What smartphones change about writing: the impact of word suggestions on orthographic processing

Phonewriting involves a unique multitasking demand: writers monitor suggestions above the keyboard while typing and deciding whether to select them. We investigated how word suggestions affect orthographic processing during word production. French young adults wrote dictated words on a smartphone, in conditions with and without suggestions. Keystroke data revealed that word suggestions influenced processing time during movement execution, increasing production time for short words but reducing it for long words. Suggestions slowed down writing due to the concurrent execution of keystrokes and preparation for a potential shift to suggestion selection. The presence of suggestions also decreased the number of errors and corrections, particularly in long words. The participants did not rely on suggestions systematically but followed strategies: they used them more frequently for orthographically inconsistent and long words, often at syllable boundaries. These findings highlight the dual nature of word suggestions-as sources of interference and as external supports that relieve memory load and improve accuracy.