Using Automatic Spell Checking

To correct the spelling of a word marked with a red wavy line, right-click the word.

A context menu appears with a list of possible spellings. If you see the one you want, click it.

Word makes the correction for you.

If the mistake is one that you make frequently, right-click the word and point to the AutoCorrect option in the context menu that appears.

INTRODUCTION

Word's automatic spell-checking feature monitors the characters you type, and marks words not found in its dictionary with red wavy lines. By default, Word also checks your grammar, highlighting possible problems with green wavy lines; you can, however, turn off the grammar checking and check only spelling. (For more on grammar checking, see "Checking Your Grammar" later in this part.) Automatic spell-checking enables you to fix misspellings as you type. To correct spelling after you've typed the entire document, see the next task.

Click the correct spelling in the submenu to create an AutoCorrect entry (see "Correcting Text Automatically" later in this part for more information about Word's AutoCorrect feature).

If Word incorrectly flags a word as a misspelling, and it's one you use frequently, right-click it and choose Add to Dictionary to add it to the dictionary that Word uses to check your spelling.

If Word incorrectly flags a word as a misspelling, but it's one you don't use often, right-click the word and choose Ignore All to prevent Word from flagging it in this document.

TIP

Turning Off Automatic Grammar Checking

To turn off the automatic grammar checking, open the Tools menu and choose Options . In the dialog box that appears, click the Spelling & Grammar tab. Clear the Check grammar as you type check box, and click OK . (If you want to turn off automatic spell-checking, clear the Check spelling as you type check box.)