Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Spell-Checking from the Keyboard.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 13, 2022)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
You may already know that you can right-click on a misspelled word and the resulting Context menu will display suggested corrections for your error. You may not want to use the mouse to activate this feature, however. You might not want to take your hands off the keyboard, which can slow down your editing.
If you are of this ilk, there are two major ways you can display the Context menu for the misspelled word. In both instances, you must make sure the insertion point is somewhere in the misspelled word, then you can do either of the following:
Either of these methods results in the Context menu being displayed. You can then use the arrow keys to select a suggested spelling correction. Pressing Enter then makes the correction. If you don't see a suggestion you like, pressing the Esc key dismisses the Context menu.
Another possible solution is to simply place the insertion point someplace before the misspelled word, and then press Alt+F7. This automatically selects the next misspelled word in the document and displays the Context menu with suggested alternatives.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1210) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Spell-Checking from the Keyboard.
The First and Last Word on Word! Bestselling For Dummies author Dan Gookin puts his usual fun and friendly candor back to work to show you how to navigate Word 2019. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2019 For Dummies today!
Need a quick way to display the dictionary or other grammar tools? Use one of the handy built-in shortcuts provided by Word.
Discover MoreThe rules of professional editing often require that editorial changes in a quote be noted with brackets. These brackets, ...
Discover MoreThere are times when you need to repeat a word in a document, but doing so triggers an "error reaction" from Word's ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2021-06-13 22:21:00
Erin
I'm very frustrated to find that Microsoft chose to change this functionality in Word. This was a very helpful tool I used daily in my work for editing documents. Now, it's slowed me down quite a bit since they've "streamlined" the popup menu. Has anyone else found this frustrating?
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here:
Comments