Dictionary/Spell Checker Issue

Question

I just installed Word 2011 on Lion and I'm having issues with the dictionary and spell checker. The dictionary defaults to a custom dictionary, which obviously doesn't have anything in it (since I just installed Word). And I can't find the main dictionary for Word either - it's like it doesn't exist. I've tried reinstalling and that doesn't fix the problem. 

Typing a simple misspelling like "werk" doesn't get picked up by the spell checker. Can anyone offer any advise or help? Yes, I've set my main language to English (US) and I've made sure the "Do not check spelling or grammar" box is unchecked. I've never had this issue before, so I'm stumped.

Thanks,

Melissa

Answer 1

You never get to see Word's main dictionary. Through the Spelling features (namely, the "Dictionaries"  button) you only have access to custom dictionaries (exceptions, to avoid having to click "Ignore" repeatedly). For instance, you may have one called "Medical" that allows "GlaxoSmithKline."

Try these methods. If one fails to solve your problem, apply the next one.

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1. Check for updates through Word's Helpmenu*.*

2. Repair permissions: Open Disk Utility in Applications > Utilities, select your hard drive and click on Repair permissions.

4. Bypass your Normal template and your Word preferences: Quit Word, press Shift and open it. If this works, you need to decide if the problem lies in Normal or in the Preferences (post back for further instructions). If it doesn't work, quit Word and launch it as usual.

5. Check that you have the required files present in the following folder:

- Applications > Microsoft Office 2011 > Office > Shared Applications > Proofing Tools

Verify that you have four files named "LANGUAGE_NAME.proofingtool" in there. If you do not, you will need to reinstall what's missing (or restore them by copying the folder from another computer). Also check that the folders have not been renamed.

• If you installed Office by downloading: Locate your .dmg file, named "X16-92852-EN.dmg" (or something similar). Double-click on it to mount it as a disk on your Desktop. If you don't have the installer, **download it here** (about 900 MB).
• **If you installed Office from a CD:**mount the CD.

Then locate "Office Installer" and open it. Proceed slowly while clicking variously on Continue, Continue, Agree, Continue, Customize (this will be to the left of the Install button). To speed up the process, select only the Proofing Tools you need, rather than the whole set.

Answer 2

Follow these numbered steps in order. Probably #1 will suffice for pre-existing documents, #2 for new documents.

Answer 3

I tried all methods above. I installed one update, then repaired permissions. It did not help. I tried bypassing template and preferences, but that did not help. I checked the proofing tools folder, and all 4 English files are present. Now what? My spell check is flagging words such as "from" and "in," at which point I cancel the spellcheck.

Answer 4

I understand that. I've applied the language to the text as English (US) and the box is not checked, as I've stated. Trust me, I've worked with Word for years now (I'm a professional editor) and this was one of the first things I checked. 

The spell checker still misses any and all misspellings. The issue definitely seems to be that the main dictionary Word should be using is missing. Any way to get that back?

Answer 5

Melissa, one important point: you don't set the language, you apply it. Language is a text attribute, like bold, color, font and point size. It needs to be, to allow combining text in several languages, just like you combine bold and regular text.

It is possible that the text you want to spell check is set as "Do not check..." or that it has another language applied. The way to apply a language is to select the text and then set the language as you stated (and as you would if you wanted it in boldface).