Spell check is on by default in Word, but you may need to turn it back on if you've disabled it

Microsoft Word checks your spelling as you type and marks mistakes with a red squiggly line underneath the word. This happens automatically in most cases — you don't have to do anything to start it. If you're not seeing those red lines, spell check is either turned off or your settings need adjustment. The steps to turn it back on depend on whether you're using Word on Windows, Mac, or the web version.

The fastest way to know if spell check is working: type a word you know is misspelled, like "teh" instead of "the". If a red line appears underneath it within a second, spell check is already active. If nothing happens, follow the steps below for your version of Word.

Key Takeaways

  • Word checks spelling automatically by default, marking errors with a red squiggly underline as you type.
  • On Windows, go to File > Options > Proofing and check the box next to "Check spelling as you type".
  • On Mac, open Word > Preferences > Spelling and Grammar, then check "Check spelling as you type".
  • The web version of Word (Office.com) has spell check on by default and cannot be turned off in settings.
  • Right-clicking a red-underlined word shows correction suggestions you can accept or ignore.

Turn on spell check in Word for Windows

Open Word and go to the File menu in the top left corner. Click Options at the bottom of the menu. A window titled "Word Options" will open.

In the left sidebar, click Proofing. Look for the section labeled "Spelling" in the main panel. You should see a checkbox next to "Check spelling as you type". If the box is empty, click it to turn spell check on. If the box already has a checkmark, spell check is enabled and should be working — the problem may be elsewhere (see the troubleshooting section below).

Click OK at the bottom right to save your changes. Spell check will now run as you type. You should see red squiggly lines appear under misspelled words within a second or two of typing them.

Turn on spell check in Word for Mac

Open Word on your Mac. In the menu bar at the top of the screen, click Word, then select Preferences from the dropdown menu. A preferences window will open.

Look for and click Spelling and Grammar in the list. You'll see several checkboxes. Find the one labeled "Check spelling as you type" and make sure it has a checkmark in it. If it's empty, click the box to enable spell check.

Close the preferences window. Spell check will begin working when ready. Misspelled words will show a red underline as you type.

Spell check in Word Online (Office.com)

If you use Word through a web browser at Office.com, spell check is turned on automatically and cannot be disabled through settings. The red squiggly lines should appear under misspelled words as you type, just like in the desktop versions.

If you're not seeing red lines in Word Online, try refreshing the page in your browser. If that doesn't work, sign out of your Microsoft account, close the browser completely, and sign back in. Sometimes a browser cache issue can prevent spell check from displaying properly.

What to do when spell check marks a word you know is correct

Word's dictionary doesn't include every word — proper nouns, technical terms, and newer words often get flagged as errors even though they're spelled correctly. When this happens, right-click the red-underlined word and select Add to Dictionary from the menu. Word will stop marking that word as an error from that point forward.

If you only want to ignore the error in this document (not add it permanently), right-click and choose Ignore All instead. This tells Word to stop flagging that particular word in the current document only.

Spell check isn't working even though it's turned on

If spell check is enabled but you're still not seeing red lines under misspelled words, check what language your document is set to. Word checks spelling against the language dictionary you've selected. If your document is set to a language you don't use, spell check won't catch errors in your actual language.

To change the language, select all your text (Ctrl+A on Windows, Command+A on Mac), then go to Review tab and click Language. Choose the language you're writing in from the list. After you do this, spell check should begin marking errors correctly.

Another common issue: if you're working in a shared document or a document with tracked changes enabled, spell check may be hidden or behaving differently. Try saving the document to your own computer and opening it there to see if spell check works normally.

Using the spelling and grammar checker to find all errors at once

Spell check as you type catches errors one at a time, but you can also run a full check of your entire document. On Windows, press F7 or go to the Review tab and click Spelling & Grammar. On Mac, go to Review and click Spelling and Grammar.

A panel will open showing every spelling error in your document. You can accept the suggested correction, ignore the error, or add the word to your dictionary. This is useful if you want to catch all mistakes before sharing a document, or if you prefer to fix errors in batches rather than as you type.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Word keep marking my name as a spelling error?

Word's dictionary doesn't include most proper names. Right-click the name and select Add to Dictionary. Word will stop flagging it in any document you create from that point forward. If it's a name you only use in one document, choose Ignore All instead to ignore it just in that file.

Can I turn off spell check for just one paragraph or section?

Not directly through settings. However, you can select a specific section of text and set its language to "Do Not Check (English)" from the Review tab's Language menu. This tells Word to skip spell checking for only that selection. For the rest of your document, spell check will continue normally.

Does spell check work the same way in Word and Google Docs?

Both programs check spelling as you type and mark errors with red underlines, but the dictionaries are different and the settings are in different places. Google Docs doesn't have a preference menu — spell check is always on. Word gives you more control over when and how spell checking happens.

What's the difference between spell check and grammar check?

Spell check finds words that are spelled wrong. Grammar check finds problems with sentence structure, punctuation, and word choice — like using "their" instead of "there". Word can run both at the same time. You can turn them on or off separately in the Proofing settings.

If I add a word to my dictionary, can I remove it later?

Yes. On Windows, go to File > Options > Proofing > Custom Dictionaries, then click Edit Word List. Find the word and click Delete. On Mac, go to Word > Preferences > Spelling and Grammar, click Custom Dictionary, then select and delete the word. After that, Word will flag it as a spelling error again.