If you regularly use Wordpad, then you need an excellent Wordpad spell checker. Here’s how to enable Wordpad spell checker in Windows 10 & 11.
No matter how fluent in English you are, it is pretty standard that there will be spelling errors in your typing. There are two significant reasons for spelling errors. i.e., you either don’t know the spelling of a word, or you typed incorrectly.
Generally, most programs like Word and even Browsers have their own spell checkers to deal with this problem.
However, even though Wordpad is a pretty powerful rich text editor, it has no built-in spell checker. If you use the Wordpad application regularly and need a decent spell checker, then the good thing is that you can add that capability.
If you are wondering, follow the below steps to enable spell check in Wordpad (and Notepad too).
Enable Spell Check in Wordpad
To add spell check capabilities to the Wordpad program, we will use a free and lightweight application called tinySpell. This application works not only with Wordpad but with the entire Windows system. i.e., on any application. Simply put, tinySpell works as a system-wide spell checker.
Note: The free version of tinySpell only supports the English (US) language. You need to purchase the Plus version for other languages, which costs $15.
To start, download tinySpell from the official site and install it like any other Windows application. If you don’t want to install the application, the developer also provides a portable version that works just the same. Download that instead.
After installing, launch the application using the desktop shortcut or by searching for it in the start menu.
Once you launch, the tinySpell application will sit silently in the taskbar until it is needed. In the background, it actively looks for any spelling errors.
Now, launch Wordpad and start typing. When there is a spelling error, you will hear a beep sound, and tinySpell will show a red text on top of the wrong word.
To correct the spelling error, click on the red text or press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + ;. You will see a list of correct words. Select the correct spelling, and the wrong spelling will be replaced with the selected correct one.
Wordpad Spell Check Customization
Though tinySpell is a lightweight and straightforward application, it has various settings to properly configure it to meet your needs. For instance, you can change the shortcut which shows the list of correct spellings, change the alert when you mistype, etc.
To access the tinySpell settings window, right-click on the tinySpell application icon and select the “Settings” option.
The above action will open the settings window. The good thing about this settings window is that all the configurable options are on one page, and you can change them with just a few clicks. Just go through each setting and change the ones you need.
For example, if you don’t want tinySpell to beep every time there is an error, uncheck the “Beep on error” checkbox. If needed, you can even change the beep sound to a custom one. Select the “From file” option, click the “Open” button, and choose the appropriate sound file.
As with any good spell checker, sometimes the application will highlight correct words as spelling errors. There may be any number of reasons like regional variations, industry-specific terms, lesser-known abbreviations, etc. If you have a list of those words, you can add them to the tinySpell dictionary.
To do that, right-click on the tinySpell icon and select the “Dictionary” option.
Enter the word in the top field and click on the “Add” button to add the word to the dictionary.
If needed, you can configure tinySpell to work only in specific applications or ignore particular applications. That is, you can add applications to allow or disallow the list. To do that, right-click on the tinySpell icon and select the “Applications” option.
Here, to block tinySpell from working in specific applications, select “Enabled.” To make tinySpell work only in selected applications, select “Disabled.” Next, use the “Add” button to add the applications.
That is all. As you can see, it is relatively easy to enable Wordpad spell check, albeit with a third-party application.
All I want is spell check on word pad. Is that possible?
It would seem to me that a spell checker on WordPad should be an absolute no-brainer. Why was this not thought up when the WordPad app was being created? And if it was thought up and rejected by the higher up’s at Microsoft have they already been fired for incompetence?
@Rocketman It’s Microsoft’s subtle way of forcing you to upgrade to the now subscription-based Microsoft Office. I use Google Drive’s Docs app instead which comes with the added bonus of be able to access your documents anywhere.
How many ways can Microsoft hate their customers by not adding spell check amongst other things. Never worked with such a greedy selfish company before.
I just discovered text file and word pad dont default have spellcheck in it, and yet this comment section from a website does. This is what happens when establishments and practices reward greedy corporate fascist behavior as Microsoft, Ive been a fan of Macs and Windows and Linux and other systems, Im most fluent in Windows but boy does Microsoft and Apple sure know how to break crap that doesnt need fixing, or change something because theyre afraid theyre going to lose money by NOT including what most would consider a basic-human-writing-right and not a privilege or needing some extra software to use something that should be there anyway. Hello OpenOffice suite, gtfo Microsoft, you had your day, and if companies cant meet the needs of their customers but instead their shareholders above and beyond them, then I dont need to give them my money, oh yeah it’s just barely a legal monopoly so unless you know computer operating systems you have to fall in line with the major two party system of computer interfaces. They both can f*** right off.
Best of luck, peace and love to all of you who are victims of this abhorrently run corporatist megapower.
PS Thanks for the tip tho too ;D
Im not mad at he site or any of you, Im frustrated with microsoft as a person, (since as we know and as they well know, corporations ARE “people” after all), sorry for the outburst, it wont happen again, Ill just use this comment section when I need a spell check for one of my NON-MicrosoftOffice word processors.
Hi, I read where there is a light app called TinySpell, but the free version is only in English! Yes, I have it in for giant Microsoft as I could not recover my account. The audio capscha provided for sightless persons is a joke and exercise in folly! Thank you almighty Microsoft for Wordpad, it is your only saving grace in my estimation!
David R