4.3 Galaxy S4: how do I prevent keyboard backspace from deleting whole word?

Question

I've just updated my Galaxy S4 (T-Mobile, in case that matters) from 4.2.2 to 4.3. Now when using the keyboard (default settings), if I get to the end of a word -- either strictly on my own or via one of its suggestions -- and then backspace, it deletes the whole word. Before, backspacing at that point deleted one character at a time. Often it's faster for me to correct a suggestion (or notice and fix a typo of mine) this way than to start over with that word. I'd like my phone to stop being so aggressive in cleaning up after me.

I don't remember setting something for this in the previous version (though it's been a while). I've walked through the settings for the device and in Twitter and Messaging (the apps where I've noticed this behavior so far), but haven't found anything that seems relevant. I have not rooted my phone and don't plan to.

Current settings, under Device -> Language & Input:

• Default: Samsung keyboard
• Samsung keyboard settings:
  • predictive text: on
  • auto replacement: off
  • auto capitalization: on
  • auto spacing: on
  • auto punctuate: off
• Keyboard Swipe:
  • SwiftKey Flow on
  • Cursor Control off

Aside from auto punctuate (which I turned off), these settings are as they came after the upgrade.

Answer 1

If I may, I suggest KK Keyboard. I'm not advertising, but I use it myself, because my keyboard did this too.

Answer 2

I never got this working (and didn't download a different keyboard), but I recently received the update for 4.4.4 and it's working now. So I don't know if it was something specific to Samsung (or my provider, T-Mobile), but the whole-word deletion has stopped.