Spell Checker is missing words

[IslandKatz]

I've searched this forum for an answer to my specific question and hav
had no luck.

I have a 350-page book that I'm editing, and even though I have n
options selected to ignore words in caps or words with numbers in them
Word's spell checker is missing things. Just ordinary words. I don'
have Word set to ignore anything at all - I want to see everything tha
it finds. Only, it finds some words and not others. I even tried t
find HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Shared\Tools\Proofin
Tools\1.0\Override to see if that was the problem, and it didn't exis
on my machine.

I need to know if there is any other spell checking tool that is no
part of Word or any Microsoft applications/tools that anyone has ha
success with. I even downloaded some spell checking software that wa
supposed to be the cat's PJs with Word docs (Ginger spell checker), onl
Word wouldn't even open while the software was on my computer, so I ha
to uninstall it.

I'm really disgusted with Word's spell checker and cannot trust it. An
reading a 350-page document over and over looking for errors gets reall
old. My eyes miss things. That's what spell checker is supposed to b
for. I'm on the third edition of this book, and it's reall
embarrassing.

Thanks in advance,
IslandKat

 

[Stefan Blom]

Take a look at http://wordfaqs.mvps.org/MasterSpellCheck.htm.

-- 
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP




---------------------------------------------
"IslandKatz" wrote in message

I've searched this forum for an answer to my specific question and have
had no luck.

I have a 350-page book that I'm editing, and even though I have no
options selected to ignore words in caps or words with numbers in them,
Word's spell checker is missing things. Just ordinary words. I don't
have Word set to ignore anything at all - I want to see everything that
it finds. Only, it finds some words and not others. I even tried to
find HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Shared\Tools\Proofing
Tools\1.0\Override to see if that was the problem, and it didn't exist
on my machine.

I need to know if there is any other spell checking tool that is not
part of Word or any Microsoft applications/tools that anyone has had
success with. I even downloaded some spell checking software that was
supposed to be the cat's PJs with Word docs (Ginger spell checker), only
Word wouldn't even open while the software was on my computer, so I had
to uninstall it.

I'm really disgusted with Word's spell checker and cannot trust it. And
reading a 350-page document over and over looking for errors gets really
old. My eyes miss things. That's what spell checker is supposed to be
for. I'm on the third edition of this book, and it's really
embarrassing.

Thanks in advance,
IslandKatz

 

[IslandKatz]

;492285']Take a look at http://wordfaqs.mvps.org/MasterSpellCheck.htm.

-- 
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


Thank you very much for that link Stefan. I appreciate you taking th
time to read my request and to reply. : )

I suppose I should also have included in my opening post that I hav
used Word since the 1990s - it's been my primary tool as a technica
writer and editor, many of those years producing documents fo
Microsoft. I was always perfectly satisfied with Word's spell check
it worked beautifully. The people I produced documents and books fo
were always pleased with them. But in the last couple of years, spel
check has failed, missing random words that do not have any non-typica
characteristics (all caps, or combined upper-and-lower-case, words wit
numbers, web addresses, etc.), and I don't know why. I only know tha
I've lost confidence in it since the current 350-page book has gone t
press for three editions now and it still has errors. This is why I'
specifically seeking an exceptional and proven tool for spell checkin
that is not associated with Word. My publisher has requested that thi
be done. With that said, can anyone recommend a non-Word tool that i
stellarly reliable?

Thanks much!
IslandKat

 

[Stefan Blom]

I would have thought that contextual spellchecking had *improved* the
spellchecker. I certainly haven't seen any reports that it has grown
radically worse.

Do you see any error messages?

--
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP

;492285']Take a look at http://wordfaqs.mvps.org/MasterSpellCheck.htm.

-- 
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


Thank you very much for that link Stefan. I appreciate you taking the
time to read my request and to reply. : )

I suppose I should also have included in my opening post that I have
used Word since the 1990s - it's been my primary tool as a technical
writer and editor, many of those years producing documents for
Microsoft. I was always perfectly satisfied with Word's spell check -
it worked beautifully. The people I produced documents and books for
were always pleased with them. But in the last couple of years, spell
check has failed, missing random words that do not have any non-typical
characteristics (all caps, or combined upper-and-lower-case, words with
numbers, web addresses, etc.), and I don't know why. I only know that
I've lost confidence in it since the current 350-page book has gone to
press for three editions now and it still has errors. This is why I'm
specifically seeking an exceptional and proven tool for spell checking
that is not associated with Word. My publisher has requested that this
be done. With that said, can anyone recommend a non-Word tool that is
stellarly reliable?

Thanks much!
IslandKatz

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

If words are being missed, the strong likelihood is that those words are
formatted as "Do not check spelling or grammar." As explained in the
referenced article, such language settings can apply to as little as a
single character or space and are frequently introduced by pasting from
another document or the Web. Once introduced into a document, the formatting
can be propagated by typing when the insertion point is in a position with
that formatting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

;492285']Take a look at http://wordfaqs.mvps.org/MasterSpellCheck.htm.

-- 
Stefan Blom
Microsoft Word MVP


Thank you very much for that link Stefan. I appreciate you taking the
time to read my request and to reply. : )

I suppose I should also have included in my opening post that I have
used Word since the 1990s - it's been my primary tool as a technical
writer and editor, many of those years producing documents for
Microsoft. I was always perfectly satisfied with Word's spell check -
it worked beautifully. The people I produced documents and books for
were always pleased with them. But in the last couple of years, spell
check has failed, missing random words that do not have any non-typical
characteristics (all caps, or combined upper-and-lower-case, words with
numbers, web addresses, etc.), and I don't know why. I only know that
I've lost confidence in it since the current 350-page book has gone to
press for three editions now and it still has errors. This is why I'm
specifically seeking an exceptional and proven tool for spell checking
that is not associated with Word. My publisher has requested that this
be done. With that said, can anyone recommend a non-Word tool that is
stellarly reliable?

Thanks much!
IslandKatz

 

[IslandKatz]

Hello again,

I didn't receive any error messages, and the words that are being misse
are not formatted any differently than the rest of the words in th
text. They weren't pasted from any other document or from the Web
just normal words that were typed along with all the rest as I wa
writing the document.

For example, spell check did not catch the word "botte" instead o
"bottle", or the word "follwing" instead of "following". Neither o
those misspelled words are correct in English, and my Word setup is fo
English only. And yet, those and other words were simply not found a
all by spell check. It also didn't find contextual issues, such a
"Place the completed form in your binder in." And "clues that you ca
easily drawn upon."

This is why I'm still hoping for some other tool to use to check th
spelling. I can't really use an online checker because those tools ar
only for checking, at most, a few pages. Not the 350 that I need t
check.

Thanks again!
IslandKatz

Stefan wrote:
I would have thought that contextual spellchecking had *improved* the
spellchecker. I certainly haven't seen any reports that it has grown
radically worse.

Do you see any error messages?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suzanne wrote: If words are being missed, the strong likelihood is tha
those words are formatted as "Do not check spelling or grammar." A
explained in the referenced article, such language settings can apply t
as little as a single character or space and are frequently introduce
by pasting from another document or the Web. Once introduced into
document, the formatting can be propagated by typing when the insertio
point is in a position with that formatting

 

[Stefan Blom]

Have you had any luck looking for "Do not check spelling or grammar"
formatting (as Suzanne mentions in her reply)?