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Info Node: (emacs)Spelling

(emacs)Spelling


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Checking and Correcting Spelling
================================

   This section describes the commands to check the spelling of a single
word or of a portion of a buffer.  These commands work with the spelling
checker program Ispell, which is not part of Emacs.  *Note Ispell:
(ispell.info)Top.

`M-x flyspell-mode'
     Enable Flyspell mode, which highlights all misspelled words.

`M-$'
     Check and correct spelling of the word at point (`ispell-word').

`M-<TAB>'
     Complete the word before point based on the spelling dictionary
     (`ispell-complete-word').

`M-x ispell'
     Spell-check the active region or the current buffer.

`M-x ispell-buffer'
     Check and correct spelling of each word in the buffer.

`M-x ispell-region'
     Check and correct spelling of each word in the region.

`M-x ispell-message'
     Check and correct spelling of each word in a draft mail message,
     excluding cited material.

`M-x ispell-change-dictionary <RET> DICT <RET>'
     Restart the Ispell process, using DICT as the dictionary.

`M-x ispell-kill-ispell'
     Kill the Ispell subprocess.

   Flyspell mode is a fully-automatic way to check spelling as you edit
in Emacs.  It operates by checking words as you change or insert them.
When it finds a word that it does not recognize, it highlights that
word.  This does not interfere with your editing, but when you see the
highlighted word, you can move to it and fix it.  Type `M-x
flyspell-mode' to enable or disable this mode in the current buffer.

   When Flyspell mode highlights a word as misspelled, you can click on
it with `Mouse-2' to display a menu of possible corrections and
actions.  You can also correct the word by editing it manually in any
way you like.

   The other Emacs spell-checking features check or look up words when
you give an explicit command to do so.  Checking all or part of the
buffer is useful when you have text that was written outside of this
Emacs session and might contain any number of misspellings.

   To check the spelling of the word around or next to point, and
optionally correct it as well, use the command `M-$' (`ispell-word').
If the word is not correct, the command offers you various alternatives
for what to do about it.

   To check the entire current buffer, use `M-x ispell-buffer'.  Use
`M-x ispell-region' to check just the current region.  To check
spelling in an email message you are writing, use `M-x ispell-message';
that command checks the whole buffer, except for material that is
indented or appears to be cited from other messages.

   The `M-x ispell' command spell-checks the active region if the
Transient Mark mode is on (Note: Transient Mark), otherwise it
spell-checks the current buffer.

   Each time these commands encounter an incorrect word, they ask you
what to do.  They display a list of alternatives, usually including
several "near-misses"--words that are close to the word being checked.
Then you must type a single-character response.  Here are the valid
responses:

`<SPC>'
     Skip this word--continue to consider it incorrect, but don't
     change it here.

`r NEW <RET>'
     Replace the word (just this time) with NEW.

`R NEW <RET>'
     Replace the word with NEW, and do a `query-replace' so you can
     replace it elsewhere in the buffer if you wish.

`DIGIT'
     Replace the word (just this time) with one of the displayed
     near-misses.  Each near-miss is listed with a digit; type that
     digit to select it.

`a'
     Accept the incorrect word--treat it as correct, but only in this
     editing session.

`A'
     Accept the incorrect word--treat it as correct, but only in this
     editing session and for this buffer.

`i'
     Insert this word in your private dictionary file so that Ispell
     will consider it correct from now on, even in future sessions.

`u'
     Insert the lower-case version of this word in your private
     dictionary file.

`m'
     Like `i', but you can also specify dictionary completion
     information.

`l WORD <RET>'
     Look in the dictionary for words that match WORD.  These words
     become the new list of "near-misses"; you can select one of them as
     the replacement by typing a digit.  You can use `*' in WORD as a
     wildcard.

`C-g'
     Quit interactive spell checking.  You can restart it again
     afterward with `C-u M-$'.

`X'
     Same as `C-g'.

`x'
     Quit interactive spell checking and move point back to where it was
     when you started spell checking.

`q'
     Quit interactive spell checking and kill the Ispell subprocess.

`C-l'
     Refresh the screen.

`C-z'
     This key has its normal command meaning (suspend Emacs or iconify
     this frame).

   The command `ispell-complete-word', which is bound to the key
`M-<TAB>' in Text mode and related modes, shows a list of completions
based on spelling correction.  Insert the beginning of a word, and then
type `M-<TAB>'; the command displays a completion list window.  To
choose one of the completions listed, click `Mouse-2' on it, or move
the cursor there in the completions window and type <RET>.  Note: Text
Mode.

   Once started, the Ispell subprocess continues to run (waiting for
something to do), so that subsequent spell checking commands complete
more quickly.  If you want to get rid of the Ispell process, use `M-x
ispell-kill-ispell'.  This is not usually necessary, since the process
uses no time except when you do spelling correction.

   Ispell uses two dictionaries: the standard dictionary and your
private dictionary.  The variable `ispell-dictionary' specifies the file
name of the standard dictionary to use.  A value of `nil' says to use
the default dictionary.  The command `M-x ispell-change-dictionary'
sets this variable and then restarts the Ispell subprocess, so that it
will use a different dictionary.


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