How to Use the SpellCheck Feature on the Google Toolbar

The Google Toolbar has a diverse selection of great features that make using the Internet faster, easier and safer. You can search in several different places right in the toolbar, get weather updates and forecasts, check your Gmail account, and more. As well as all this, with this handy program installed, you also have a spell-checker right in the toolbar that can correct your spelling in Web forms, Web-based email applications, discussion forums and intranet applications, in twelve different languages.

Things You'll Need

• Web Browser: Internet Explorer version 6.0 or Firefox version 2.0
• An Internet connection
• The Google Toolbar
• Operating System: Windows 2000 (with Service Pack 3), or Windows XP

Instructions

Enabling SpellCheck

1. Click the "Settings" button (in Internet Explorer) or the "Options" button (in Firefox) on the Google Toolbar.

2. Select the "Manage" option then choose the "Features" tab (in Internet Explorer) or choose the "Browsing" tab (in Firefox).

3. Place a check mark in the box beside the "SpellCheck" option.

4. Click "OK" to save your changes and exit the window.

Using SpellCheck

1. Enter your text, and then use SpellCheck by clicking the SpellCheck button on the toolbar. SpellCheck will highlight incorrectly-spelled words in red.

2. Correct highlighted words by clicking on them and selecting from the displayed word options.

3. Choose "Edit" to correct the word yourself if the right option is not listed.

4. Select "Ignore" or "Add to Dictionary" to leave the word as is (check the "Tips & Warnings" section of this article for advice on which option to choose).

5. Allow SpellCheck to correct your spelling automatically by clicking the arrow to the right of the SpellCheck button and selecting the "AutoFix" option. With AutoFix enabled, SpellCheck will correct all your text with one click.

Tips & Warnings

• Selecting "Ignore" from the correction menu means that SpellCheck will only ignore that word during the current SpellCheck session. If you want SpellCheck to ignore the word during all future sessions as well as the current one, select the "Add to Dictionary" option.

• If you allow SpellCheck to AutoFix incorrectly-spelled words, it will highlight words it is unsure of in red, so that you can correct them yourself. Words it is sure of will be highlighted in green. After SpellCheck has finished checking your work, you can click on both red and green words to edit them if you still need to make changes.

• Change the language SpellCheck uses by clicking the arrow to the right of the SpellCheck button. Select the "Choose Language" option then choose the language you want SpellCheck to use. Alternatively, select the "Auto" option to allow SpellCheck to make this decision automatically.

• To remove the SpellCheck feature from the Google Toolbar, repeat the steps you would carry out to enable it, but uncheck the box labeled "SpellCheck" instead of checking it.