We've all seen it. We've all used it for years. The Word dictionary tells us when we've spelled something wrong by adding red squiggly lines under our misspelled words.
One of the most common we see here in Phoenix is when we abbreviate Phoenix as "Phx." We know that it is the abbreviation for Phoenix and "PHX" are the call letters for Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. However, Word thinks we have misspelled something and shows the infamous red squiggly lines.
If you are like hundreds of students I've taught over the years; the red squiggly lines may drive you crazy. Yet, there are a couple of ways to avoid the red squiggly lines.
Using multiple dictionaries in Word 2007 is one way. The other is to simply add words, that you know are spelled correctly, to the standard dictionary in Word.
Only use this tip if you are the only person using your computer and if the words are always spelled correctly.
What I mean by this is that if you add a word to the dictionary, it will never show as being misspelled.
Here's an example of a word you may not want to add to the dictionary.
Xoom is one of the latest and greatest tablets on the market. The word "Xoom" will appear as misspelled when using the standard dictionary in Word. If you add "Xoom" to the dictionary and later type the word "xoom" when you meant to type the word "doom," it will not give you the red squiggly underlines because it thinks "xoom" is correctly spelled.
Remember, Word is not a mind reader. So, be careful when using this tip.
Having said that, here is how you would add a word to the standard dictionary.
When the word appears with the red squiggly lines simply right-click on the word and select the "Add to dictionary" option from the menu.
But, what if there are times you want to keep the standard dictionary and other times when you want to have words like "xoom" correctly recognized by the dictionary? The answer is to setup multiple dictionaries in Word 2007.
To setup additional dictionaries in Word 2007, follow these steps.
Click on the "Office" button and select the "Word Options" button at the bottom of the window.
Select the "Proofing" option in the left menu.
Click on the "Custom Dictionaries" button in the second section.
Click on the "New" button to setup a new dictionary.
Type a name for the dictionary, leaving the ".dic" after the name you type and click on the "OK" button.
See image above and left.
Notice the new dictionary appears in the list of dictionaries. Now click on the "Edit Word List" button to add words to this dictionary. Type each word in the "Word" field and click on the "Add" button to add the new word to the custom dictionary.
NOTE: Be very careful to spell each word correctly before clicking on the "Add" button. If you mistype a word, simply highlight the word and click the "Delete" button.
Once you have typed all of the words you want to add to this dictionary, click on the "OK" button to save the dictionary and close the "Custom Dictionaries" window.
Notice that the checkbox just above the "Custom Dictionaries" button, "Suggest from main dictionary only," is now unchecked. As you need, you may select this checkbox. Remember to uncheck as needed when you have completed any tasks needing only the main dictionary.
Click on the "OK" button to save the changes and exit the "Word Options" window.
Multiple dictionaries in Word 2007 may be helpful for certain writing needs. However, you must remember to be very careful when changing the "Suggest from main dictionary only" option. This tip is not recommended for beginner users of Word.
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