Spell-check comments

You can spell-check the text you add in note comments and form fields. However, you cannot spell-check the text in the underlying PDF. Unrecognized words appear underlined after you type them. You can edit these words in context, or you can open the Check Spelling dialog box. The comment in the document window is updated with your changes.

Spell-check a single word

  1. Open the pop-up note of a comment.
  2. Select the word you want to check, and right-click/Control-click the selection.
  3. Select the correct word from the list of alternatives that appear at the top of the menu.

Spell-check all text in comments

  1. Choose Edit > Check Spelling > In Comments, Fields, & Editable Text. If the PDF is open in a browser, make sure that the Edit toolbar is open, and click the Spell Check button .
  2. Click Start to begin the spell check. When a word that may be misspelled is found, it appears under Word Not Found. Suggested corrections appear under Suggestions.
  3. To change the word that may be misspelled, do one of the following:

    • Edit the selected word. To undo your change, click Undo Edit. To accept your change, click Change.

    • Double-click a suggested correction.

    • Click Ignore if you don’t want to change the word and want to continue with the check.

    • Click Ignore All to ignore every instance of the word. Click Add to add the word to your personal dictionary.

    • Select a suggested correction and then click Change. Click Change All to replace every instance of the unrecognized word with the suggested correction.

  4. Click Done.

Specify a language dictionary

  1. Choose Edit > Check Spelling > Edit Dictionary.
  2. Choose a language dictionary from the Dictionary menu, and click Done.

Add a word to the dictionary

By adding words to the spell-check dictionary, you can reduce the number of words that are flagged during a spell check, such as names and company terminology. You can also exclude words from being considered during a spell check. For example, if you want to use an alternate spelling for a common word like “bicycle,” add it to the list of excluded words so that it is flagged during a spell check. A separate set of added and excluded words is maintained for each installed language.

  1. To add a word, do one of the following:

    • During a spell check, if an unrecognized word appears in the Check Spelling dialog box, click Add to add it to the dictionary. The word is added to the language dictionary selected from the Add To menu.

    • Choose Edit > Spell Checking > Edit Dictionary. Type the word you want to add in the Entry box, and then click Add. When you’re finished adding words, click Done.

  2. To remove a word from the list, select the word in the Edit Custom Dictionary dialog box, and then click Delete.

Exclude a word from a spell check

  1. Choose Edit > Check Spelling > Edit Dictionary.
  2. Choose a language from the Dictionary menu, and then choose Excluded Words from the unnamed menu.
  3. Type the word you want to exclude in the Entry box, and then click Add. When you’re finished adding words, click Done.

Spelling preferences

You can specify whether words are spell-checked while you type, which color is used to underline words, and which dictionary language is used as the default. To open the Spelling preferences, choose Edit > Preferences (Windows) or Acrobat > Preferences (Mac OS), and select Spelling from the list on the left.

Check Spelling While Typing

When selected, underlines unrecognized words as you type in a form field or comment.



Underline Color

Specifies the color for underlining unrecognized words.



Dictionaries

Lists available language dictionaries for spell-checking the PDF. Dictionaries appear in the order in which the spell checker goes through dictionaries in search of words. The dictionary at the top of the list is the first dictionary searched. Click Up or Down to change its position in the list.



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