Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 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: Symbols in Words Added to the Dictionary.
Steve's company name requires the use of a symbol within the name. In his case, the symbol is a lowercase letter "a" with a straight line over it. Steve can create the correct spelling just fine in Word, and he can even add the proper spelling to the dictionary. However, Word insists on marking the word as incorrectly spelled, even though Steve added it to the dictionary. He wonders how he can get Word to accept the correct spelling of the company name, with the symbol in place.
The line over the lowercase "a" is technically referred to as a macron. Word should accept the word as correctly spelled (once added to the dictionary) provided that the macron is part of the actual character itself. Normally, you would use a Unicode character in your document (such as the character using code 0101), so that Word sees it as a regular character.
Note that once you get Word to accept the spelling of the word on your system, that doesn't mean that other systems won't mark it as incorrectly spelled. The reason is that when you add the word to the dictionary, that only affects a single system. Transfer the document to another system that hasn't added the word to the dictionary and it will be marked as incorrectly spelled on that system.
If that is the issue you want to avoid, then the only solution is to mark all instances of the company name so that Word doesn't check its spelling. How you exempt words from checking has been covered in other issues of WordTips. You can also find information here:
http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/WordFAQs/MasterSpellCheck.htm#ExemptingText
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10170) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Symbols in Words Added to the Dictionary.
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 2013. Spend more time working and less time trying to figure it all out! Check out Word 2013 For Dummies today!
When you work with the spelling checker quite a bit, you eventually end up with a sizeable custom dictionary. You might ...
Discover MoreIt appears that Word doesn't allow you to define custom dictionary entries that include ampersands. There are ways you ...
Discover MoreCustom dictionaries can be great, but they take quite a bit of time to create. Word provides a way you can edit your ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
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 © 2024 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments