Spell Checker
Find even the most difficult to spot spelling mistakes in your writing.
If you write your letters and reports using a computer you can run the spell checker to see if you have made any spelling mistakes. When you run a spell check, the computer program will read through every word you have written to see if the word is in its dictionary. If the word is not in its dictionary, the spell checker will flag the word as misspelled. Besides flagging the word as incorrect, a spell checker will usually suggest some corrections. You should be able to find the one you want among these automated suggestions. And unless your spelling is very wrong, the first word in the list of suggestions should be the correct one. Now in case you are happy with the spelling of a word you typed, you can ignore the suggestion.
Which spell checker should I use?
Spell checkers are not created equal. Several spell checking programs are available now but they differ from one other in their capabilities. Almost every spell checker available today can find and correct most of your mistakes. But few spell checkers can detect correctly spelled words used in the wrong context. Examples are 'their' instead of 'there', 'meat' instead of 'meet' and 'weather' instead of 'whether'.
The English language is full of word pairs of this kind. These are called homophones and only good spell checkers will get them correct.
American English vs British English
Most computer spell checkers use American dictionary. While that shouldn't be a problem, some words have different spellings in British and American English. Examples are: color (GB colour), favor (GB favour), center (GB centre) etc. If your spell checker is based on American English, it will flag some words that have been spelled in British English. It is up to you to decide whether to ignore the suggestion or accept it, but try to be consistent. If you prefer American spelling, always use American spelling. Don't write some words in American English and some others in British English.
More advice on using the spell checker
Check the spelling only after you have prepared the final draft.
Most spelling mistakes you make in a piece of computer writing are due to typing mistakes. Don't worry about these mistakes and let the computer correct them. Sometimes you make a mistake because you don't know the spelling. In such cases paying a little attention to the spell checker's correction will help you not to repeat the same mistake. You should even consider jotting down the correct spelling in a scrapbook so that you learn it faster.
It is a good idea to run the spell check two or three times. It is possible that you will make some new spelling mistakes while making the corrections.
After printing your work read it again. It is easier to spot mistakes on a paper than on the computer screen.
