​A word prediction program provides assistance to students who have difficulty writing by predicting the target word as the student types in the first letter or letters of the word. Word prediction programs provide rate enhancement for students who are slow typists due to physical disabilities or due to inexperience with typing as it reduces the number of keystrokes needed for each word. One of the most popular uses of word prediction software is for those students who have difficulty with writing due to spelling deficits.

Word prediction software is used in conjunction with a word processing program. As students type in the first letter or letters of the words, the program predicts the word that the student is trying to type. Words appear in a prediction list and students select their desired word from this list. Words may be selected by visually identifying the desired word from the list or often by moving the cursor over each word in the prediction list to listen to it. As the student uses the program over time, the words that the student uses more commonly are predicted more frequently.

There are several choices of commercial word prediction software. Co:Writer (Don Johnston) and Word Q 2 (Quillsoft)  are some of the most commonly used programs. Popular word prediction programs such as Co:Writer (Don Johnston) are available across computer platforms.

Word prediction software is beneficial for students who have difficulty with spelling and grammar, as well as for students with motor and communication impairments.