diff --git a/docs/usermanual-getting-started.xml b/docs/usermanual-getting-started.xml
index eb8c1d728..7048b4e86 100644
--- a/docs/usermanual-getting-started.xml
+++ b/docs/usermanual-getting-started.xml
@@ -229,9 +229,13 @@
       </listitem>
     </orderedlist>
     <programlisting language="C">
+      // If you know the direction, script, and language
       hb_buffer_set_direction(buf, HB_DIRECTION_LTR);
       hb_buffer_set_script(buf, HB_SCRIPT_LATIN);
       hb_buffer_set_language(buf, hb_language_from_string("en", -1));
+
+      // If you don't know the direction, script, and language
+      hb_buffer_guess_segment_properties(buffer);
     </programlisting>
     <orderedlist numeration="arabic">
       <listitem override="3">