How to spell check in excel

Answer

To spell check in Excel, press F7 or go to the Review tab and click the Spelling button. Excel will scan your worksheet for spelling errors and display suggestions in a dialog box.

Where to Find the Spell Check Feature

The spell check feature is located in the Review tab on the Excel ribbon. The Spelling button appears in the Proofing group on the left side of the Review tab. You can access this feature in Excel 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365 versions.

Methods to Run Spell Check

Method 1: Using Keyboard Shortcut Press F7 on your keyboard to instantly start spell checking. This shortcut works identically on Windows and Mac versions.

Method 2: Using the Ribbon

1. Click the Review tab
2. Click the Spelling button in the Proofing group
3. Excel begins checking from your current cell position

Method 3: Using Quick Access Toolbar

1. Right-click the Spelling button in the Review tab
2. Select "Add to Quick Access Toolbar"
3. Click the spell check icon in the Quick Access Toolbar whenever needed

What Excel Checks During Spell Check

Excel examines text in cells, comments, headers, footers, and text boxes. The spell checker skips formulas, numbers, and cells containing only numerical data. Excel uses its built-in dictionary containing over 100,000 words to identify misspellings.

How the Spell Check Dialog Box Works

The Spelling dialog box displays these elements:

• Not in Dictionary: Shows the word Excel identifies as misspelled
• Suggestions: Lists recommended corrections
• Dictionary Language: Displays the current proofing language
• Ignore Once: Skips this instance of the word
• Ignore All: Skips every instance of this word in the worksheet
• Add to Dictionary: Saves the word to your custom dictionary
• Change: Replaces the misspelled word with the selected suggestion
• Change All: Replaces every instance with the selected suggestion
• AutoCorrect: Adds the correction to your AutoCorrect list

Spell Checking Selected Ranges

To check specific cells instead of the entire worksheet:

1. Select the range of cells you want to check
2. Press F7 or click Spelling in the Review tab
3. Excel checks only the selected cells

Setting Spell Check Options

Access spell check settings through File > Options > Proofing (Windows) or Excel > Preferences > Authoring > Spelling (Mac).

Available Options Include:

• Ignore words in UPPERCASE
• Ignore words that contain numbers
• Ignore Internet and file addresses
• Flag repeated words
• Suggest from the main dictionary only
• Custom dictionary selection

Managing Custom Dictionaries

Custom dictionaries store specialized terms, company names, and technical vocabulary that Excel doesn't recognize.

To Edit Custom Dictionaries:

1. Go to File > Options > Proofing
2. Click Custom Dictionaries
3. Select a dictionary and click Edit Word List
4. Add, delete, or modify entries

Changing the Proofing Language

Windows:

1. Click Review tab
2. Click Language in the Language group
3. Select Set Proofing Language
4. Choose your preferred language
5. Click OK

Mac:

1. Click Tools menu
2. Select Language
3. Choose your preferred language
4. Click OK

AutoCorrect Integration with Spell Check

AutoCorrect automatically fixes common misspellings as you type. Spell check works with AutoCorrect by allowing you to add corrections during the spell check process.

To Add AutoCorrect Entries During Spell Check:

1. Run spell check (F7)
2. Select the correct spelling from suggestions
3. Click AutoCorrect
4. Excel adds this correction to your AutoCorrect list

Common Spell Check Issues and Solutions

Spell Check Not Working:

• Verify the correct language is selected
• Check that spell check options are enabled in File > Options > Proofing
• Ensure cells aren't formatted as numbers

Spell Check Skipping Cells:

• Cells formatted as numbers won't be checked
• Hidden rows and columns are skipped
• Protected cells may be skipped depending on protection settings

Spell Check Missing Obvious Errors:

• The word might exist in the custom dictionary
• The "Ignore" option was previously selected for that word
• The word contains numbers, and "Ignore words that contain numbers" is enabled

Spell Checking Multiple Worksheets

Excel checks only the active worksheet by default. To check multiple worksheets:

1. Select worksheet tabs while holding Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (Mac)
2. Press F7 or click Spelling
3. Excel checks all selected worksheets sequentially

Keyboard Shortcuts for Spell Check Navigation

During spell checking, use these shortcuts:

• Enter: Change to selected suggestion
• Shift + Enter: Change All occurrences
• Alt + I (Windows) / Option + I (Mac): Ignore Once
• Alt + G (Windows) / Option + G (Mac): Ignore All
• Alt + A (Windows) / Option + A (Mac): Add to Dictionary
• Escape: Cancel spell check

Performance Tips for Large Workbooks

Spell checking large workbooks with 10,000+ cells takes 2-5 minutes on average. To improve performance:

1. Check individual worksheets separately
2. Select specific ranges rather than entire sheets
3. Clear unnecessary formatting that may slow processing
4. Close other applications to free system memory

Proofing in Different Excel Versions

Excel 2016 introduced improved contextual spelling that recognizes 15% more errors than Excel 2013. Excel 2019 added enhanced medical and scientific terminology recognition. Microsoft 365 versions receive quarterly dictionary updates with new words and improved recognition algorithms.

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