Can add words to word dictionary

To add a word to the dictionary, select “Edit Word List…” . Type the word you wish to add to the dictionary and click “Add“. Select “OK” then “OK” again when you are done adding words.

Contents

  • 1 How do I add words to my Microsoft word dictionary?
  • 2 How do I create a custom dictionary in word?
  • 3 How do I add a word to the dictionary in word 2013?
  • 4 How do I add words to the dictionary in Windows 10?
  • 5 Why can’t I add words to my word dictionary?
  • 6 How do you submit a new word to Webster’s dictionary?
  • 7 How do you create a dictionary?
  • 8 How do I add words to my outlook dictionary?
  • 9 How are words added to the Oxford dictionary?
  • 10 How do I run spell check in Word?
  • 11 How do I put spell check on my computer?
  • 12 Is there a dictionary on Windows 10?
  • 13 How do I use the dictionary in Windows 10?
  • 14 How do I add words to AutoCorrect in Windows?
  • 15 Why is add to dictionary greyed out?
  • 16 How do you add a Word to the dictionary on a Mac?
  • 17 Can I submit a word to the dictionary?
  • 18 What means YEET?
  • 19 What is the act of submission?
  • 20 How do you create a dictionary in a list?

How do I add words to my Microsoft word dictionary?

Note: To quickly add a word to a dictionary, right click the word in a document, and select Add to dictionary. The word is added to your default dictionary.

How do I create a custom dictionary in word?

How to Create a Custom Dictionary

  1. Select the File tab.
  2. Select Options in the Backstage view.
  3. Select Proofing in the Word Options dialog box.
  4. Select the Custom Dictionaries button.
  5. Select any of the available options in the Custom Dictionaries dialog box to make the New button available.
  6. Select the New button.

How do I add a word to the dictionary in word 2013?

To access the custom dictionaries in Word 2013, click the FILE tab. Click Options in the list on the left side of the screen. On the Word Options dialog box, click Proofing in the list of options on the left. Scroll down to the When correcting spelling in Microsoft Office programs section and click Custom Dictionaries.

How do I add words to the dictionary in Windows 10?

If there is a spelling mistake in the words you type, Windows will show a red squiggly line under that specific word. When you see that, simply right-click on that word and select the “Add to dictionary” option. The word will be instantly added to the internal Windows dictionary.

Why can’t I add words to my word dictionary?

The most likely cause for this situation is that the language of the word you are trying to add doesn’t match the language of the dictionary.In Word 2010 display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.) Click Proofing at the left side of the dialog box. Click on the Custom Dictionaries button.

How do you submit a new word to Webster’s dictionary?

To be included in a Merriam-Webster dictionary, a word must be used in a substantial number of citations that come from a wide range of publications over a considerable period of time. Specifically, the word must have enough citations to allow accurate judgments about its establishment, currency, and meaning.

How do you create a dictionary?

To create a Dictionary, use {} curly brackets to construct the dictionary and [] square brackets to index it. Separate the key and value with colons : and with commas , between each pair. As with lists we can print out the dictionary by printing the reference to it.

How do I add words to my outlook dictionary?

Outlook 2016 Add Custom Words to Dictionary

  1. In Outlook, select “File“, then choose “Options“.
  2. Select “Mail” in the left pane.
  3. Select “Spelling and Autocorrect…” button.
  4. Select “Proofing“.
  5. Select the “Custom Dictionaries…” button.
  6. Set “CUSTOM.
  7. Ensure the “Dictionary Language” is set to the language you wish to use.

How are words added to the Oxford dictionary?

The short process is: meet someone who works at the OED evaluating new words for inclusion. The slightly longer process involves plying him or her with drink. The most complete answer is contained in Lyza Danger Gardner’s blog entry How I Got a Word into the Oxford English Dictionary.

How do I run spell check in Word?

To start a check of the spelling and grammar in your file just press F7 or follow these steps:

  1. Open most Office programs, click the Review tab on the ribbon.
  2. Click Spelling or Spelling & Grammar.
  3. If the program finds spelling mistakes, a dialog box appears with the first misspelled word found by the spelling checker.

How do I put spell check on my computer?

Here’s how. Click File > Options > Proofing, clear the Check spelling as you type box, and click OK. To turn spell check back on, repeat the process and select the Check spelling as you type box. To check spelling manually, click Review > Spelling & Grammar.

Is there a dictionary on Windows 10?

The Windows 10 October 2018 Update brought a lot of new features, including some to Microsoft Edge. One of those is a built-in dictionary available when you’re in Reading View, an eBook, or a PDF file.

How do I use the dictionary in Windows 10?

Head to Settings > General and flip on the “Show definitions inline for” switch and also check each type of document you want to use it with. To use the dictionary, open a web page in Reading View, eBook, or PDF documents and double-click the word you want a definition for.

How do I add words to AutoCorrect in Windows?

Add entry to an AutoCorrect list

  1. Go to the AutoCorrect tab.
  2. In the Replace box, type a word or phrase that you often misspell.
  3. In the With box, type the correct spelling of the word.
  4. Select Add.

Why is add to dictionary greyed out?

Office / Word “Add to Dictionary” is Greyed out”
Can be caused by using a custom dictionary file, which was created in an earlier version of word. (or the custom. dic file is set to “Read Only”).

How do you add a Word to the dictionary on a Mac?

Add a word to macOS’ dictionary

  1. Open a Finder window, navigate to the ‘Applications’ folder and launch the TextEdit app.
  2. Type the word, exactly as you want it to appear in your Mac’s dictionary, but do not press the space bar.
  3. Control-click the word, and then select ‘Learn spelling’ from the context menu.

Can I submit a word to the dictionary?

Simply put, to gain entry to the dictionary, a word must be widely used in a broad range of professionally written and edited materials over an extended period of time.

What means YEET?

Yeet is an exclamation of excitement, approval, surprise, or all-around energy, often as issued when doing a dance move or throwing something.

What is the act of submission?

: an act of giving a document, proposal, piece of writing, etc., to someone so that it can be considered or approved : an act of submitting something. : something that is submitted. : the state of being obedient : the act of accepting the authority or control of someone else.

How do you create a dictionary in a list?

To convert a list to a dictionary using the same values, you can use the dict. fromkeys() method. To convert two lists into one dictionary, you can use the Python zip() function. The dictionary comprehension lets you create a new dictionary based on the values of a list.


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Sometimes when you work on a word processing document in Microsoft Word, you will type a word that the program doesn’t recognize, so a red line will appear under words that are actually spelled correctly. Understand how to add a word to the dictionary in Microsoft Word so it will recognize the correct word and stop trying to correct it. Moreover, learn how to take advantage of the custom dictionaries in MS Word so spell check doesn’t confuse your special terms between the different types of writing you do in the program.

  1. Image titled Add a Word to the Dictionary in Microsoft Word Step 1

    1

    Determine what type of word you want to add to your dictionary. Decide if it is one that will apply to all your writing, such as your name, or if it is special jargon specific to a type of writing you do, like the name of a particular scientist or story character?

  2. Image titled Add a Word to the Dictionary in Microsoft Word Step 2

    2

    Open the custom dictionary settings for MS Word.

    • In Word 2003 for Windows or 2004 for Mac, go to the «Tools» menu, select «Spelling and Grammar�», and click «Options�».
    • In Word 2007 or 2010 for Windows, click the File menu button> select options then click «Proofing.»
    • In Word 2008 or 2011 for Mac, go to the «Word» menu, select «Preferences,» and click «Authoring and Proofing Tools.» Choose the «Spelling and Grammar» option.

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  3. Image titled Add a Word to the Dictionary in Microsoft Word Step 3

    3

    Make sure there isn’t a check in the «Suggest from main dictionary only» check box.

  4. Image titled Add a Word to the Dictionary in Microsoft Word Step 4

    4

    Find the drop-down menu to select your custom dictionary.

    • If the word to be added will apply to special writing projects, select the default, «Custom Dictionary,» if it isn’t already selected.
    • If the word to be added is specific to a certain type of writing you do (for example, technical documents written for work or stories set in a particular fantasy world), click the «Dictionaries�» button if you don’t already have a dictionary slotted for that purpose in the drop-down menu.
    • Find the «New�» button in the «Custom Dictionaries» dialog box that pops up.
    • Pick a location on your computer to save the custom dictionary.
    • Make sure that new custom dictionary has a check mark beside it to indicate that it’s active.
    • Make sure the correct custom dictionary is selected as default dictionary.
  5. Image titled Add a Word to the Dictionary in Microsoft Word Step 5

    5

    Click «OK.» and Close the «Custom Dictionaries» dialog box.

  6. Image titled Add a Word to the Dictionary in Microsoft Word Step 6

    6

    Close the «Spelling and Grammar» dialog box if it’s open.

  7. Image titled Add a Word to the Dictionary in Microsoft Word Step 7

    7

    Highlight the word you want to add to your selected custom dictionary.

  8. Image titled Add a Word to the Dictionary in Microsoft Word Step 8

    8

    Run spell check. Spell check will tell you that your special word is misspelled.

  9. Image titled Add a Word to the Dictionary in Microsoft Word Step 9

    9

    Click the «Add» button to add the word to your dictionary in Microsoft Word.

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  • Customizing dictionaries for different types of writing has a twofold benefit. First, it reduces the risk that you’ll create too large a custom dictionary. If a custom dictionary file gets too large, MS Office can no longer add to it. Second, changing your custom dictionary between your different writing types avoids situations where spell check sees «raine» in your essay and assumes it’s correct, because you have a character in your story with that name.

  • When running spell check with your overall «Custom Dictionary» dictionary, hit «Ignore all» for any terms that are to be checked by your specialized dictionary, and vice versa. That will prevent term overlap when you customize your MS Word dictionary.

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About This Article

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Is this article up to date?

Updated: 11/30/2020 by

Spell check underlines

When typing a document in Microsoft Word, you can use a tool to make sure you have spelled all your words correctly. Sometimes, you may need to add a word to the dictionary if Microsoft Word does not recognize it.

In Microsoft Word, there are two ways you can add a new word to the dictionary. Select a link below for the method you want to use and follow the steps provided.

Add new word through a custom dictionary

  1. In the menu bar, click the File tab, then click Options.
  2. In the Word Options window, click the Proofing option in the left navigation pane.
  3. Under the When correcting spelling in Microsoft Office programs header, make sure the box is unchecked for the Suggest from main dictionary only option.
  4. Click the Custom Dictionaries button.
  5. In the Custom Dictionaries window, select the dictionary set as the default dictionary, then click the Edit Word List button.

Edit Word List for Custom Dictionary in Microsoft Word

  1. Type the word you want to add in the Word(s) text field.
  2. Click the Add button to add the word to the Microsoft Word dictionary.

Adding a word to the custom dictionary in Microsoft Word.

  1. Click the OK button on each of the open windows to save the dictionary changes.

Add new word during a spell check

  1. As you are typing text in the document, any words that Microsoft Word considers to be misspelled have a red squiggly line underneath them. Right-click the word with a red squiggly line under it.
  2. In the pop-up menu that opens, select Spelling, then the Add to Dictionary option.

Add new word to Microsoft Word dictionary

Over the years Microsoft Word has played a key role in our professional lives. It is pretty much our go-to application every time we want to prepare an article or a proposal of any sort. Similarly, it has a fair share of programmers depending on it as their primary IDE (Integrated Development Environment).

One of the most useful features in Microsoft Word, or any text editing application, is the autocorrect, but that can get a tad bit annoying at times. Sometimes, you repeatedly mention words that aren’t a part of Word’s dictionary or write a line of code where the objects aren’t identified as legitimate English words. Thus, today we will be showing you how you can add or remove words from the Microsoft Word Dictionary.

I can’t fathom the countless times I have been saved from the embarrassment of foolish typing errors just because of the autocorrect feature, but in cases where the words we intend to type aren’t a part of the dictionary, those red lines that appear under them can both be annoying and make your work look untidy. On the flip side, it’s possible for you to mistakenly add a word to the MS Word dictionary, meaning that each time you type that work thereon out, it won’t be corrected. This guide will help you out with both these issues.

While this guide was centered around Microsoft Word, Microsoft has kept a unique UI across the various utilities of its Office Suite, so you can find similar steps to make these tweaks in other Office applications like Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook too.

You have the following ways using which you can add or remove words from Microsoft Word Dictionary:

  1. Using the Word context menu
  2. From the DEFAULT.dic dictionary file
  3. Using the Custom Dictionaries dialog box

1] Using the Word context menu

This is pretty much the most basic and elementary way to get the job done. All you have to do here is open Microsoft Word and type out the word that you want to add to the dictionary.

If it isn’t already a part of it, you’ll find a red line below it. Right-click on the word and from the context menu, select ‘Add to dictionary.’ If this option is greyed out on your end, you will have to enable the Custom Dictionaries option. Here is how that can be done.

Click on the File option from the menu up top. From the panel of settings on the left, click on ‘Options’. This is going to open the Word Options window.

Here, select proofing from the left side and further click on Custom Dictionaries. You will now see a separate Custom Dictionaries window.

Under Dictionary List, checkmark CUSTOM.dic. This will enable the Change Default option which would, otherwise, be greyed out. Click on that and from the Dictionary Language drop-down, select All Languages. Save these settings by clicking on Ok and exit the window. You will now be able to add words to the MS Word dictionary using the context menu.

Read: How to link PPT or PDF objects in Word document.

2] From the DEFAULT.dic dictionary file

The DEFAULT.dic file is a directory of all the words that you have added manually to your dictionary. It, too, can be modified to make space for more words.

Open the Run command by pressing the Windows + ‘R’ key combination. In the command line box, copy and paste the following path.

%AppData%MicrosoftSpellingen-US

You can, alternatively, open your File Manager and paste the path there.

Add or remove words from Microsoft Word Dictionary

This will take you to a folder named Spelling, where you will see three files. We have to work with the DEFAULT.dic file. Unfortunately, there is no standard application that can open ‘.dic’ extension files, so we will be making use of Notepad.

Right-click on the DEFAULT.dic file and click on Open With. It would then show a list of apps you can open ‘.dic’ files with, which would normally be empty. So, click on ‘More Apps’, and from the list that is subsequently shown select Notepad.

This will open a Notepad file with the words ‘#LID 1033’ in its first line. All you have to do now is simply add words you want to be a part of the dictionary to this notepad file. If you have to delete a word from your system’s dictionary, simply delete it from this document.

Keep in mind that you should only input one word per line. A sample file looks like this:

Save the file and you can now observe these newly added words to not show a red line below them.

3] Using the Custom Dictionaries dialog box

If you remember, we opened the Custom Dictionaries dialog box to enable the Add to Dictionary feature earlier on. You can use this dialog box to add words of your choice to the dictionary too.

Open MS Word and from the Top Menu, click on File. From the settings and show up on the left-side pane, select Options.

Click on Proofing and further select Custom Dictionaries. In the Custom Dictionaries window, click on CUSTOM.dic, or any dictionary of your choice, and further click on Edit Word List.

Under the Word(s) option, type the words that you wish to be a part of your dictionary and click on Add to save that. Words using this method can be added one by one, so repeat the process and close the window once you are done.

All the words that you have added, now or previously, will appear under the Dictionary. If you want to delete a word, simply click on it and select Delete.

We hope that this guide was able to satisfactorily answer your queries on how to add or remove words from your MS Word Dictionary.

Related: How to add a custom dictionary in Word, Excel, and Outlook.

Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007 and 2010. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Cannot Add Words to Dictionary.

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 1, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 2007 and 2010


Richard notes that when doing a spelling check in the background, Word dutifully underlines words it thinks are spelled incorrectly. However, when he right-clicks on the word in order to add it to the dictionary, he finds the «add to dictionary» option grayed out, so that he cannot add it.

The most likely cause for this situation is that the language of the word you are trying to add doesn’t match the language of the dictionary. Word keeps track of the language of both your text and allows you to specify with what language a dictionary should be associated. You can check the language of your dictionary in this manner:

  1. Display the Word Options dialog box. (In Word 2007 click the Office button and then click Word Options. In Word 2010 display the File tab of the ribbon and then click Options.)
  2. Click Proofing at the left side of the dialog box.
  3. Click on the Custom Dictionaries button. Word displays the Custom Dictionaries dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  4. Figure 1. The Custom Dictionaries dialog box.

  5. In the list of dictionaries, select the one you want to check.
  6. At the bottom of the dialog box is the Language drop-down list. This should be set to All Languages.
  7. Close all the open dialog boxes when you are done.

If you have the custom dictionary set to something other than All Languages in step 5, then Word only lets you add words that are in the language you specified. In other words, if you set the language in step 6 to French, then you won’t be able to add any words that are in English, German, Spanish, or some other language. You can always set up multiple custom dictionaries and make sure that each of them is configured to the different languages in which you are working.

If the above steps don’t solve the problem, then it is possible that you don’t have a custom dictionary set up on your system. Of course, if you tried to go through the above steps, you would have noticed fairly easily that there wasn’t a custom dictionary—there would have been nothing shown in the Custom Dictionaries dialog box (step 3).

You could also check to make sure that the dictionary is accessible by you and that you have rights to work on it. This potential problem normally only crops up if you are using a custom dictionary on a network and you don’t have sufficient permissions to make changes to the file. If you suspect this is an issue in your case, you should talk with your network administrator to get it checked out.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training.
(Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.)
This tip (10908) applies to Microsoft Word 2007 and 2010. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Cannot Add Words to Dictionary.

Author Bio

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen…

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