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: Fast Spelling Corrections.

Fast Spelling Corrections

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 8, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021


1

As you are typing in your document, you may have noticed that some of your words are underlined with a red wavy line. These are words for which Word is questioning your spelling. You can quickly correct your spelling (assuming you agree that it may be incorrect) by right-clicking on the word in question. The resulting Context menu contains spelling suggestions that you can select. Word then replaces the word on which you right-clicked (the incorrect word) with the proper spelling. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. Right-click on a misspelled word to correct it.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12097) 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: Fast Spelling Corrections.

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

Changing Above-the-Line Fonts

Word maintains a list of the fonts most recently used in the program. You can't modify the list, but you can turn it on ...

Discover More

Adding and Formatting a Shape via Macro

Excel makes it rather easy to add shapes to your worksheets. If you add a lot of shapes, you quickly discover that it can ...

Discover More

Linking Word Documents

Want to add one document to another document? You can do it by adding links, described in this tip.

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Configuring Spell Check for Internet Addresses

When writing technical documents, URLs are a common thing to include in your text. Normally Word will mark these as ...

Discover More

Ignore Setting on Misspelled Words not Persistent

When Word flags a word as misspelled, you have some options of how to handle it. This tip explains those options and ...

Discover More

Ignoring the Spelling of Proper Nouns

Proper nouns (such as the names of people) are routinely marked as incorrect by Word's spell checker. If you are tired of ...

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 six less than 6?

2018-10-09 05:41:49

Richard

I notice in your screenshot (Figure 1) that the list of suggested words also contains an explanation of the meaning of those words using a comma-separated list. This does not happen in my installation of Word 2013. Is it a settable option?


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.