My Spell Checking Won't "Add" a new spelling

[Sagebrush2009]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)

I am an author. This problem just occurred after about six months of trouble-free use.

When Spell Check catches a word, the spelling of which it doesn't recognize, I press CONTROL and click the mouse on the red-underlined word. The pop-up menu's "Add" feature is grayed out, does not work. I am left with only the option to "Ignore" or "Ignore All." This is incredibly frustrating because "ignored" words will show up again and again each time I reopen my manuscript.

Can someone tell me how to fix this? I've look in Preferences and find no help.

Sincerely,
Frustrated in Bozeman, MT

 

[CyberTaz]

Custom Dictionaries often get a little squirrely

As long as you're sure there is no language issue try this as proposed by
MVP Corentin Cras-Méneur:

Go to Word> Preferences> Spelling & Grammar, click the Dictionaries button.
Select your Custom Dictionary then click the Edit button... Make a minor
change such as typing a character or a space followed by a backspace, then
close it & save the change. See if things don't improve.

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Kenner]

I am having the same issue. I tried your solution but the problem still occurs. What else might I try?

 

[CyberTaz]

Check out the suggestions here - it may be a Language issue:

http://word.mvps.org/mac/SpellCheck.html#GrayAddButton

HTH |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[Jim Gordon MVP]

I am having the same issue. I tried your solution but the problem still occurs. What else might I try?

Hi,

Before you can add words, you have to turn the custom dictionary on.
Here's an excerpt from the forthcoming book
Microsoft Office 2008 All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies

....turn on our custom dictionary right now. You only have to do this
once and then the Spelling and Grammar Add feature will remain available
to you from now on not just in Word, but in all Office applications:

1. Choose Word >Preferences, and open the Spelling and Grammar sheet in
the resultant window.
Word’s Spelling and Grammar preferences pane opens.
2. In the Spelling section, click the Dictionaries button.
The Custom Dictionaries window opens.
3. Click the Custom Dictionary checkbox.
4. Click OK to close Custom Dictionary.
5. Click OK to close Spelling and Grammar preferences.
Once you have performed the above steps, the Add button in Spelling and
Grammar becomes available, and the Add option becomes available in the
pop-up menu when you right-click or control-click on a word that’s been
flagged with a red squiggle.

You can pre-order the book now, but don't expect shipment until the end
of July. We're still writing it.

http://www.amazon.com/Office-2008-A...=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1237601628&sr=1-5

-Jim

 

[drfrot]

Nope, none of these solutions work for me. Bizarrely, it's only just started happening for me recently too.

Every Word document I open I get the same tedious pop up. "Custom dictionary not available"

I have tried everything above. I have started a new custom dictionary. It does the same for this too.

I'm using Word for Mac 2008 and have installed the latest update (12.1.7)

Any more suggestions? Even if it's how to stop the damn pop up telling me how Word isn't working how I want it to!

Thanks

Giles

 

[John McGhie]

The procedures you have been given work 99 per cent of the time.

If they don't work for you, delete the Custom Dictionary and start again to
create a new one, as described in the help and as Jim referred you to.

If the Custom Dictionary file contains garbage, you can't rescue it using
Bob's/Corentin's procedure ‹ you have to create a new one.

Cheers

Nope, none of these solutions work for me. Bizarrely, it's only just started
happening for me recently too.

Every Word document I open I get the same tedious pop up. "Custom dictionary
not available"

I have tried everything above. I have started a new custom dictionary. It does
the same for this too.

I'm using Word for Mac 2008 and have installed the latest update (12.1.7)

Any more suggestions? Even if it's how to stop the damn pop up telling me how
Word isn't working how I want it to!

Thanks

Giles

--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/

Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Sydney, Australia. mailto:[email protected]

 

[mvallance]

from <http://word.mvps.org/mac/SpellCheck.html#GrayAddButton>

In Word>Preferences>Spelling & Grammar, click on Dictionaries... to manage custom dictionaries. The checked ones are loaded. If there is nothing in the list, you may need to create a custom dictionary (click New in the dialog).
If you assigned the custom dictionary a language, then Add may be grayed out because the language assigned to the word does not match the language assigned to the dictionary. The custom dictionary does not require a language.
=============
Creating a NEW Custom dictionary with no assigned language worked. Thank you.