Many users have a problem with Outlook missing misspelled words. In many cases this happens because the person is typing in the signature field, either accidentally or intentionally.

Outlook 2003, 2007, and 2010 use styles for the signature and the signature style is marked Do not spell check. While this is a good setting for signatures, it’s a problem when users type in the signature area. This happens when users set up their signature to insert a block of text, such as a salutation or introductory text at the beginning of the message, or when a user accidentally types in the signature area. Either way, you’ll know this is the problem when you right click on a misspelled word and get the signature menu instead.

If you are using signatures to add introductory text and your signature, with the message in between, you should use AutoCorrect or Quick Parts instead. It’s easy to insert test using either method and you don’t risk losing the message if the signature or account is changed.

Avoid Accidentally Typing in the Signature Area

Rather than editing the signature style to allow spell checking, you should avoid typing in the signature field, especially if you use multiple signatures or accounts with separate signatures. When you change the account or signature, your message will be replaced by the new signature and the message you composed is lost forever.

The best way to avoid accidentally typing in the signature area is to clearly mark where it begins. We recommend adding two dashes (–) as the very first line of your signature.

Why two dashes? They are defined in an RFC as the universal signature identifier and many mail clients use this to identify and hide the signature in their reading pane or delete it when replying.

Begin typing your message above the dashes.

Tip: Create a blank signature that contains just the two dashes and assign it to accounts where no signature is desired. Then if you change accounts, the signature will change too.

Workaround: Change the Message’s Spell Check Setting

When you discover you typed in the signature area, the easiest fix is to change the spell check settings on the message. To do this you need to select the entire message then go to the Spelling dropdown and choose Language. Clear the Do not spell check box. Back out of the dialog and press F7 to initiate the spell check.

For those times you accidentally type in the signature field and discover it at the end, you can easily change the spell check setting.

1. Select the entire message
2. In Outlook 2010: Review ribbon > Language menu > Set Proofing language command
3. Outlook 2007: Expand the Spelling button, choose Set Language.
4. Clear the Do not spell check box.

Now the whole message can be spell checked.

Problem: Using Signatures to Insert Headers

An Outlook user had this complaint: “My signature block includes a salutation and signature information beneath it. Therefore, any text I type between the salutation and the signature is in the signature block. However, I can’t get Outlook to spell check the signature block. Is there a way to do this?”

Don’t use signatures to insert headers. (The feature is called signature, not header and signature for a reason.)

Use Quick parts for the header portion or create stationery with the header block in it.

Solution: Use Autocorrect and Quick Parts (Autotext)

Rather than using signatures to insert blocks of text, use autocorrect or autotext to insert text. When you type the keyword, the keyword is replaced by the full text.

Autocorrect is the feature which converts :) to a smiley face. Autocorrect entries can contain up to 256 characters and are assigned a keyword. When you type the keyword it’s replaced by the autocomplete text.  This makes autocorrect an excellent choice for replacing short phrases. 

Set up autocorrect entries through Tools, Options, Spelling, Spelling and Autocorrection, Autocorrect options. Assign a unique keyword that is easy to type to insert the text. I use leading characters, such as # or /, with my keywords, such as #sal (for salutation)

For longer blocks of text, use Quick Parts. This feature is similar to Autotext in older versions. After setting up the entries, you’ll need to either pick the entry from the menu or type the beginning of it (enough to form a unique phrase) then press F3.

Other Causes

If the problem is not that you are typing in the signature field, there are a few things left to check.

Proofing Tools Override key

One common cause (when you aren’t typing in the signature field) is an errant registry key.

Check this registry entry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Shared Tools\ProofingTools\1.0\Override\en-US

If it exists, delete or rename it; if it doesn’t exist, create it.

Yes, that makes no sense at all (and I’m not sure why the key is created to begin with), but many users report removing it fixes their problem and others say if it doesn’t exist then creating it fixes the problem. Go Figure.

Is the Style Marked to Skip Spell Check?

While this is mentioned in the “Workaround: Change the message’s spell check settings” section above, it’s worth reminding users who aren’t typing in the signature block to check the style and verify it is set for spell check, especially when only some themes, messages, or stationery is affected.

1. Select the entire message
2. Outlook 2010: Review ribbon > Language menu > Set Proofing language command
3. Outlook 2007: Expand the Spelling button, choose Set Language.
4. Clear the Do not spell check box.

In Outlook 2007, the Set Language command is found under the Spelling button:

Now the whole message can be spell checked.

Mixed versions of Word and Outlook

When you use mixed versions of Outlook and Word, ‘spell check on send’ should always work (if enabled).

For the spell check as you type and grammar checking features, you need to have the same version of Word and Outlook, often installed from the same suite. If you don’t have Outlook and Word installed from the same suite or are using mixed version, copy winword.exe into the same directory as outlook.exe.  This enables spell check as you type and grammar features.

The version of winword.exe doesn’t make a difference, although really old versions of Word may not have the desired effect.

Make sure you copy, not move, winword.exe!

Check Contextual Spelling Settings

This solution comes from Wendy:

I wanted to pass along that I am using Outlook 2010 with Office 2007. I could hit the F7 key and it would say it had checked the spelling and nothing was checked.

Solution:
I finally found that I had to go into File / Options / Mail / [Spelling and AutoCorrect] / Proofing / {Uncheck “Use contextual spelling”].

That fixed it for me. I don’t know how that got checked.

Contextual spelling is enabled by default if your computer has sufficient ram (more than 1 GB). It’s part of the process that checks to see if words are used in context. It underlines the misused words in this sentence in blue: “I went their too pick up you’re kids.”

It may be related to using mixed versions of Office and Outlook. Spelling and grammar require both Outlook and Word to be from the same suite for best results.

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Last reviewed on Dec 2, 2011