The Google Toolbar as Spellchecker

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The great convenience of the Google Toolbar (introduced in Chapter 9) is that it's always with you. That makes searching a one-click experience. It also makes Google a one-stop dictionary. Google's tendency is to correct misspelling in the gentlest, most polite way: 'Did you mean...?' Google does not contain a dictionary, per se, but its vast accumulated understanding of words through the compilation of billions of text pages makes Google an authority on spelling common words, names, and places.

Normally, Google's nudging toward proper spelling is performed in the service of better search results. But Google's lexicographic knowledge can be deployed for its own sake, and I have found the Toolbar to be a perfect means of quickly checking the spelling of a name or place. If Google doesn't suggest a new spelling on the search results page, chances are you've got it right. To be more sure, I sometimes deliberately spell a name or place wrongly and let Google correct me. I've used this method innumerable times in the writing of this booke, um, book.

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