What tool is used in MS Word to check the Spelling?

This tutorial shows how to use the spelling and grammar check in Microsoft Word 2016. The steps are similar for Word 2013 and Word 2010.

If you use Word for Microsoft 365, Word 2021, or Word 2019, the spelling and grammar check is now called the Editor. Visit “How to Use the Editor in Microsoft Word” for a complete tour of the new interface.

This tutorial is available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.

Watch more than 150 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.

Before we run the spelling and grammar check, we’ll look at how to include or exclude grammar from the check.

How to Include or Exclude Grammar

1. Select the File tab.

2. Select Options in the Backstage view.

3. Select Proofing in the Word Options dialog box.

4. Select or deselect Check grammar with spelling.

5. Select the OK button to save your selection and close the Word Options dialog box.

How to Run the Spelling and Grammar Check

1. Select the Review tab.

2. Select Spelling & Grammar.

3. Choose the appropriate option for each spelling and grammar error detected.

Spelling Errors

Choose an option from the suggestions list to change that instance of the spelling error.

Or, open the drop-down menu for a suggestion and select Change All to change every instance of the spelling error to that suggestion.

You can also choose (a) Add to Dictionary to add the word with its current spelling to your custom dictionary, (b) Ignore Once to ignore that instance of the spelling error, or (c) Ignore All to ignore every instance of the spelling error.

Occasionally, Word will be unable to provide any suggestions; however, when that lapse occurs, the software will still offer the opportunity to add the word to your custom dictionary, ignore the word once, or ignore every instance of the word.

Grammar Errors

Choose an option from the suggestions list to change that instance of the grammar error.

Or, select (a) Ignore Once to ignore that instance of the grammar error, (b) Don’t check for this issue to stop checking for that type of grammar error, or (c) Options for “Clarity and Conciseness” to open the Grammar Settings dialog box where you can customize the grammar check.

If you want to learn about the grammar error and see examples, open the drop-down menu above the text box.

Pro Tip: The spelling and grammar check will automatically pause itself if you edit the text during the check. Select the Resume button when you are ready to restart the check.

If you have chosen to include readability statistics in your proofing options, the Readability Statistics dialog box will appear after you complete the spelling and grammar check.

For more information about using the readability statistics in Word, visit “How to Add Passive Voice to Microsoft Word’s Grammar Check and Readability Statistics” for Word 2013 and “How to Use the Passive Voice Tool in Microsoft Word 2016.”

Are you worried about making mistakes when you type? Don't be. Word provides you with several proofing features that will help you produce professional, error-free documents. In this lesson, you will learn about the various proofing features, including the spelling and grammar tool.

Checking spelling and grammar

To make your document appear professional, you'll want to make sure it is free from spelling and grammar errors. Word has several options for checking your spelling. You can run a spelling and grammar check, or you can allow Word to check your spelling automatically as you type.

Optional: You can download this example for extra practice.

To run a spelling and grammar check:

1. Go to the Review tab.
2. Click on the Spelling & Grammar command.
   
   The Spelling & Grammar command

3. The Spelling and Grammar dialog box will open. For each error in your document, Word will try to offer one or more suggestions. You can select a suggestion and click Change to correct the error.
   
   Correcting a spelling error

4. If no suggestions are given, you can manually type the correct spelling.
   
   Typing a correction

Ignoring "errors"

The spelling and grammar check is not always correct. Particularly with grammar, there are many errors Word will not notice. There are also times when the spelling and grammar check will say something's an error when it's actually not. This often happens with people's names, which may not be in the dictionary.

If Word says something is an error, you can choose not to change it. Depending on whether it's a spelling or grammar error, you can choose from several options:

For spelling "errors"

• Ignore Once: This will skip the word without changing it.
• Ignore All: This will skip the word without changing it, and it will also skip all other instances of this word in the document.
• Add to Dictionary: This adds the word to the dictionary so it will never come up as an error. Make sure the word is spelled correctly before choosing this option.

For grammar "errors"

• Ignore Once: This will skip the "error" without changing it.
• Ignore Rule: This will skip this "error" and all other instances that relate to this grammar rule.
• Next Sentence: This skips the sentence without changing it and leaves it marked as an error. This means it will still show up if you do another spelling and grammar check later on.

If you're not sure about a grammar error, you can click Explain to see why Word thinks it's an error. This can help you determine whether you want to change it.

Automatic spelling and grammar checking

By default, Word automatically checks your document for spelling and grammar errors, so you may not even need to run a separate spelling and grammar check. These errors are indicated by colored wavy lines.

• The red line indicates a misspelled word.
• The green line indicates a grammatical error.
• The blue line indicates a contextual spelling error. This feature is turned off by default.
  
  Spelling and grammar errors

A contextual spelling error occurs when the wrong word is used but the word is spelled correctly. For example, if you write Deer Mr. Theodore at the beginning of a letter, deer is a contextual spelling error because dear should have been used. Deer is spelled correctly, but it is used incorrectly in this letter.

To use the spelling check feature:

1. Right-click the underlined word. A menu will appear.
2. Click the correct spelling of the word from the listed suggestions.
3. The corrected word will appear in the document.
   
   Correcting a spelling error

You can choose to Ignore an underlined word, add it to the dictionary, or go to the Spelling dialog box for more options.

To use the grammar check feature:

1. Right-click the underlined word or phrase. A menu will appear.
2. Click the correct phrase from the listed suggestions.
3. The corrected phrase will appear in the document.
   
   Correcting a grammar error

You can also choose to Ignore an underlined phrase, go to the Grammar dialog box, or click About This Sentence for information on the grammar rule.

To change the automatic spelling and grammar check settings:

1. From Backstage view, click Options.
   
   Clicking the Options command

2. Select Proofing. The dialog box gives you several options to choose from.
• If you don't want Word to automatically check spelling, uncheck Check spelling as you type.
• If you don't want grammar errors to be marked, uncheck Mark grammar errors as you type.
• To check for contextual spelling errors, check Use contextual spelling.

If you've turned off the automatic spelling and/or grammar checks, you can still run a check by going to the Review tab and clicking the Spelling & Grammar button.

To hide spelling and grammar errors in a document:

If you're sharing a document like a resume with someone, you might not want that person to see those annoying red, green, and blue lines. Turning off the automatic spelling and grammar checks only applies to your computer, so the lines may still show up when someone else views your document. Luckily, you can hide spelling and grammar errors in a document so the lines will not show up on any computer.

What is used to check spelling of the text?

Which key is used to check the spelling?