Open the Spell Check Tool

The fastest way to check spelling in Word is to press F7 on your keyboard. This opens the Spelling pane on the right side of your screen and Word immediately scans your document for misspelled words, starting from the top.

If F7 does not work on your computer (some laptops require you to hold Fn at the same time), you can also reach spell check through the menu. Click the Review tab at the top of Word, then click Spelling & Grammar in the toolbar.

Word highlights the first word it thinks is misspelled in blue. The Spelling pane shows you what Word found, suggests corrections, and gives you options for what to do next.

Key Takeaways

  • Press F7 to open spell check, or go to the Review tab and click Spelling & Grammar.
  • For each flagged word, you can accept a suggestion, ignore it once, or add it to your dictionary so Word stops flagging it.
  • Word checks as you type by default and marks questionable words with a red squiggly line, but the full spell check tool catches more issues.
  • If spell check is not catching errors, make sure it is turned on in Word settings under Proofing options.

Choose What to Do With Each Flagged Word

When Word flags a word, the Spelling pane shows one or more suggestions. If one of them is correct, click it to select it, then click Change to fix that single instance. Click Change All if the same misspelling appears multiple times in your document and you want Word to fix every occurrence at once.

If the word is spelled correctly but Word does not recognize it — a name, a technical term, or a word from another language — you have two options. Click Ignore to skip just that instance and move to the next flagged word. Click Ignore All if the same word appears many times and you do not want Word to flag it again in this document.

To tell Word that a word is correct and should never be flagged again, click Add to Dictionary. This is useful for your own name, your company name, or specialized terms you use regularly. Once added, Word recognizes the word in all your documents going forward.

Understand What Word Flags as You Type

By default, Word underlines words with a red squiggly line as you type if it thinks they are misspelled. This is real-time spell check, and it happens automatically without you doing anything. A red line does not mean the word is definitely wrong — Word sometimes flags correct words it simply does not recognize.

You can right-click any red-underlined word to see suggestions without opening the full spell check pane. A menu appears with correction options and the choice to ignore or add to dictionary. This is faster if you only want to fix a few words.

If you find the red lines distracting while you write, you can turn them off temporarily. Go to File > Options > Proofing, then uncheck Check spelling as you type. The lines disappear, but you can still run a full spell check later by pressing F7.

Turn Spell Check On or Off

Spell check is on by default in Word, but if it stops working or you need to turn it back on, the setting is in Word Options. Click File in the top left, then click Options at the bottom of the menu.

In the Options window, click Proofing on the left side. You will see a section called When correcting spelling and grammar in Word. Make sure the box next to Check spelling as you type is checked. If it is not, click it to turn spell check back on.

In the same Proofing section, you can also choose whether Word checks Grammar as you type (this is separate from spelling). You can turn grammar checking on or off independently of spell check if you prefer.

Handle Spell Check in Different Document Types

Spell check works the same way in most Word documents, but behavior can differ slightly depending on the file format. If you are working in a .docx file (the standard Word format), spell check functions normally. If you are editing a .doc file (older Word format) or a .rtf file (rich text format), spell check still works but may not catch every issue the same way.

If you are working in a document that uses a language other than English, you may need to tell Word which language to check. Go to Review > Language > Set Proofing Language, select the correct language, and click OK. Word will then use that language's dictionary to flag misspellings.

Fix Common Spell Check Problems

If spell check is not working at all, first check that it is turned on in Proofing options (see the section above). If it is on but still not catching errors, the document language may be set incorrectly. Go to Review > Language > Set Proofing Language and make sure the language matches the text in your document.

Another common issue is that spell check may skip over certain words if they are formatted differently — for example, words in all capitals or words in a different font. This is usually intentional (Word assumes all-caps words are acronyms), but if you need spell check to catch these, you can adjust the settings in Proofing options under When correcting spelling and grammar in Word.

If Word keeps flagging a word that you know is correct, and you do not want to add it to your dictionary permanently, use Ignore All instead. This tells Word to stop flagging that word for the current document only, and the setting does not carry over to other documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I undo changes made by spell check?

Yes. If you click Change or Change All and realize the correction was wrong, press Ctrl+Z immediately to undo the change. You can undo multiple spell check corrections in a row by pressing Ctrl+Z repeatedly.

What is the difference between Ignore and Ignore All?

Ignore skips only that single instance of the word and moves to the next flagged word. Ignore All tells Word to stop flagging that word for the rest of the current document. Neither option adds the word to your dictionary, so it will be flagged again in new documents.

Why does spell check flag words I know are correct?

Word uses a built-in dictionary and does not recognize every word, especially proper nouns, technical terms, and words from other languages. If a word is correct, click Add to Dictionary to teach Word that word, or click Ignore All if you only want to skip it in the current document.

Can I check spelling in a specific section of my document?

Yes. Highlight the text you want to check, then press F7 or go to Review > Spelling & Grammar. Word will only check the selected text and ignore the rest of the document.

Does spell check catch grammar mistakes too?

Spell check and grammar check are separate tools in Word. Spell check finds misspelled words. Grammar check finds issues like subject-verb disagreement and sentence fragments. Both can run together, but you can turn grammar checking on or off independently in Proofing options.