How to Add a Word to T9 on Xiaomi: All Ways to MIUI 12, 13, 14 and 15

Are you tired of the keyboard on your Xiaomi stubbornly not recognizing the words or names you want? MIUI’s T9 auto-replacement system (aka predictive input) sometimes ignores rare terms, slang or surnames, forcing you to type them manually every time. Fortunately, you can fix this in minutes — and you don’t need to install third-party keyboards!

In this article, we will look at all the official ways to add words to the T9 dictionary on Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones (including the models from 2023-2026), learn how to teach the keyboard new words through settings, why some methods do not work on certain versions of MIUI, and what to do if the added word does not appear in the prompts anyway, and how to reset the dictionary to factory settings if it is clogged with unnecessary options.

Why does Xiaomi’s T9 not remember new words?

Before you add words, it's important to understand why the keyboard ignores them.

• 🔄 Resetting keyboard settings: After updating MIUI or reset phone user dictionary is reset.
• 📱 Use a third-party keyboard: If you have installed Gboard, SwiftKey or another – settings T9 It is controlled by it, not by the system keyboard. MIUI.
• 🔍 Vocabulary Limitations: Xiaomi’s system keyboard by default blocks the addition of words with numbers, emojis or obscene vocabulary.
• 🔧 Disabled Learning Feature: The option “Adaptive Input” or “Word Learning” can be deactivated in the settings».

If you recently switched from Android 11 to Android 13/14 (like the Xiaomi 13 Pro or POCO F5), the problem may be changing the algorithms of predictive input. In newer versions of MIUI 14+, the system is more active in filtering out “non-standard” words to avoid typos, but it also prevents you from adding specialized vocabulary such as medical terms or nicknames from games.

Method 1: Adding a word right at the time of typing (quick method)

The easiest way to teach a keyboard a new word is to manually type it in and confirm it, which works on all versions of MIUI (12 to 15) and does not require any deep tweaking:

1. Open any application where you can type text (such as Messages or Notes).
2. Start typing the word you want, and when the keyboard suggests the wrong word, ignore the clue and complete the word.
3. After entering, click on the word in the sentence bar (it will be lit in blue) and select Add to the dictionary.
4. Confirm the retention. Now the word will appear in the prompts.

⚠️ Note: If a word contains a hyphen, an apostrophe, or begins with a capital letter (e.g. iPhone or St. Petersburg), the keyboard can break it down into parts).

Method 2: Manual addition via MIUI keyboard settings

If the quick method didn't work (for example, the word doesn't appear in the hints even after adding), use manual editing of the dictionary. MIUI 13–15:

1. Go to Settings → Additional → Language and Enter → Current Keyboard (MIUI).
2. Select Keyboard Settings → Dictionary (on some models, the path may differ: Settings → System → Language and input → Keyboard Management → MIUI → Dictionary).
3. Tap on the User Dictionary and select a language (for example, Russian or English).
4. Click Add and enter a word in the field. You can use hotkeys to speed up: 🔠 To add a word with a capital letter, start typing with Shift. 🔠 For words with an apostrophe (e.g., don't), use the English layout.

Save the changes. The word will appear in the prompts after the keyboard reboot (just close and open the application again for input).

On Xiaomi models with MIUI 14+ (for example, Xiaomi 13T or Redmi Note 12), the path to the dictionary can be hidden behind the item “Personalization of the keyboard” – look for it at the bottom of the settings.

Method 3: Import and export user dictionary

If you frequently reinstall firmware or drop your phone, it is helpful to back up your dictionary, which will eliminate the need to re-introduce all words after reset. The feature is available in MIUI 12-15, but hidden in the depths of the menu:

1. Open Settings → System → Backup and Reset → Local Backup.
2. Select Application Data → MIUI Keyboard (or System Settings → Language and Enter).
3. Click Create Backup. The file will be saved to the phone's memory on the path /MIUI/backup/AllBackup.
4. To restore the dictionary after reset, repeat the path and select Restore by specifying the desired file.

⚠️ Note: Backup copy of dictionary tied to version MIUI. If you're updated with MIUI 13 on MIUI 15, the recovery may not work, so you'll have to add the words again.

Method 4: Reset keyboard settings (if words are not saved)

If the added words disappear after the reboot or are not displayed in the prompts, the problem may be in the damaged keyboard settings, in which case the reset will help:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the MIUI (or MIUI Input) keyboard in the list and tap it.
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.
4. Confirm action. All user words will be deleted, but the system prompts will be restored.

After discharge:

• 🔄 Reboot the phone.
• 📱 Re-add the words you need through the keyboard settings → Dictionary.
• 🔧 Enable Adaptive Input (if it has been disabled).

💡

If after resetting the keyboard began to work slowly, disable the function "Emoji Prediction" in its settings - this will unload the system.

Frequent Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Even after you add a word to the dictionary, it may not appear in the prompts. Here are common mistakes and their solutions:

• ❌ Word added to the wrong layout: For example, the Russian word is saved in the English dictionary. Solution: Remove it and add it again, choosing the correct language.
• ❌ Use prohibited characters: Words with #, @ or emojis (e.g., hello)😊) Solution: Remove the characters or add a word without them.
• ❌ Third-party keyboard conflict: If you have Gboard installed, it can block system prompts.Solution: Disable the third-party keyboard in language settings.
• ❌ Word too short: Single-letter words (e.g., a, c) or abbreviations (e.g., kk) are ignored.Solution: Add a word in context (e.g., kk (as usual)).

💡

If the word is not saved despite all attempts, check if the Incognito mode is enabled in the keyboard settings (it blocks learning).

Alternative solutions: third-party keyboards and applications

If the MIUI system keyboard stubbornly does not want to memorize words, you can use alternative options:

• 📱 Gboard (Google): Supports cloud dictionary, syncs between devices. To add a word, type it in, then tap on the prompt and select Add to the dictionary.
• 📱 SwiftKey (Microsoft): It has advanced learning settings. You can import words from the.txt file.
• 📱 AnySoftKeyboard: Open source, supports custom dictionaries. Suitable for technical terms.

⚠️ Note: Third-party keyboards may collect your input data (including passwords). Before installing, check permissions in Google Play and turn off the "Submit Statistics" option in your keyboard settings.

If you decide to return the MIUI system keyboard, remember:

1. Remove the third-party keyboard from the active list in Settings → Language and Enter.
2. Clear the system keyboard cache (as described in Method 4).
3. Add the right words again.

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions