Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 25, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Word provides a built-in spelling checker you can use to proof (double-check) your document. This tool doesn't check just spelling; it also checks for proper capitalization and duplicate words. To run the spelling checker, follow these steps:
You don't have to spell check an entire document; you can run the spelling checker on a selection of text, as well. To run the spelling checker on a selection of text, do the following:
When the spelling check of the selection is complete, Word displays a dialog box asking if you want to check the rest of the document. Click on No to end the spelling check.
In newer versions of Word, follow these steps:
Figure 1. The Editor pane.
When you have finished responding to the suggestions, Word displays a Readability Statistics dialog box. You can review the information in the dialog box, and when finished, click OK to close it. Word then displays a dialog box stating that you have finished reviewing the Editor's suggestions. Click OK to dismiss the dialog box.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (9476) 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 Your Document.
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