Microsoft KB Archive/189042

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WD: Words in Exclude Dictionary Not Flagged as Incorrect

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Q189042

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
 * Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 7.0, 7.0a

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SYMPTOMS
When you use the spelling checker to check the spelling of a document in Word, Word does not stop at words that are spelled correctly but that are included in the exclude dictionary. Instead, it acknowledges them as spelled correctly.

CAUSE
Words contained in an exclude dictionary should be flagged as misspelled in Word documents when you run the spelling checker. The following are reasons why a word in an exclude dictionary may not be flagged as incorrect:

 The exclude dictionary is in a different directory than the main dictionary. The exclude dictionary does not have an .exc extension and the same file name as the main dictionary. For example, if the main dictionary is Sp_am.lex, the exclude dictionary must be Sp_am.exc. You edited the exclude dictionary in Word and the changes do not take effect until you restart Word.  The words contained in the exclude dictionary are case sensitive. If you want Word to flag all occurences of a word, you need to add all of the case-sensitive forms of the word.

For example, add each of the following forms of the word "center" to the exclude dictionary: center

Center

CENTER

CEnter

CENter.....etc.  You have added a word that consists of only a single character. The exclude dictionary may be corrupt; if this is the case, create a new one.

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q87857 WD: Spelling and Grammar Checkers Do Not Flag Single Letters

Q181641 WD97: How to Create an Exclude Dictionary

Q181640 WD98: How to Create an Exclude Dictionary

Q142100 WD: How to Create an Exclude Dictionary

Versions 2.0 and 2.0a Only
The word is contained in both an exclude and a custom dictionary. After Word for Windows checks the exclude dictionary, it checks the custom dictionary. If Word for Windows finds the word in both dictionaries, it considers the word to be spelled correctly.

NOTE: This information does not pertain to Word for Windows versions 2.0a-cd, 2.0b, and 2.0c. These versions will exclude a word that is contained in the exclude dictionary even if the word is found in the custom dictionary.

MORE INFORMATION
An exclude dictionary contain words that you want the spelling checker to flag as incorrect even though the words are not normally considered misspelled.