6.2. Checking Spelling Word's spell checker reads every word in your document and looks it up in its behind-the-scenes dictionary file. If the word isn't in the dictionary, the spell checker flags it as a possibly misspelled word. Spell checker handles misspelled words in three ways: -
AutoCorrect . The spell checker looks to see if the word is in its list of words to correct automatically. Words like "hte" for "the" or "shwo" for "show," for example, are in the AutoCorrect list. (You can add and remove words from the AutoCorrect list, and if you prefer, you can turn off AutoCorrect entirely. To see how, flip ahead to Section 6.4.) -
Check spelling as you type . If you've set up Word to check spelling errors as you type, the spell checker puts a wavy red line under the word in question (Figure 6-2). -
Check spelling manually . Check spelling in one pass. The spell checker asks you about each questionable word when you run a manual spell check. 6.2.1. Checking Spelling As You Type Unless you've turned this option off, as described in the previous steps, Word checks the spelling of each word you type, comparing it to its spelling dictionary. When a word is not in the dictionary, the spell checker brings it to your attentionnot with a whack across the knuckles with a ruler, but with a wavy red underline (Figure 6-2). To correct a word flagged with a wavy red line, right-click it. A shortcut menu shows suggested spellings for the word you flubbed (Figure 6-5). To choose a word from the list, just click it, and the correctly spelled word replaces the misspelled word. | | Figure 6-5. Right-click words flagged with the wavy red line, and you see a popup menu suggesting a few correctly spelled possibilities. You have some other options, including adding the word to your spelling dictionary so it won't be flagged again. | | Sometimes the spell checker flags a word, but you want to keep it in your document just the way it is (and make Word stop underlining it, for heaven's sake). For these words, the shortcut menu gives you three courses of action (Figure 6-6): -
Ignore . Click Ignore, and the spell checker ignores this instance of the word (in this document only) and removes the underline. -
Ignore All . When you choose this option, the spell checker doesn't flag any occurrence of the word in this document. No more wavy red lines for that baby. -
Add to Dictionary . When you add a word to the dictionary, you'll never see a wavy line under the word again, in this document or any other. Word adds the word to a file named CUSTOM.DIC. Over time, your custom dictionary collects all the special words that you don't want flagged in a spell check. 6.2.2. Checking Spelling Manually When you opt for manual spelling and grammar checking, you can do these tasks in one pass, at your leisure, like after you've finished writing. To start a spelling and grammar check, choose Review Proofing Spelling and Grammar or press Alt+R, S. (F7, that old favorite spelling key, still works too.) You see a dialog box like the one in Figure 6-7. | | Figure 6-6. In addition to a spelling suggestion, Word gives you three other options. You can ignore the word just this once, you can ignore all occurrences of the word in the document, or you can add the word to your dictionary, so that Word won't flag it as misspelled in any document. | | | | Figure 6-7. When you use the manual spell checker, you work in this dialog box. The top text box shows you your word in context. The bottom text box offers suggested spellings. | | Often, you're checking the spelling and the grammar at the same time, so in the upper-left corner, the Spelling and Grammar box tells you about the problem. In the case of a misspelled word, you see "Not in Dictionary" over a text box that shows the entire sentence with the word highlighted. The box below offers suggestions. On the right side of the dialog box, you see several buttons . Use one of the top three buttonsIgnore Once, Ignore All, and Add to Dictionarywhen you want to keep the word spelled as it is. These options do the same thing as the shortcut menu options. The bottom three buttons let you make changes to the misspelled words. When you select a word from the Suggestions list, and then click Change, Word replaces the highlighted word with the suggestion. When you click Change All, Word looks through your whole document, and corrects any other occurrences of the misspelled words at the same time. Clicking the AutoCorrect button tells Word to make the correction automatically, as you type, every time you misspell the word. 6.2.3. Managing Custom Dictionaries Word has a standard spelling dictionary, which is just one huge list of common words in their correct spellings. When you tell Word to add a word to the dictionary, it doesn't actually add the word to its standard dictionary. It adds it to a new file that's all yours. This file, CUSTOM.DIC, contains your personal preferred spellings. Over time, your CUSTOM.DIC file collects the oddly spelled names of your friends and family, slang terms you frequently use, and a host of other words.
Tip: You can transfer your custom dictionary to another computer by simply copying your CUSTOM.DIC file to the new machine. (Your CUSTOM.DIC file lives in a folder named C:\Documents and Settings\User Name \Microsoft\Application Data\Proof .)
6.2.3.1. Removing a word from your custom dictionary Oops! You've added a misspelled word to your custom dictionary. Now Word won't ever flag "dosn't" again. All is not lost. You can edit your custom dictionary right within Word. Here are the steps: -
Go to Office button Word Options (Alt+F, I). In the list on the left, click Proofing . Access to the custom dictionary is with the Spelling and Grammar tools. -
Roughly in the middle of the window, among the Spelling settings, click the Custom Dictionaries button . The Custom Dictionaries box opens (Figure 6-8). -
In the list on the left, choose CUSTOM.DIC . When you add words to your dictionary while checking spelling, Word stores them in the CUSTOM.DIC file. If you've added any additional custom dictionaries (Section 6.3), you'll see them in this list too. | | Figure 6-8. Use the Custom Dictionaries box to manage your personal dictionary and add professional dictionaries to Word. Here's where you choose the dictionaries in use, add new dictionaries, and open your custom dictionaries for editing. | | -
Click Edit Word List to open the dictionary . Yet another dialog box opens with CUSTOM.DIC in the title bar (Figure 6-9). Your custom words are in the list labeled Dictionary. -
Select the misspelled word, and then click Delete . The list is alphabetized, so you can use the scroll bars on the right to find your misspelled word. As a shortcut, you can click the first word in the list, and then type the first letter of the word you want. Say you're looking for "dosn't"; press D, and the list jumps to words starting with D. Once you find the word, click it, and then click Delete at bottom. -
Close the windows by clicking OK . You've opened three dialog boxes to get to edit your dictionary. Clean things up by clicking OK in each. Now the non-word "dosn't" officially earns a wavy line. | | Figure 6-9. You can add and delete words from your custom dictionary CUSTOM.DIC. To add a word, type it in the box at the top, and then click Add. Remove words from the list by selecting the word in the Dictionary button, and then clicking Delete. Be careful with that Delete All buttonit really does delete all the words in your custom dictionary. | | 6.2.3.2. Adding professional dictionaries to Word It seems that every profession, business, and industry has its own language, and often that means it has its own custom dictionary for Word too. You can find all sorts of custom dictionaries, either free or for a price. Search the Web, and you'll find dictionaries for everything from architecture to zoology. And if it's not out there, you can always create your own. Google is a good place to start the search. Just type "Microsoft Word" .dic dictionaries in the search box and see what pops up. If you want to zero in on a specific business like construction or computers, then add that word to your search. Once you find a dictionary and download or copy it to your computer, you can add it to Word's dictionary list. Here are the steps: -
Open the Custom Dictionaries box (Figure 6-8), as described in steps 12 in Section 6.2.3 . -
Click the Add button on the right to open one of Windows' standard file boxes . A box labeled Add Custom Dictionary appears. You see the standard tools for navigating through your computer folders and hunting down files. Use the tools on the left and the drop-down menu on top to navigate to the folder containing your new dictionary. -
Double-click your dictionary file, or select it, and then, at the bottom of the window, click Open . The Add Custom Dictionary box closes , and you're back at the Custom Dictionaries box. Your new dictionary is listed along with CUSTOM.DIC and all the rest. -
If you plan on using the dictionary right away, make sure there's a checkmark in the box next to its name . Using the checkboxes, you can choose which dictionaries Word uses for its spell check. To minimize misspellings, use only the dictionaries relevant to your current document. A slip of the typing fingers could end up matching a medical term . Also, for each dictionary you add, it can take Word a little longer to check spelling, though you probably won't notice the difference. |