Spell check not working in Word.

Question

When I check on "spell check" it says complete, but corrections are not made.

Answer 1

The text which is not being spellchecked could be set to "Do not check spelling or grammar" (Language dialog box). For more on spellchecking in Word, see http://wordfaqs.ssbarnhill.com/MasterSpellCheck.htm.

Answer 2

Hi! Let me help you.

Please try the fix below.

Click on the File tab, then choose Options.

In the left-hand menu, select Proofing.

Scroll down to the section labeled Exceptions for.

Check if “Hide spelling errors in this document only” is enabled, and adjust it if necessary.

Answer 3

Use the built-in spelling checker to identify errors, then choose how to correct them; Word does not automatically change misspelled words unless AutoCorrect or Editor suggestions are explicitly applied.

To fix the issue where spell check always says it is complete but does not mark errors, follow these steps in order in Word on Windows:

1. Install and enable proofing tools
   1. Close Word and all Office apps.
   2. Open Windows Settings → Apps (or Control Panel → Programs and Features, depending on Windows version).
   3. Select the installed Microsoft Office edition → Change/Modify.
   4. Choose Add or Remove Features → Continue.
   5. Expand Office Shared Features.
   6. For Proofing Tools, select Run all from My Computer.
   7. Complete the setup and restart Word.
2. Enable the English speller add-in (if disabled)
   1. In Word, go to File → Options → Add-ins.
   2. At the bottom, in Manage, choose Disabled Items → Go.
   3. If Speller EN-US (nlsdata0009.dll) appears, select it → Enable.
   4. Close the dialog and click OK.
3. Turn on “Check spelling as you type” and clear exceptions
   1. Go to File → Options → Proofing.
   2. Under When correcting spelling and grammar in Word, ensure Check spelling as you type is checked.
   3. In the Exceptions for section, clear all check boxes so the document is not excluded from checking.
   4. Click OK.
4. Set the correct proofing language and clear “Do not check spelling or grammar”
   1. Press Ctrl+A to select the entire document.
   2. Go to the Review tab → Language → Set Proofing Language.
   3. Choose the desired language (for example, English (United States)).
   4. Make sure Do not check spelling or grammar is not checked.
   5. Click OK. If this fixes the issue, reopen the Language dialog and click Set As Default so new documents use this language.
5. Remove the registry override if present (advanced)
   1. Close Word.
   2. Press Windows+R, type regedit, press Enter.
   3. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\Proofing Tools\1.0\Override.
   4. Delete this Override key.
   5. Close Registry Editor and restart Word.

After these steps, run Review → Spelling & Grammar again. Misspelled words should be underlined as you type and listed in the spelling dialog; apply each suggested correction or use AutoCorrect as needed.

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References:

• Spell Check does not work in Word 2010