Spell checking - can't add worlds to custom dictionary??

[Jeremy]

Hello

periodically our versions of Word vX for Mac (SR1) running on OSX 10.3.5
won't allow you to add new words to the custom dictionary. No amount of
trying to set a new dictionary with the preferences changes anything ..... and
this is to a new Word document even..... but at other times not a problem. In
the past I have decided certain files (say templates) can always have a
problem but this is to a new document...

I've seen this sort of thing with Word since well before the current versions
(98 and before) and am amazed that the issue still occurs...

has anyone got a way of booting Word in the head to make it work again??

thanks

Jeremy

 

[Beth Rosengard]

Hi Jeremy,

First, be sure you have the basics covered. This is from the Word Help
regarding a grayed-out Add button:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. On the Edit menu, click Preferences, and then click the Spelling &
Grammar tab.
2. Click Dictionaries.
3. If the custom dictionary you want isn't in the Custom dictionaries box,
click Add.
4. Select the custom dictionary you want to add, and then click Open.
5. Before you can use the custom dictionary to check spelling, you must
activate it: In the Custom Dictionaries dialog box, make sure the check box
beside the dictionary's name is selected.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also, unless you use various custom dictionaries for different languages,
you should set the Language of your custom dictionary to "none"
(Preferences> Spelling & Grammar> Dictionaries). Otherwise, if you specify
a particular language, then the text you're proofing must be the same as
that of the custom dictionary.

There are other reasons why the spell checker might not work properly:

If you, for instance, copy text from another source (some other document,
the web or wherever) and paste it into your document, it's possible that the
language for that selection of text is set to something other than the
language of your system.

To check this, select a section of the text that is causing problems and go
to Tools menu> Language. The language setting should be the same as that of
your system. If it isn't, change it.

It's also possible that the default language of your Normal template has
changed somehow. To check this, open a blank document (which will be based
on Normal unless you have specified another template). Then do as above:
Go to Tools> Language and see what the setting is. If it's incorrect,
change it and click on the Default button.

Hope this helps.

--
Beth Rosengard
Mac MVP

Mac Word FAQ: <http://word.mvps.org/MacWordNew/index.htm>
Entourage Help Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org>