# Hate to ask- spell checker? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 4, 2008, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105 "2008-03-04T22:58:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tds1273](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@tds1273](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tds1273)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/1 "2008-03-04T22:58:39Z")
This is probably a really dumb question, and the answer, yes or no, is starring in my face as I type this, but is there a spell checker built into the board somewhere? Right now I type my reply here; copy it into my Lotus Notes to spell check it; and then copy it back into the window here. Aside from cutting the first step and composing a post in Lotus right off, is there better way to do this? An in-board way to spell check? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/2 "2008-03-04T23:01:09Z")
Firefox has a built in spell-checker. But the SDMB doesn’t, as far as I know. ---
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/3 "2008-03-04T23:09:05Z")
[QUOTE=MsWhatsit] Firefox has a built in spell-checker. But the SDMB doesn’t, as far as I know. [/QUOTE] The spell checker in Firefox is an add-on you have to download. I think it’s only available for Firefox version 2.0 and above. You then get inline spellchecking like Word etc as you write your posts. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/4 "2008-03-04T23:16:00Z")
[QUOTE=essell] The spell checker in Firefox is an add-on you have to download. I think it’s only available for Firefox version 2.0 and above. You then get inline spellchecking like Word etc as you write your posts. [/QUOTE] It’s not an add-on. It used to be, but is included starting with version 2. [Cite](http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/features.html). ---
**Author:** ![tds1273](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@tds1273](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tds1273)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2008, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/5 "2008-03-04T23:41:40Z")
Shoot. I’m at work and can’t install Firefox with out administrator privileges. Sounds nice though. Thanks for the help just the same. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/6 "2008-03-05T00:35:03Z")
Can you install [ieSpell](http://www.iespell.com/download.php) for IE? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/7 "2008-03-05T00:52:45Z")
I just let the errors fly. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/8 "2008-03-05T01:10:19Z")
[QUOTE=tds1273] Shoot. I’m at work and can’t install Firefox with out administrator privileges. Sounds nice though. Thanks for the help just the same. [/QUOTE] If you get a Google home page you can get Whitesmoke which is a online spell and grammar checker. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/9 "2008-03-05T03:13:51Z")
[QUOTE=ZipperJJ] Can you install [ieSpell](http://www.iespell.com/download.php) for IE? [/QUOTE] I use ieSpell and it worls just finne. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/10 "2008-03-05T03:32:00Z")
Does anyone know how to disable Firefox’s built-in spell checker? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/11 "2008-03-05T03:36:07Z")
[QUOTE=Hypnagogic Jerk] Does anyone know how to disable Firefox’s built-in spell checker? [/QUOTE] Can’t imagine why you’d want to, but… Tools \> Options \> Advanced tab. Uncheck “Check my spelling as I type.” ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/12 "2008-03-05T03:39:17Z")
[QUOTE=tds1273] Shoot. I’m at work and can’t install Firefox with out administrator privileges. Sounds nice though. Thanks for the help just the same. [/QUOTE] Download [Firefox Portable](http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable). It doesn’t require actual installation; you just extract it to a folder on your desktop and run it from there. No administrator privileges required. You can also run it directly from a USB key, although it will be slower. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/13 "2008-03-05T03:47:13Z")
[Google Toolbar](http://toolbar.google.com/T4/index_pack.html) has a good spellchecker in it, and I have never had it cause any problems. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2008, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-to-ask-spell-checker/440105/14 "2008-03-05T04:17:56Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] Can’t imagine why you’d want to, but… Tools \> Options \> Advanced tab. Uncheck “Check my spelling as I type.” [/QUOTE] Thanks! The reason why I wanted to disable it is that the dictionary installed in my Firefox is in French, so almost every word was underlined when I was posting a reply on an English-language message board. I guess I could simply have downloaded the English dictionary, but I very rarely use spell checkers anyway.