spellingcheck

Spelling check, or spell checking, is the process of identifying misspelled words in text and offering corrections. It is a common feature in word processors, email clients, code editors, and web browsers, intended to improve accuracy, readability, and consistency across documents. The term is usually written as spelling check rather than spellingcheck, though some software uses the combined form as a feature name.

Most spell checkers combine a dictionary with rules and algorithms. They perform dictionary lookup to flag unknown words, handle inflected forms through morphological rules, and maintain user dictionaries for personal terms. When a word is flagged, the system proposes alternatives based on edit distance, phonetic similarity, or contextual cues.

Contextual spelling, using language models or statistical methods, helps distinguish homophones and real-word errors (for example, “form” vs “from”). Many tools also support locale-specific dictionaries and domain glossaries, so terminology in medicine, law, or software is recognized. Customization allows users to add words and adjust sensitivity to regional spelling differences.

Common implementations include open-source libraries such as Hunspell, Aspell, and Ispell, and commercial or embedded components in office suites and browsers. Language-specific products may offer advanced morphology, hyphenation, and multi-language support, often enabling user dictionaries and private dictionaries for jargon or brand names.

Limitations include misidentifying correct but rare or proper nouns, missing errors in creative writing, and producing false positives. Online spell check services raise privacy concerns because text may be transmitted to servers. Users can mitigate by using offline checkers and maintaining dedicated personal dictionaries. Related topics include grammar checking, autocorrect, and word-processing tools.