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# XL: Suggestions Are Not Made from Custom Dictionary

Article ID: 124491

Article Last Modified on 8/16/2005

APPLIES TO

- Microsoft Excel 95 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Excel 5.0 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Excel 5.0c
- Microsoft Excel 5.0 for Macintosh
- Microsoft Excel 5.0a for Macintosh
- Microsoft Excel 98 for Macintosh

This article was previously published under Q124491

## SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel 5.x, when you check spelling in a worksheet, you can add new words to the custom dictionary. When the Spelling tool encounters these added words, it recognizes them and does not flag them as misspelled words. However, if the Spelling tool encounters a word it does not recognize, it will not make suggestions from the custom dictionary.

## CAUSE

If Microsoft Word is installed on your computer, Microsoft Excel uses the Microsoft Word spelling tools. When Microsoft Excel uses the Word spelling tool, this problem occurs because, by default, Microsoft Word suggests words from the main dictionary only.
Note that in Microsoft Word, there is a Suggest From The Main Dictionary Only option that you can clear if you want suggestions to come from the custom dictionary. However, this setting does not apply to Microsoft Excel because it is written to the WINWORD.INI file and Microsoft Excel does not have access to this file.

## MORE INFORMATION

For more information about Checking Spelling, choose the Search button in Help and type:

spelling

## REFERENCES

"User's Guide," version 5.0, Chapter 11, "Checking Spelling"

Additional query words: 5.00a 5.00c custom.dic

Keywords: KB124491