"fi" screen display changing to small text

Question

Level 1

8 points

"fi" screen display changing to small text

Whenever I type "fi" in some apps – mail for one – it is autocorrected to a small symbol, maybe a subscript.Here it is pasted from mail: fi This is also true for screen text display. I first noticed it with Facebook earlier today. True both for text I am entering, like "first" where the fi will be replaced by this tiny symbol. Have tried the software keyboard (through system prefs) with same result. Not happening here, but is happening on various web sites on Safari though not on Chrome or Firefox.

Any ideas?

Thank you

I'm on a MacBook Pro 2015 (15") in current Sierra (10.12.1)

Posted on Nov 19, 2016 4:52 PM

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Answer 1

John Galt

Level 10

155,804 points

Nov 21, 2016 7:16 PM in response to Coruway

Hi Coruway

I haven't forgotten about your question; I just haven't been able to duplicate what you're describing.

I understand ﬁ and ﬂ are symbols despite how this site renders them, and that they can by created with shift option 5 and 6 respectively. That doesn't change anything. Text substitutions can be created for symbols or anything else; for example if I type llap followed by a space character I get this:

Those substitutions are created in Keyboard > Text, but autocorrect options can also be found in the apps you use. I don't use Facebook, so I can't tell you where that option might be. I suggest you examine its preferences, options, or similar settings for message composing. I suspect that is where you will find the ability to undo or amend that input substitution.

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Answer 2

Coruway Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 21, 2016 7:01 PM in response to Tom Gewecke

Thanks for the help, but no solution yet. Tried font book reset and different fonts.

Here are some screen shots showing - a wiki page on Safari 'fields' replaced with (note does not happen on chrome or other programs that do not use substitution):

and here's the 'cmd cntrl' symbol page with the normal symbol replaced with fi and fl. It seems to me if I could replace those with any other symbol I'd be ok?

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Answer 3

Coruway Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 21, 2016 7:14 PM in response to Coruway

I think it is fixed. Maybe it was the reset of the fonts which might have taken some time to rewrite files after restart, but also might have been simply keying in opt shft 5 & 6. But after 5 days of weirdness all is back to normal!

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Answer 4

John Galt

Level 10

155,804 points

Nov 20, 2016 3:12 AM in response to Coruway

Please refer to macOS Sierra: Check spelling and grammar:

Add words to the spelling dictionary: Control-click a word, then choose Learn Spelling. The word won’t be flagged as misspelled in any document. To have the word flagged as misspelled again, Control-click it in a document, then choose Unlearn Spelling.

Try that.

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Answer 5

Coruway Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 20, 2016 2:47 AM in response to Coruway

I see now how it happened and happens. At some point I was taking a screenshot – cmd shift 5 – and pressed opt shift 5 – which is a symbol keyed by fi. Somehow that keyboard pattern is recorded and autocorrects in FB and Mail, both for what I type as well as what I see in other posts. Now just figuring out how to change that autocorrect. Ideas?

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Answer 6

Coruway Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 20, 2016 3:42 AM in response to John Galt

Thanks, John. I turned off all autocorrect and all substiututions in Safari and at a system level but the issue remains.

I have not been able to "learn spelling" at the mac recognizes "fi" as a correctly spelled word. Also note that it does not seem to be tagged as incorrectly spelled but as a substitution. For example, on my FB page "Profile" shows with the "fi" replaced with the weird symbol. And this in spite of the fact that I have turned off substitution.

???

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Answer 7

Coruway Author

Level 1

8 points

Nov 21, 2016 2:36 AM in response to Coruway

Okay. I've found what the problem is:

The symbol keyed by opt shift 4 (fi) and opt shift 5 are now substituted with the symbol. That is, whenb I go to the key board in the preferences the "symbol" shows up as "fi" and "fl" – reversed from what they should be. I don;t know how I reset those symbols, but now I want to restore them back to default. How?

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Answer 8

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

122,240 points

Nov 21, 2016 7:16 PM in response to Coruway

Coruway wrote:

It's not a word, but a symbol. Any suggestions here?

Try changing your font. Old non unicode fonts can do this kind of thing. Also go to Applications > Font Book and do File > Restore Standard Fonts and restart.

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