How to Do a Spell Check in Microsoft Word

Typos happen to everyone. Whether you're drafting a work report, writing an email, or putting together a resume, catching spelling errors before they reach someone else matters. Microsoft Word has built-in spell check tools that can catch mistakes automatically — but how you access and use them depends on your version of Word, your settings, and how much control you want over the process.

What Spell Check Actually Does in Word

Word's spell check compares the words you type against a built-in dictionary. When it finds something that doesn't match — a misspelling, an unrecognized word, or sometimes a repeated word — it flags it. By default, misspelled words get a red wavy underline, while grammar issues typically appear with a blue or green underline depending on your version.

This happens in real time as you type, but you can also run a full document check manually whenever you're ready.

Running Spell Check: The Main Methods

Method 1: The Keyboard Shortcut

The fastest way to launch a full spell check in Word is to press F7 on your keyboard. This opens the spell check panel (or Editor pane in newer versions) and walks you through flagged issues one by one.

This works across most versions of Word on Windows.

Method 2: Through the Review Tab

1. Click the Review tab in the top ribbon
2. Click Spelling & Grammar (it's usually the first option on the left)
3. Word will begin scanning your document from the cursor's current position

This is the most reliable method if you're not sure whether your keyboard shortcut is mapped correctly.

Method 3: Right-Clicking a Flagged Word

If you see a red wavy underline under a word, right-click directly on it. Word will show a small menu with suggested corrections. You can:

• Click a suggestion to replace the word
• Choose Ignore to skip it once
• Choose Ignore All to skip every instance in the document
• Choose Add to Dictionary if it's a word Word doesn't recognize but you use regularly (like a name or technical term)

This method is useful for quick, one-off fixes without running a full document scan.

The Editor Pane in Microsoft 365

If you're using Microsoft 365 (the subscription version), the spell check experience looks different from older standalone versions. Instead of a simple dialog box, Word opens a sidebar called the Editor pane. 🖊️

This panel goes beyond basic spelling — it also scores your document on clarity, conciseness, formality, and more. You can click into each category and review suggestions individually.

To open it:

• Press F7, or
• Go to Review → Editor

You can also turn specific Editor suggestions on or off under File → Options → Proofing if you find certain checks distracting.

Checking Spell Check Settings

If Word isn't catching errors — or is flagging too many false positives — your proofing settings may need adjustment.

Go to: File → Options → Proofing

Key settings to know:

If spell check seems broken on a specific document, scroll down in the Proofing settings and look for a checkbox that says "Hide spelling errors in this document only." If that's checked, Word is deliberately hiding errors for that file.

Spell Check on Word for Mac

The process is nearly identical on a Mac, with minor visual differences:

• Keyboard shortcut:F7 (you may need to press fn + F7 depending on your Mac's function key settings)
• Menu path:Review → Spelling & Grammar
• Right-clicking flagged words works the same way

Settings live under Word → Preferences → Spelling & Grammar on Mac, rather than the Windows File menu path.

Spell Check in Word on Mobile

On Word for iOS or Android, spell check is more passive. 📱 The app flags errors with underlines as you type, and you can tap a flagged word to see correction suggestions. There's no full "run a spell check" button the way there is on desktop — corrections happen inline.

The mobile apps rely more on your device's own keyboard spell check working alongside Word's built-in checking, so behavior can vary depending on your keyboard app and language settings.

Why Some Errors Still Slip Through

Spell check catches misspelled words, but it has real limits. It won't catch:

• Correctly spelled words used in the wrong context — "there" vs. "their," "your" vs. "you're"
• Names, places, or technical terms it doesn't recognize
• Formatting errors or factual mistakes
• Stylistic issues like overly complex sentences (unless you're using the full Editor pane in Microsoft 365)

Grammar check catches some context errors, but not all. How well it works depends on your Word version and which proofing tools are enabled.

Variables That Affect Your Experience

How spell check behaves isn't uniform. A few factors shape what you'll see:

• Word version: Microsoft 365, Word 2021, Word 2019, and older standalone versions all have slightly different interfaces and capabilities
• Language settings: If your document language is set incorrectly (e.g., set to UK English when you're writing US English), spell check flags correct words as errors
• Document-level overrides: Individual files can have spell check hidden or disabled without affecting your global settings
• Custom dictionary entries: Words you've added over time affect what gets flagged across all documents

The right approach to spell check in Word depends on which version you're running, what platform you're on, and what level of proofing depth you actually need for the document in front of you.