Spellcheck Underlines Everything? Fix It
When spellcheck underlines nearly every word, the proofing language is usually wrong, or the text is marked as another language. Setting the correct language for the document fixes the underlines without turning spellcheck off.
TL;DR / Quick Fix
Quick fix: select all the text, open the language or proofing setting in your app, and set it to the language you are actually writing in. Then check a paragraph: correct words should lose their underlines, while real mistakes stay underlined.
Follow these steps
- Select all and set the proofing language. Select all the text in the document, then open the language setting in your app and set it to the language you are writing in. A document marked as another language underlines correct words.
- Check the app spellcheck language separately. In the app settings, check the proofing or spellcheck language. It can differ from the Windows display language, so set it to match what you write.
- Check for mixed languages in the text. If only part of the document underlines, select that part alone and set its language. Pasted text often carries the language of its source, which differs from the rest.
- Add correct words you use often. If a correct name or term keeps underlining, add it to the dictionary through the right-click menu. Added words stop underlining in future documents.
- Turn spellcheck off and on once. If the language is right but underlines remain, turn spellcheck off, close the document, reopen it, and turn spellcheck back on. This clears a stuck proofing state.
- Test with a fresh paragraph. Type a fresh paragraph of simple, correct words and check it. If the fresh text is clean, the old text language was the problem, not spellcheck itself.
What NOT to do
- Do not turn off spellcheck permanently to stop false underlines. You lose real mistake warnings too, while fixing the language keeps the useful warnings.
- Do not add every underlined word to the dictionary. Adding misspelled words teaches spellcheck to accept mistakes, so add only words you know are correct.
- Do not change the whole system language to fix document underlines. The document proofing language is separate, and changing system language changes menus too.
- Do not retype the whole document to fix underlines. Selecting all and setting the language fixes the same problem in seconds, without retyping.
Frequently asked questions
Why does spellcheck underline correct words?
The text is marked as another language, so spellcheck judges it against the wrong dictionary. Setting the proofing language fixes it.
Only pasted text underlines. Why?
Pasted text carries its source language. Select the pasted part alone and set its language to match the rest of the document.
Should I add names to the dictionary?
Yes, for names and terms you use often and spell correctly. That stops repeated false underlines without weakening spellcheck.