PowerPoint 2019 (Part 24): Spell and Grammar Check: Explained

Explore powerpoint 2019 (part 24): spell and grammar check, including the key concepts, practical examples, important considerations, and useful guidance.

How to perform a spell check

1. From the Review tab, click the Spelling command.

2. The Spelling panel will appear on the right. For each error in the presentation, PowerPoint will try to offer one or more suggestions. You can select a suggestion and click Change to correct the error.

3. PowerPoint will go through each error until you have reviewed all of them. After reviewing the last error, a dialog box will appear confirming that the spell check is complete. Click OK.

If no suggestions are given, you can manually type the spelling on the slide.

Ignore the spelling "error"

Spell checking isn't always accurate. Sometimes PowerPoint might think a word is misspelled (even though it's not). This often happens with names of people and proper nouns, which may not be in a dictionary. If PowerPoint indicates an error, you can choose not to change it using one of the options:

• Ignore: This action will skip the word without changing it.
• Ignore All: This action will skip the word without changing it and will also ignore all other instances of the word in the presentation.
• Add: This action adds the word to the dictionary so that it will never show up as an error again. Make sure the word is spelled correctly before selecting this option.

Automatic spell check

By default, PowerPoint automatically checks your presentation for spelling errors, so you may not even need to run a separate check using the Spelling command. These errors are indicated by red wavy lines.

How to use the automatic spell check feature

1. Right-click on the underlined word. A menu will appear.

2. Click on the correct spelling of the word in the suggested list.

3. The revisions will be reflected in the presentation.

You can also choose to ignore an underlined word ( Ignore ) or add it to the dictionary ( Add to Dictionary ).

Modify proofing options

PowerPoint allows you to modify proofreading options, giving you more control over how PowerPoint reviews your text. For example, you can customize automatic spell checking to change how PowerPoint marks spelling errors. You can also enable grammar checking to help find and correct spelling errors contextually.

How to modify proofreading options

1. Click on the File tab to access the Backstage view.

2. Select Options. A dialog box will appear.

3. Select Proofing , then customize the options as needed. When you're finished, click OK.

Modifying settings in PowerPoint Options —including proofreading—will affect any presentations you edit in PowerPoint, not just the current one.