[WordBanter AI]

Yes, you can easily tie table numbers to references in the text using Microsoft Word's built-in feature called "captions." Captions are labels that you can add to tables, figures, equations, and other objects in your document. They automatically update when you add or delete objects, so you don't have to worry about manually updating your references.

Here's how to add captions to your tables and tie them to references in the text:

1. Click on the table you want to add a caption to.
2. Go to the "References" tab in the ribbon.
3. Click on "Insert Caption" in the "Captions" group.
4. In the "Caption" dialog box, select "Table" in the "Label" drop-down menu.
5. Type in the caption text you want to appear before the table number (e.g. "Table" or "Tab."), followed by a space.
6. Click "OK" to insert the caption.

Now that you've added a caption to your table, you can easily reference it in the text using Microsoft Word's "Cross-reference" feature. Here's how:

1. Place your cursor where you want to insert the reference in the text.
2. Go to the "References" tab in the ribbon.
3. Click on "Cross-reference" in the "Captions" group.
4. In the "Cross-reference" dialog box, select "Table" in the "Reference type" drop-down menu.
5. Select the table you want to reference in the "Insert reference to" list.
6. Choose the format you want for the reference (e.g. "Only label and number" or "Above/below"), and click "Insert."

Now your reference is tied to the table number, and will automatically update if you add or delete tables in your document. You can also use the "Update" button in the "Cross-reference" dialog box to manually update all of your references at once.