A method identifies a text region in an electronic document. The method determines that the text region includes a candidate text portion that is a candidate for applying a formatting suggestion based on a comparison of the text region with predetermined patterns. The method identifies a stored text record that corresponds to the candidate text portion. The method confirms whether the formatting type is appropriate for the candidate text portion based on individual word matches between the candidate text portion and the stored text record. The method notifies a user of the electronic document of the formatting suggestion according to the formatting type.