Something to look forward to: Are you a Microsoft Word user who isn't the fastest or most accurate typist? Then you might appreciate a new feature being developed for the software that's set to arrive in March. As the name suggests, 'text predictions' should help users write more efficiently by predicting text quickly and accurately.

The text predictions feature appears in the "in development" section of the Microsoft 365 roadmap---it released to some beta testers in September. Microsoft writes that not only can it reduce spelling and grammar errors, but the tool also learns a user's writing style over time to offer tailored recommendations.

The feature will be familiar to anyone who uses Google Docs, where a similar version has been available for a while. It's also part of Gmail.

An example of Microsoft's predictive text feature

Microsoft's text prediction feature simply requires users to start typing in a Word or Outlook document. Any predicted text appears in gray and can be accepted by pressing the tab key or rejected by hitting escape. It can be disabled via the status bar (Word) or in the options section (Outlook) and is currently available to 50 percent of those in the Windows Beta Channel.

News of the text prediction features comes soon after Microsoft announced a perpetually-licensed Office 2021 for Windows and macOS would arrive later this year. Rather than paying the usual $69.99 per year/$6.99 per month, regular users and small businesses can get Office 2021 for a one-off price.

Thanks, TechRadar