Use a screen reader to check spelling and grammar in Word
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This article is for people with visual or cognitive impairments who use a screen reader program such as Microsoft's Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with the Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support home or Fixes or workarounds for recent office issues.

Use Word with your keyboard and a screen reader to review and fix spelling, grammar, and writing style errors in a document. We have tested it with Narrator, JAWS, and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll also learn how to recheck your document for issues you previously ignored and turn on or off the automatic checking for spelling, grammar, and writing style errors.

Decorative icon. Need instructions on how to check spelling and grammar in Word, but not using a screen reader? Refer to Spelling and grammar in Word.

Notes: 

In this topic

Check and correct spelling, grammar, and style

Word automatically checks for spelling, grammar, and writing style errors as you type. You can use the Editor pane to go through the errors one by one.

Check and correct spelling, grammar, and style in the Editor pane

  1. In your document, press F7. The Editor pane opens. You hear "Editor," followed by the editor score.

  2. To review the errors, do one of the following:

    • To review spelling errors, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Corrections," followed by the category in focus and the number of findings. If you hear "Spelling," press Enter. If you hear "Grammar," press the Up arrow key once, and then press Enter.

    • To review grammar errors, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab until you hear "Corrections," followed by the category in focus and the number of findings. If you hear "Grammar," press Enter. If you hear "Spelling," press the Down arrow key once, and then press Enter.

    • To review writing style issues, press the Tab key until you hear "Refinements," followed by the refinement category in focus and the number of findings. Press the Down arrow key until you hear the category you want, for example, "Conciseness," and then press Enter.

  3. You hear the reason why the issue was flagged as an error, followed by the location of the error in the sentence, and the original sentence with the spelling, grammar, or style error. Press the Tab key until you hear "Suggestions," followed by the first suggestion on how to correct the error.

    Tip: To hear the original sentence again, press Shift+Tab until with Narrator and NVDA you hear: "Button, read context." With JAWS, you hear: "Button, to activate, press Spacebar." Then press Enter.

  4. Do one of the following:

    • To correct the error in focus, press the Down arrow key until you hear the suggestion you want to use, and then press Enter. The error is corrected.

    • To correct all occurrences of a spelling error in the current document, press the Down arrow key until you hear the suggestion you want to use, and then press Alt+Down arrow key. You hear: "Change all." Press Enter. The spelling error is corrected.

    • If you think that the issue Word identified is not an error and you want to ignore it everywhere in your document, do one of the following:

      • When checking spelling, press the Tab key until you hear: "Ignore all." The finding is not corrected.

      • When checking grammar or writing style, press the Tab key until you hear "Stop checking for this," and then press Enter. The finding is not corrected.

    • If you want to ignore the finding only once, press the Tab key until you hear: "Ignore once." The finding is not corrected.

  5. After you correct or ignore an error, the focus moves to the next error in the category. Repeat step 4 for each issue.

  6. When there are no more issues in the category in focus, you hear "Zero issues" or the editor score. Repeat steps 2-5 for each category you want to check.

  7. When Word finishes reviewing the document, you hear: "You have finished reviewing editor's suggestions." To return the focus to your document, press Enter.

Check and correct spelling while reading a document

Note: Reviewing spelling errors while reading a document works best with Narrator and NVDA. With JAWS, use the Editor pane to check and fix spelling. For checking grammar and writing style, use the Editor pane.

  1. Use your screen reader to start reading the document you want to check for spelling. For the frequently used keyboard shortcuts for reading text, refer to Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word.

  2. When your screen reader comes across a spelling error, you hear with Narrator: "Misspelled." With NVDA, you hear: "Spelling error." Press Ctrl to stop reading. If necessary, navigate back to the error in the text.

  3. When on the error, press Alt+Down arrow key. The list of correction suggestions opens, and you hear: "Suggestions to choose from." With NVDA, you might have to press the SR key+Spacebar to change the navigation mode before you press Alt+Down arrow key.

  4. Do one of the following:

    • To correct the error in focus, press the Down arrow key until you hear the suggestion you want to use, and then press Enter. The error is corrected, and the focus is at the end of the corrected word or phrase.

    • To correct all occurrences of an error in the current document, press the Down arrow key until you hear the suggestion you want to use, press Alt+Down arrow key, press the Down arrow key until you hear "Change all," and then press Enter. The error is corrected, and the focus is at the end the corrected word or phrase.

    • If you think that the issue Word identified is not an error and you want to ignore it everywhere in your document, press the Tab key until you hear "Ignore all," and then press Enter. The finding is not corrected, and the focus is at the end of the word or phrase that was flagged.

    • To ignore the finding only once, press the Tab key until you hear "More options, button," and then press Spacebar. You hear: "Ignore." Press Enter. The finding is not corrected, and the focus is at the end of the word or phrase that was flagged.

  5. Continue reading the document, and repeat the above steps for each issue.

Recheck issues that you previously chose to ignore

If you chose to ignore some findings in your document, you can return to the ignored findings even after you've finished checking the document.

  1. In your document where you want to recheck previously ignored errors, press Alt+F, T, P. The Proofing pane in the Word Options window opens.

  2. Press the Tab key once. The focus moves to the Proofing pane.

  3. To recheck the document, press K. You are prompted to confirm the recheck. Press Enter to confirm.

  4. To close the Word Options window, press the Tab key until you hear "OK, button," and then press Enter. The focus returns back to the document and you can now start checking the document for the errors you previously ignored.

Keyboard shortcuts for changing the grammar and spelling options

The following table provides a summary of keyboard shortcuts that can help you to check grammar and spelling in your Word documents:

To do this

Press

Open the Proofing pane in the Word Options window.

Alt+F, T, P, and then the Tab key

In the Proofing pane, open the AutoCorrect dialog box.

A

In the AutoCorrect dialog box, open the AutoCorrect Exceptions dialog box.

E

(If the focus is on the Replace text field, press Shift+Tab first.)

In the Proofing pane, start rechecking the spelling and grammar.

K

In the Proofing pane, select or clear the Check spelling as you type checkbox.

P

In the Proofing pane, move to the Mark grammar errors as you type checkbox.

M twice

In the Proofing pane, select or clear the Hide spelling errors in this document only checkbox.

S

In the Proofing pane, select or clear the Hide grammar errors in this document only checkbox.

D

Turn the automatic checking for spelling, grammar, and style on or off

You can turn off the automatic spelling, grammar, and style checking while you're working on your document, and then turn it back on again to check your document after it's completed. Checking all the spelling, grammar, and style in your document at the same time is useful when you want to quickly proof your text.

  1. In your document, press Alt+F, T, P. The Proofing pane in the Word Options window opens.

  2. Press the Tab key once. The focus moves to the Proofing pane. Do one or both of the following:

    • To clear or select the Check spelling as you type checkbox, press P.

    • To move the focus to the Mark grammar errors as you type checkbox, press M twice. To clear or select the checkbox, press Spacebar.

  3. To apply your changes and close the Word Options window, press the Tab key until you hear "OK, button," and then press Enter. The focus returns to your document.

See also

Use a screen reader to insert and change text in Word

Use a screen reader to track and review changes in a document in Word

Keyboard shortcuts in Word

Basic tasks using a screen reader with Word

Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365

Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Word

What's new in Microsoft 365: Release notes for Current Channel

Technical support for customers with disabilities

Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.

If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.

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