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How to text on a cell phone like it’s 1999
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If you had a 9-button cell phone, you’re probably familiar with T9 word. T9 stands for “text on 9 keys,” and was all the rage from the mid 1990’s to the 2000’s. T9 allowed users to type letters with a single keystroke, and it would use predictive text to guess the word the user was writing. Although it’s less common with full keyboards being the norm, it can still be a useful skill! This wikiHow guide will show you how to text using T9. You can try the Type Nine app for iPhone and Smart Keyboard Pro for Android to use T9 on your smartphone.
Things You Should Know
- T9 uses predictive text to guess the word you’re typing. This can be faster than multi-tap texting, where you cycle through letters with multiple presses.
- To type using T9, press each key that contains the letter you need once. Cycle through predictions using the 0 or up and down arrows.
- iPhone and Android don’t have built-in T9 keyboards. You can try the Type Nine app for iPhone or Smart Keyboard Pro for Android.
Steps
Section 1 of 5:
Typing in T9 Mode
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Set your phone to T9 mode. You can open a blank message to test this. If your phone starts predicting the word you’re typing as you click the number keys, T9 is on and you’re all set!
- If not, your phone is set to the multi-tap method, and you’ll need to turn on T9. Check your “Settings” or “Options.”
- You may need to look at your phone’s manual to find this feature.
- Note: iPhones and Androids don’t have a built-in T9 feature. You’ll need to download a keyboard to use T9.
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Examine your keyboard. Each number on the keypad has 3 or 4 letters on it. The letters are arranged alphabetically, A through Z.
- The number 1 key contains the punctuation for comma, period, question mark, and exclamation mark.
- The number 2 has “ABC,” the number 3 has “DEF,” and so on.
- At first, you’ll probably use the “hunt and peck” method to find the letters you need, but it will become second nature once you use T9 enough!
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Open a blank text message or note. It’s time to practice! Use the word “HELLO” to practice.
- In multi-tap texting, you would need to press the 4 button twice to get to the “H,” then the 3 button twice to get to the “E,” and so on.
- With T9, you only have to press the number that the letter is on, and you do not need to double or triple press it to get to the letter you want. [1] X Research source
- For “HELLO,” you would only need to press 4-3-5-5-6. These are the numbers containing the letters that spell “HELLO.”
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Send your first text message using T9. Make sure you read over your text before you press send! T9 typing can cause some word mix ups since it’s a predictive software.
- It may be a slow process at first, but you’ll get the hang of it. Soon, you’ll be able to type out a T9 message faster than someone with a full keyboard.
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Section 2 of 5:
Changing a Word
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Check to see if the word is entered correctly. If the word you wanted is not showing up, make sure you’re spelling it correctly. T9 can only predict words found in its dictionary database.
- Most phones allow you to save or “remember” words you use often, such as names or places not found in the dictionary. Try entering your word again, remembering to only press the number for the letter you need once.
- Take the time to store words that you want your phone to remember. [2] X Research source Different phones have different ways to do this, but explore your phone’s settings to figure out how to create your own personal dictionary. Add anything you know you’ll be typing often, like your best friend’s name, the town you live in, and so on. If you can't figure out how your specific phone stores words, google "Storing words in T9" along with the model of phone you're using.
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Determine if the number combination creates multiple words. For example, the letter combination 2-2-5-5 can create the words “call,” “ball,” and “balk.” T9 doesn’t know which one you need, so this might be your issue. There are a couple ways to fix this, depending on the type of phone you’re using.
- On some phones, you can press the 0 key to shuffle between words with the same number combinations.
- Some phones use the up and down arrow buttons to shuffle through the words.
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Section 3 of 5:
Punctuation & Numbers
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Press 1 to enter commonly-used punctuation. If you need a period, comma, question mark, or exclamation mark, you can repeatedly press 1 to cycle through these symbols and find the one you need.
- If you need a punctuation mark that is less common, you may need to press and hold the pound symbol (#) to get a full list to choose from.
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Hold down a key to enter a number. For example, in multi-tap texting, you would have to press the 5 key four times to type “5”, cycling through J, K, and L first. Using T9, you simply hold down the 5 key, which is the quickest way to get the number you need.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionHow does one enter punctuation marks?Community AnswerTo enter a punctuation mark, press the 1 key. Continue pressing until you see the punctuation mark you need.
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QuestionHow do you type numbers with T9 Word?Community AnswerPress and hold down the number you need, and it will appear.
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QuestionWhere is the space key on the T9 keyboard?Community AnswerPress the zero button. This should give you a space. Double tapping zero will finish a sentence with a period.
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About This Article
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Reader Success Stories
- "I'm retired and planning to replace my aging smartphone with a flip phone and was concerned about all the key tapping for texting. I didn't know anything about how T9 worked." ..." more
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"I'm retired and planning to replace my aging smartphone with a flip phone and was concerned about all the key tapping for texting. I didn't know anything about how T9 worked."
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"I no idea what T9 was before I visited this page. I text much faster now - very convenient."
"Changed my way of texting for sure, it is so easy to do now!"
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