Spellcheck ain't working on MS Word.

Question

Spellcheck ain't working on MS Word 2021. I use Windows 10 Pro.

Answer 1

Hello Lawrence, thanks for posting in the community.

Kindly start by checking if the proofing language in Word is set correctly, because the spellcheck will not work when the text is marked as “Do not check spelling or grammar.” You can highlight your text, open the Review tab, select Language, and choose Set Proofing Language, then make sure the option to not check spelling is turned off. After that, go to File, open Options, select Proofing, and confirm that “Check spelling as you type” and “Mark grammar errors as you type” are both enabled. If the problem continues, try repairing Office 2021 through the Control Panel by choosing Microsoft Office 2021 and running a Quick Repair, as this can fix missing or damaged proofing tools. Once the repair is done, restart Word and test the spellcheck again.

Kind regards,

John Oli

Answer 2

See http://wordfaqs.ssbarnhill.com/MasterSpellCheck.htm .

Answer 3

Use the built-in troubleshooting steps for Word spell check, starting with the most common causes.

1. Confirm proofing tools are installed
   1. Close Word and all Office apps.
   2. In Windows 10, select Start and type uninstall, then select Add or remove programs.
   3. Find Microsoft Office (your edition) and select Modify or Change.
   4. In the Office setup dialog, choose Add or Remove Features > Continue.
   5. Expand Office Shared Features.
   6. Click the icon next to Proofing Tools and choose Run all from My Computer.
   7. Complete setup and restart Word.
2. Make sure spell check is enabled in Word
   1. Open Word.
   2. Go to File > Options > Proofing.
   3. Under When correcting spelling and grammar in Word, ensure Check spelling as you type is checked.
   4. In the Exceptions for section, clear all check boxes so there are no exceptions for the current document or template.
   5. Select OK.
3. Clear “Do not check spelling or grammar” for the document
   1. Press Ctrl+A to select the entire document.
   2. Go to the Review tab > Language > Set Proofing Language.
   3. Select the correct language (for example, English (United States) or the language actually used in the document).
   4. Make sure Do not check spelling or grammar is cleared.
   5. Select OK.
4. Verify the correct dictionary language is used
   1. On the Review tab, select Language > Set Proofing Language.
   2. In the Language dialog, choose the correct language for your text (for example, English (United States) vs. English (United Kingdom)).
   3. If the language is not listed above the double line, follow the guidance in add an editing or authoring language or set language preferences in Office to enable it.
5. Check for disabled spell checker add-in (older guidance but same idea)
   1. Go to File > Options > Add-ins.
   2. At the bottom, next to Manage, choose Disabled Items and select Go.
   3. If a speller component such as Speller EN-US (nlsdata0009.dll) appears, select it and choose Enable.
   4. Close the dialog and restart Word.
6. Clear “Do not check spelling and grammar” from language settings (multi-language scenarios)
   1. On the Review tab, in Language, select Language > Set Proofing Language.
   2. In the dialog, ensure Do not check spelling or grammar is cleared.

If spell check still does not work after these steps, repair Office:

1. Close all Office apps.
2. In Windows 10, go to Start > Settings > System > Apps > Installed apps.
3. Find Microsoft Office, select the three dots, choose Modify.
4. Select Online Repair, then Repair.

This will reinstall/repair Office components, including proofing tools. Ensure the Office product is correctly associated with the Microsoft account before running an Online Repair.

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References:

• Spell Check does not work in Word 2010
• Troubleshoot checking spelling and grammar in multiple languages
• Check grammar, spelling, and more in Word
• The spelling and grammar checker isn't working as expected
• Spell Check not working. - Microsoft Q&A
• Word spell check is not working - Microsoft Q&A
• How to fix my MS Word? - Microsoft Q&A
• How to fix MS Word has run into an error that is preventing from working properly. - Microsoft Q&A
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