Title: What is Spell Check?
Course: Accommodations to Support Written Language

During word processing, spell check is a function that flags words in a document that may not be spelled correctly. Spell check may be stand-alone software title which is capable of identifying misspelled words in text, or be a function within a larger application, such as the word processor, email, electronic dictionary, or search engine.

In addition, portable spell checkers are available to check spelling and often have dictionary and thesaurus capability.

Spell check is becoming a very common writing aid, readily available and often free of charge or internal to a larger program. Most are relatively simple to access and use.

Having correctly spelled words in a writing document, significantly enhances the readability of the text and often prevents errors in interpretation of the passage. Spell Check helps many students (and adults) create a better quality document.

A simple spell check program operates on individual words, by comparing each word against the contents of a dictionary. If the word is not found, it is considered to be an error, and an attempt may be made to suggest a word likely to have been intended. More complex spell checkers often provide auditory support for misspelled words and word selection. Check as you type options provide visual reinforcement for errors. Some versions of spell check incorporate language components and will predict words based upon context and/or phonetic sounds in the word.