How do I use the Firefox spell checker?
Revision Information
- Revision id: 30672
- Created:
- Creator: Thomas Sisson
- Comment: I added the keyword spell--seems obvious. I inserted a note about some preferences being unavailable in custom builds. See comment.
- Reviewed: No
- Ready for localization: No
Revision Source
Revision Content
Firefox automatically checks the spelling of words that you enter in text boxes containing more than one line. As soon as you finish typing a word, it is checked against the words in the installed dictionary. If the word is not found in the dictionary, it will be underlined in red, as in the following example:
The image "05675f3d603e2607555817580ba1c0c2-0000000000-000-0.png" does not exist.
- Automatic spell-checking is only turned on for text boxes containing more than one line, where you can enter as much text as you want.
- Not all locales come with a dictionary installed due to licensing reasons.
Table of Contents
Disabling automatic spell-checking
By default, Firefox is configured to automatically check spelling. You can turn it off in the OptionsPreferences window:
- In the Menu bar at the top of the screen, click and then select or , depending on your macOS version.Click the menu button and select .
- Select the panel.
- Click the tab.
- Uncheck Check my spelling as I type.
The image "05675f3d603e2607555817580ba1c0c2-0000000000-000-0.jpg" does not exist.
- Click Close the preferences window.
Correcting misspelled words
When spell-checking is enabled, you can easily correct misspelled words. To correct the misspelled word, right-clickhold down the Ctrl key while you click on it and select one of the suggested words at the top of the menu. The image "05675f3d603e2607555817580ba1c0c2-0000000000-000-0.png" does not exist.
If none of the suggested words is appropriate, you must manually edit it. If you are sure the word is spelled correctly, you can add it to the dictionary. To add a word to the dictionary, right-clickhold down the Ctrl key while you click on it, and select .
Adding dictionaries
You can install other dictionaries as necessary.
- Right-clickHold down the Ctrl key while you click in any text box containing more than one line.
- Select .
- Select
The image "05675f3d603e2607555817580ba1c0c2-0000000000-000-0.png" does not exist.
. - The Mozilla Add-ons Dictionaries page is displayed. To add a dictionary to your Firefox installation, click the "Install Dictionary" link next to the dictionary you want to add. The Software Installation window appears. When it is displayed, click , which should open the Add-ons window, where you'll see the dictionary being installed.
- To enable the dictionary, click the button, in the Add-ons manager.
Switching dictionaries
After the dictionary is installed, you can switch to it, as needed. To switch to a different installed dictionary, right-clickhold down the Ctrl key while you click in a multi-line field, select , then select the dictionary you want to use.
The image "05675f3d603e2607555817580ba1c0c2-0000000000-000-0.png" does not exist.
Removing a word you have accidentally added
-
Open your profile folder:
- Click the menu button , click and select .From the The Troubleshooting Information tab will open. menu, select .
- Under the Application Basics section next to Profile FolderDirectory, click . A window will open that contains your profile folder.Your profile folder will open.
Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox. - Click the Firefox menu and select .Click the Firefox menu at the top of the screen and select .Click the Firefox menu and select .
- Open the file persdict.dat in a text editor (such as Wordpad).
- In the text editor each word you've added is on a separate line. Remove the line, containing the word you wish to remove.
- Click the menu, and select , to save your work.