- #17 Creating Text Frames
- #18 Modifying Text Frames
- #19 Threading Text Frames
- #20 Creating Type Paths
- #21 Importing Text
- #22 Entering and Editing Text
- #23 Applying Character and Paragraph Formats
- #24 Composing Type
- #25 Creating Bulleted and Numbered Lists
- #26 Setting Tabs
- #27 Setting Text Defaults
- #28 Working with Fonts
- #29 Using Paragraph and Character Styles
- #30 Using the Story Editor
- #31 Checking Spelling
- #32 Correcting Spelling Automatically
- #33 Searching and Replacing Text
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
#32 Correcting Spelling Automatically
If you've ever used Microsoft Word's AutoCorrect features, you've probably noticed that as you're typing it will fix blatant mistakes you make and underline words it doesn't recognize. For example, if you type "teh," it changes it to "the." If you type "InDesign," it underlines it to let you know that it might be misspelled. InDesign works the same way—except the automatic spelling correction and the underlining of possibly misspelled words are both turned off by default. You can easily turn these features on and off as you need them, and they are both customizable.
Using Autocorrect
To automatically correct common misspellings as you type, choose Edit > Spelling > Autocorrect. You can also check Enable Autocorrect in the Autocorrect panel in the Preferences dialog box. The Autocorrect panel lets you edit InDesign's default list of common misspellings as well. Note that Autocorrect is not retroactive—it will not go through existing text and correct it. It works only as you type.
Underlining Unrecognized Words
To have InDesign underline spelling issues, choose Edit > Spelling > Dynamic Spelling. By default, squiggly red lines underline possible misspellings and squiggly green lines underline duplicated words and potential capitalization errors. For possible misspellings, you can Control-click (Mac OS) or right-click (Windows) to display a context menu ( Figure 32 ). You can choose from a list of suggested spellings, add the spelling to the user dictionary, or ignore all instances of the spelling. If you choose Add or Ignore All from the context menu, the word is no longer underlined.
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Figure 32 InDesign does not recognize "Michener" nor "expat" so it underlines both. Displaying a context menu lets you choose a different spelling, add it to your dictionaryuser dictionarydictionary, or ignore it.