Spell Check in Excel – 4 Methods

This is an overview:

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1. Using the Spelling Command to Check Spelling

Check Spelling Mistakes in a Single Cell

• There’s a misspelled word in B5:B8.
• Go to the Review tab > Spelling.
• In the dialog box, select the word and click Change.
• If the suggestion is not appropriate, click Ignore Once.
• In the message box, click OK.

Checking a Range of Cells

• There are misspelled words in B5:B8.
• Go to the Review tab > Spelling.
• In the dialog box, select the word and click Change.
• In the message box, click OK.

Spell Check Inside a Formula

• Select the cell and double-click it to access the editor mode.
• Select the text outside the functions.
• Go to the Review tab > Spelling.
• Press Enter.
• Click OK. Repeat the same process for the rest of the words.

Check Specific Worksheets for Spelling Mistakes

• To check all misspellings in a worksheet, click the select all icon at the left most corner of the sheet.
• Go to the Review tab > Spelling.
• In the dialog box, select the word and click Change.

Check the Entire Workbook for Spelling Mistakes

• Right-click any sheet name in the workbook, and click Select All Sheets.

• Go to Review > Spelling.

• In the dialog box, select the word and click Change.
• Repeat the procedure for every misspelled word in the workbook.

Method 2 – Applying Keyboard Shortcuts to Check Spelling

• There is a misspelled word in B5:B8.
• Press F7 to open the Spelling English dialog box.
• Select the word and click Change.
• In the message box, click OK.

Method 3 – Embedding a VBA Code to Check Spelling in Excel

• Go to the Developer tab and click Visual Basic. (Enable the Developer tab or press ‘Alt+F11’ to open the Visual Basic Editor).

• Go to the Insert tab. Click Module.

• Select the module and enter the following code.

Sub Spell_Grammar_Highlight()
Dim X As Integer
X = 0
For Each cll In ActiveSheet.UsedRange
If Not Application.CheckSpelling(Word:=cll.Text) Then
cll.Interior.Color = RGB(255, 255, 0)
X = X + 1
End If
Next cll
If X > 0 Then
MsgBox X & " cells with spelling and grammar Mistakes are Identified and Highlighted "
Else
MsgBox "All Good, No Corrections Needed."
End If
End Sub

• Save the code.
• Close the Visual Basic window.
• Press Alt+F8.
• In the Macro dialog box, select the Macro name.
• Click Run.

• Cells with misspelled words are highlighted in yellow.
• Click OK.

• Open the visual basic and a new module window. Enter the following code:

Sub Spelling_Grammar_Check_activesheet()
ActiveSheet.CheckSpelling
End Sub

• Save the code.
• Close the Visual Basic window.
• Press Alt+F8.
• In the Macro dialog box, select the Macro name.
• Click Run.

• In the suggestion box, select the word and click Change.

• After all words in the range are replaced with the correct word, the final message will be shown.

Method 4 – Correcting Spelling and Grammar While Typing

• Enable the Autocorrect feature.
• Click File.

• Click Options.

• In the Excel Options window, select AutoCorrect in Proofing.

• In the Autocorrect English options window, check the autocorrect options.
• Click OK.

How to Add Words to a Custom Dictionary in Excel

• To add new words to Excel’s default dictionary, click File.
• Select Options and choose Excel Options.
• Click AutoCorrect Options in Proofing.
• Select Custom Dictionary.

• In the Custom Dictionary dialog box, you can see all the dictionaries in use.
• To add a new word to the dictionary, click a dictionary and click Add.
• To add a whole new dictionary, click New.
• Otherwise, click OK.

• To add a new word, click  Edit word list.

Additional Grammar Resources in Excel

1. Thesaurus

• To get the meaning of some words, hover over the word.
• Go to Review > Thesaurus: the meaning and parts of speech are displayed in the side panel.

2. Translate

• Hover over the word.
• Go to the Review tab > Translate.
• In the side panel, the translated text will be displayed.

3. Research

• Press Alt and select any cell in the worksheet.
• The Research pane will be displayed.

How to Turn Off Spelling Check in Excel

• Find the Misspelled Words
• Go to the Proofing Option

Select File > Click Options > Select Proofing > Click AutoCorrect Options.

• Uncheck the Options

In the popup window, uncheck all checkboxes. The Spell Check feature will be turned off.

The Spelling Check Is Not Working in Excel

• Click File > select Options.
• Click Proofing > Custom Dictionaries.

• In the dialog box, check all options and click OK.

Things to Remember

• Unprotect the sheet if the spelling check is not working.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What languages are supported by the spell check feature in Excel?

Excel supports a wide range of languages for spell check. Choose a language in the language options: “File” > “Options” > “Proofing“.

Spell Check in Excel: Knowledge Hub

• Turn On Spell Check
• Turn Off Spell Check
• Check Spelling and Grammar in Excel
• [Fixed!] Spell Check Is Not Working in Excel

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