Grammar & Spelling Mastery Made Easy with Autocorrect and Checkers

Need help with spelling and grammar? Microsoft Word and Google Docs include multiple features to assist with spelling and grammar. One feature automatically corrects common typos. Another feature checks for spelling and grammar errors as you type. Thus, allowing you to fix mistakes immediately. Lastly, you can perform a spelling and grammar check that steps through the document and offers suggestions to correct errors.

Also to support your mastery of grammar and spelling, don’t forget to keep offline solutions on hand. The most useful no-tech solutions are a dictionary, rulebook of writing conventions, and a reference list of commonly misspelled words.

The benefits of spelling autocorrect and spelling and grammar checkers:

Saves time by automatically correcting common typos or misspelled words
Ensures that spelling and grammar rules are followed
Reduces mistakes and improves the professionalism of the document

Get started by logging into your free Microsoft account and free Google account.

Microsoft: Autocorrect, spell check, and grammar check

In Windows, turn on/off the autocorrect feature and checker for spelling

Autocorrect will immediately correct the spelling for typos and commonly misspelled words. The checker will identify possible spelling errors with a wavy red line.

In the search bar of the home screen (bottom left), type “text suggestions.”
Select “Show text suggestions as I type on the hardware keyboard” system settings.
In the Typing settings page under Spelling, enable “Autocorrect misspelled words.” Also, enable “Highlight misspelled words”

Autocorrect spelling in Word Online

Open a document in Word.
To test the autocorrect feature, intentionally make a typing mistake. For example, instead of typing “the,” type “teh.”
Press the spacebar. Now, the misspelled word will automatically be corrected.

"Before" image: In Microsoft Word, the word "the" is spelled incorrectly as t-e-h. — Typing mistake where the “e” and “h” are reversed in the word “the.”

"After" image: In a Microsoft Word document, the word "the" is spelled correctly after autocorrected. — Once a space was placed after the typo, Microsoft Word automatically corrected the misspelling of the word “the.”

Spelling and grammar checkers in Word Online

Open a document in Word.
To test the checkers, type a sentence with a misspelled word or grammatical error.
A wavy red line will appear under misspelled words. A double blue line will appear under grammatically incorrect words. Single click the word to view suggestions for correction.
Select the correct word or grammar suggestion. You may also choose to ignore the suggestion.
When you are finished writing, look through your document for any wavy red lines or double blue lines to check and correct spelling or grammatical errors. OR Select the Editor button to review spelling or grammar errors.
In the Home tab, press the Editor button.
In the Editor side bar, look under the Corrections heading to view the number of spelling and grammar errors.
Click the number to view each error and correction suggestion.

In Microsoft Word, a wavy line appears under a misspelled word. A pop-up window offers a suggestion for correction. — In Word, a wavy red line appears under a misspelled word. Click the word for suggested corrections.

In Microsoft Word, a double line appears under a two grammatical errors. A pop-up window shows a suggestion for correction. — In Word, a double blue line appears under a grammatical error. Click the word for suggested corrections.

Microsoft Support Articles:

Editor in Word (Microsoft 365 subscription)

If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you may use the premium tools in the Editor feature. The premium tools offer feedback to refine your writing. Feedback is given for clarity, conciseness, formality, inclusiveness, punctuation conventions, sensitive geopolitical references, and vocabulary.

Mike Tholfsen (Microsoft Employee) YouTube Channel: How to use Editor in Microsoft Word – your intelligent writing assistant

Google: Autocorrect, spell check, and grammar check

Turn on/off autocorrect spelling in Docs

Open a document in Docs.
Select Tools and then Preferences.
Under General, enable/disable “Automatically correct spelling.”

Add frequently misspelled words or typos to autocorrect

Single click on the misspelled word.
Press the More icon (three dots).
Select “Always correct to…”

In Google Docs, the word "the" is spelled t-e-h. The menu item "Always correct to the" is highlighted. — In Docs, add frequently misspelled words to the autocorrection list.

Spelling and grammar check in Docs

Open a document in Docs.
To test the checkers, type a sentence with a misspelled word or grammatical error.
A wavy red line will appear under misspelled words. A wavy blue line will appear under grammatically incorrect words. Click the word to view suggestions for correction.
Select the correct word.
When you are finished writing, press the Spelling and Grammar Check icon (A with a checkmark icon) to check and correct spelling or grammatical errors.

In Google Docs, a wavy red line appears under a misspelled word and a pop-up window with a suggestion for correction. — In Docs, a wavy red line appears under misspelled words. Click on the word to view suggested corrections.

In Google Docs, a wavy blue line appears under a grammatically incorrect word and a pop-up window with a suggestion for correction. — In Docs, a wavy blue line appears under a grammatical error. Click the word for suggested corrections.

Using a red box, attention is drawn to the spell check icon, a misspelled word, and a correction suggestion window in Google Docs. — Select the spell check icon to view both spelling and grammar suggestions.

Google Help articles:

Additional assistance with writing conventions

Capitalization autocorrect and checkers
Word prediction
Speech recognition
Text-to-speech to hear words spoken to listen for errors
Peer review using a comment feature or suggested edits feature
Digital dictionary

Resources

Grammar, spelling, and punctuation checker

Grammarly – Digital tool that identifies errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation and provides suggestions for correction. Browser extension. Free for basic features.

Subscription browser extensions with tools for writing

Helperbird – A toolbar with digital support tools for reading and writing. Helperbird includes a dictation feature, spell check, picture dictionary and dictionary. Install as a browser extension. Free trial period.

Kurzweil 3000 – Software with digital support tools for reading and writing. Kurzweil 3000 has a dictation feature, word prediction, spell check, and dictionary. Can install as a browser extension. Free trail period.

Read&Write – A software toolbar with digital support tools for reading and writing. Read&Write has a dictation feature, word prediction, spell check, picture dictionary, and dictionary. Can be installed as a browser extension. Free 30 day trial.

Snap&Read – Another software toolbar with digital support tools for reading and writing. Snap&Read includes a dictation feature, spell check, and picture dictionary. Can be installed as a browser extension. Free trial period.

Note: Some educational institutions and workplaces have a subscription to these software packages as part of inclusion practices. Check to see if you have already have access to these tools through your school or employer, if applicable.

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