster than tapping. | |
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New Word? | |
To teach Swype a new word, simply tap it in letter-by-letter, followed by the space. | |
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Auto Spacing |
You don't have to hit the Space key after every word. Just pick up your finger and start the next word—Swype puts in the space for you. |
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Swype Punctuation |
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You can Swype from the period to the space to enter period–space. This also works for '?', '!', and ','. |
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Capitalization | |
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'The' |
Swype capital letters by gliding your finger above the keyboard. | |
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Double Letters |
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'pool' |
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Swype double letters by squiggling or looping around the letter. | |
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Advanced Swype Paths |
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To improve accuracy, you can curve your finger around unwanted letters as in 'put' above. |
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Sorry! |
To correct a one-letter word, delete the word and re-enter it. |
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There are no alternate choices available for this word. |
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Passwords |
For your security, we do not store your entries into password fields. |
You can make a password Swypable by entering it into a normal text field and then adding it to your dictionary with the Swype key. |
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No Word Choice Window for Passwords | |
For your security, the Word Choice Window cannot be displayed while you're entering text into a password field. | |
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The Swype Key
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You pressed the Swype key but we don't know what you are trying to do. | |
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Tap-Hold gives you Tips. This brings up helpful Tips or Help about Swype. |
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Tap gives you Swype Functions. This will let you correct words, add words, remove words, etc. |
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Added to Dictionary |
The following word(s) have been added to your dictionary: |
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Can't Add |
The word "<^^>" cannot be added to your Swype dictionary because "<^^>" is not a legal character for a dictionary word. |
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'Hidden' Word |
The word you just entered ("<^^>") was "hidden" by the word "<^^>" that was previously added to your Swype dictionary. If you want to delete the word "<^^>" from your dictionary, enter it in some text and highlight it, then activate the Swype key. |
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Shifted Punctuation | |
To input a '?' start at the '?' and glide above the keyboard and back down to the space key. It works for '!' too. |
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Embedded Punctuation | |
For any words that need an apostrophe, Swype over the Apostrophe key, which is also the '.' key. | |
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Can't Edit Passwords | |
For your security, the Swype key doesn't work while you're entering text into a password field. | |
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