Samsung SGH-c225 predictive text malfunction

The T9 on my phone has decided to start guessing the word "Tif" first, instead of the more commonly used "the". Is there any way to force the T9 to guess the word "the" first, when 843 is pressed on the keypad?
I tried "adding" "the" as a word with the add function, but it didn't change anything. It has accepted additions in the past, so perhaps the dictionary is full. Can I reset that? Is there a link to some insight or instructions on this issue? Thank you very much!