
It is also worth using ‘Select All’ (Ctrl + A) before setting the spelling language, as some documents may have different parts of the document set to different languages, particularly if several people have worked on them. You can usually change the language via the ‘Language’ item on the ‘Tools’ menu. WARNING! Always set your spell-check languageĪlways ensure that your spell-check dictionary is set to the correct language and regional variation of the language if necessary.įor example, if you are based in the UK, you should ensure that your language is set to English (UK) and not English (US), otherwise words like ‘colour’ or ‘honour’ will be marked as incorrect. This can either be set to check as you type and instantly mark spelling mistakes or repeated words with a red wavy underline, or you can check through afterwards and amend as necessary. If you word-process your work, then you may use the built-in spell-check function. If you were looking for the correct spelling of the word dictionary, first look for words starting with the letter d. Once you had found this section, you would then look for words starting with di. The next step is to skim through these words looking for words starting with dic. Follow this procedure with each letter in the word until you find the word you are seeking. It can be helpful to note down the words in an on-going list when you have looked them up. If you are really unsure, you may have to try several alternatives until you find the right spelling.

Once you have found the first letter of the word you are looking up, you can then start to look for words starting with the first and second letter and so on. Words in a dictionary are listed alphabetically. Looking up words in dictionaries will also teach you the source of words and give you an interesting history of usage, as well as providing alternative words you might use. The traditional route to checking your spelling is through the use of an English dictionary. There are two other main ways of finding the correct spelling of a word: using a dictionary or using the spell check facility on your computer. You can also ask your home assistant or phone (Google Assistant, Siri, or Alexa for example).
RIGHT CLICK IN MAC TO CORRECT SPELLING HOW TO
You can, of course, ask somebody else how to spell it, but this is not always reliable. Having identified that you have spelled a word wrongly, there are a number of ways that you can find the right spelling. Using both a friend and a spell-check is probably best, if possible. Equally, the spell-check will not identify when you have used the wrong word, but it is correctly spelled (for example, wood instead of would)-although using a grammar check in conjunction with the spell-check will help to identify this kind of error. The person you ask may also have particular spelling ‘blind spots’ and may not notice one or more errors. WARNING! Neither is completely infallible. The second is to use a spell-check on a computer. The first is to have someone read over your work and try to spot any errors. There are two main ways to identify incorrect spellings. You may need help to find your ‘unknown unknowns’, and it is worth being aware of this.

They are the ‘unknown unknowns’, and they are much harder to spot.

There are, however, likely to be other words that you don’t know you can’t spell. You are probably on the lookout for those: they are ‘known unknowns’, and you can spot them and deal with them. You may, for example, always struggle with necessary, or assassinate. There are likely to be some words that you know you can’t spell.
