Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Spell-checking Uppercase Words.

Spell-checking Uppercase Words

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated October 2, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


2

Word includes a powerful spell-checker that, in reality, does a pretty good job. If you do quite a bit of technical writing and use a lot of acronyms, you know that most of them are easily flagged as misspelled words. You can make sure that Word ignores uppercase words in any spell-check by following these steps:

  1. Display the Word Options dialog box. (In Word 2007 click the Office button and then click Word Options. In Word 2010 and later versions, display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
  2. Click Proofing at the left side of the dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Proofing options of the Word Options dialog box.

  4. Make sure the Ignore Words in UPPERCASE check box is selected.
  5. Click on OK.

The only downside to making this configuration change, of course, is if you use all uppercase for section titles or for other special words. In this case, Word still ignores them, since they are uppercase. Make sure you change the setting of this check box based on the type of work you are doing in your current document.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (6004) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Spell-checking Uppercase Words.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Formatting Text in Comment Boxes

Want to make your worksheet comments appear a certain way? It's easy to do using techniques you already are familiar with.

Discover More

Pasting a Graphic to Multiple Worksheets

Do you need to add a logo or other graphic to a bunch of worksheets? Here are a couple of short macros that can make ...

Discover More

Setting Cell Color Based on Numeric Values

Excel allows you to specify colors for the interior of cells in your worksheet. If you want those colors to be set ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Catching Single-Letter Spelling Errors

There have been times when I've reviewed my writing and found lots of "lone letters," detached by a single space from the ...

Discover More

Spell Checking when Closing Documents

When you close a document, you might want to do one final check of the spelling, just to make sure that you didn't miss ...

Discover More

Hiding Spelling Errors

When you are typing in a document, Word normally checks your spelling in the background, marking possible spelling errors ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 0 + 7?

2021-10-03 07:16:37

Brian

One for Nick
As a professional copy editor, I have used the trial copy of StyleWriter and found it wanting!
The program itself is very comprehensive and is very good, a boon to writers everywhere. However, it needs to be bought into the modern era of WORD 365 visually. Visually it lacks clarity. In my opinion, it was designed for the Windows Vista era! and is in urgent need of updating, particularly for those users with visual impairment.


2021-10-02 08:13:07

Nick Wright

Turning off a check of all uppercase words to avoid acronyms being highlighted is dangerous. We designed StyleWriter to highlight acronyms separately so you can switch them off. However, the Professional Edition of StyleWriter will list all acronyms in a document in its Editor's List. This lets you review them at a quick glance for typos, inconsistencies, overuse or those only used once. If you have only used one once and defined it, what's the point of the acronym. Also, remember readers hate acronyms as they consider them jargon. Business and technical writers certainly overuse them.


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.