Microsoft Word says its custom dictionary is full.

Very unhelpful. I just bought a new MacAir M2 chip Ventura OS with Microsoft Office 365 installed. My only dictionary has just 39 words in it. I never had this problem with my old MBP 2012.

1. Create a New Custom Dictionary: If you find that you need to keep many words in your custom dictionary and the current one is full, you can create a new custom dictionary and start adding words to it. To do this:
   1. Open Microsoft Word.
   2. Go to the "Word" menu and select "Preferences."
   3. Choose "Spelling & Grammar" and then click the "Dictionaries..." button.
   4. Click the "+" button to create a new custom dictionary. Give it a name.
   5. Set the new custom dictionary as the default or add words to it manually.

I had the same issue, with a brand-new, fully-updated copy of MS Word. It started after I added a second word to the custom dictionary which contained a single apostrophe. By opening the custom dictionary (Word|Preferences|Spelling&Grammar|Dictionaries|Custom Dictionary|Edit) and deleting just the two words containing apostrophes, then restarting Word, it all seems to work, now. I suspect there's a bug in the Custom Dictionary parsing code which chokes on apostrophes.

If the dictionary has only eight words in it and it won't allow more, it seems rather clear the app is faulting. If you can't resolve the issue with "ordinary" solutions, you'll need to reinstall it.

Office used to have a "Repair" utility. At least it did in the Windows version. Apparently that's not available in Mac versions (2016 and 2019 at any rate), hence the need to reinstall completely. From personal experience with decades of MS Office use, complete removal of the app is recommended before reinstallation. Office is notable for not overwriting files left behind. And all MS Office apps leave supposedly "innocuous" files behind.

1. Check Custom Dictionary Size: First, confirm whether the custom dictionary is indeed full. Sometimes, the error message might be triggered by a different issue. To check the size of your custom dictionary, follow these steps:
   1. Open Microsoft Word.
   2. Go to the "Word" menu in the top-left corner of the screen.
   3. Select "Preferences," then choose "Spelling & Grammar."
   4. Under the "Custom Dictionaries" section, select your custom dictionary and click the "Edit Word List" button.
   5. Check if the list is extensive or if there are many words in the custom dictionary.
2. Remove Unnecessary Words: If your custom dictionary is indeed full, you can remove unnecessary words to free up space. Follow the steps above to access the custom dictionary and manually delete words that you no longer need.
3. Create a New Custom Dictionary: If you find that you need to keep many words in your custom dictionary and the current one is full, you can create a new custom dictionary and start adding words to it. To do this:
   1. Open Microsoft Word.
   2. Go to the "Word" menu and select "Preferences."
   3. Choose "Spelling & Grammar" and then click the "Dictionaries..." button.
   4. Click the "+" button to create a new custom dictionary. Give it a name.
   5. Set the new custom dictionary as the default or add words to it manually.
4. Backup and Reset Dictionaries: If you have a lot of custom words and want to retain them, you can backup your custom dictionary, reset it, and then add the words back. To do this:
   1. Locate your custom dictionary file. It's usually named "Custom Dictionary.txt" and is located in the Microsoft User Data folder.
   2. Copy this file to a safe location as a backup.
   3. Delete the contents of the original "Custom Dictionary.txt" file.
   4. Restart Microsoft Word and start adding words again. You might want to add words selectively to avoid filling up the dictionary too quickly.
5. Upgrade Microsoft Office: If you're using an older version of Microsoft Office, consider upgrading to a newer version. Newer versions might have improvements and increased capacity for custom dictionaries.
6. Contact Microsoft Support: If none of the above steps resolve the issue, you might need to contact Microsoft Support for further assistance.
7. Remember to save any important information or custom words before making any changes to your custom dictionary or Microsoft Word settings.

Was this one of the suggestions?

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/all/mac-word-365-consistent-error-dictionary-full/2c900aa6-a0c0-4baa-bfdf-8d21f2d6e258#:~:text=Click%20Word%20in%20the%20menu,and%20add%20a%20new%20one.

Hmmm, here;s what it says...

George MSFT

Microsoft Agent | Moderator

Replied on December 8, 2021

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Hi Bob,

Thanks for posting in the community.

For your concern, yes, it is expected behavior when you delete the folder, then reopen Word. According to your description, please reconfirm your Custom Dictionary location is under UBF8T346G9.Office. Click Word in the menu> Preferences> Spelling Grammar> Dictionaries. If so, please remove all the existing dictionaries and add a new one. Check whether the issue still exists.

If the issue still exists, switch to another Mac user profile (if you don’t have another user profile, please create a new Mac user profile, then switch to the new user profile), open Word and check again.

Also, please provide your Word version.

Regards,

George

• Beware of Scammers posting fake Support Numbers here.

• Please let us know if this is helpful and if the solution worked for you, as it can benefit others who are facing the same scenario

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BC

Bob

Replied on December 13, 2021

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In reply to George MSFT's post on December 8, 2021

Did get notice of this initial reply, just the follow up.

So following your instructions, I opened the Custom Dictionary and deleted the 3 words that were in there.

I then saved it.

I re-opened it and added one word; saved it.

I then when into Preferences Spell/Gram -> AutoCorrect and clicked Exceptions

It now allows me to add to the exceptions list without giving me that Customer Dictionary is Full message.

So the issue now seems to be resolved.

-Bob

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George MSFT

Microsoft Agent | Moderator

Replied on December 8, 2021

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Hi Bob,

Thanks for posting in the community.

For your concern, yes, it is expected behavior when you delete the folder, then reopen Word. According to your description, please reconfirm your Custom Dictionary location is under UBF8T346G9.Office. Click Word in the menu> Preferences> Spelling Grammar> Dictionaries. If so, please remove all the existing dictionaries and add a new one. Check whether the issue still exists.

If the issue still exists, switch to another Mac user profile (if you don’t have another user profile, please create a new Mac user profile, then switch to the new user profile), open Word and check again.

Also, please provide your Word version.

Regards,

George

• Beware of Scammers posting fake Support Numbers here.

• Please let us know if this is helpful and if the solution worked for you, as it can benefit others who are facing the same scenario

5 people found this reply helpful · Was this reply helpful?Yes No

George MSFT

Microsoft Agent | Moderator

Replied on December 12, 2021

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Hi Bob,

I'm writing this reply to follow up on this thread. When you have time, you are welcome to come back and share any updates with us.

Regards,

George

• Beware of Scammers posting fake Support Numbers here.

• Please let us know if this is helpful and if the solution worked for you, as it can benefit others who are facing the same scenario

 Was this reply helpful?Yes No

 Answer

BC

Bob

Replied on December 13, 2021

Report abuse

In reply to George Jiang MSFT's post on December 8, 2021

Did get notice of this initial reply, just the follow up.

So following your instructions, I opened the Custom Dictionary and deleted the 3 words that were in there.

I then saved it.

I re-opened it and added one word; saved it.

I then when into Preferences Spell/Gram -> AutoCorrect and clicked Exceptions

It now allows me to add to the exceptions list without giving me that Customer Dictionary is Full message.

So the issue now seems to be resolved.

-Bob

5 people found this reply helpful · Was this reply helpful?Yes No

GeorgeMSFT

Microsoft Agent | Moderator

Replied on December 13, 2021

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In reply to Bob's post on December 13, 2021

Hi Bob,

Thanks for posting back.

I'm glad this issue is now resolved. If the issue happens again or you encounter any issues while using our products, feel free to post in our community and we are glad to help.

Regards,

George

[Edited by Moderator]

Remove Unnecessary Words

Does not work.

Word won't save the revised dictionary.

Create a New Custom Dictionary

Step #5

Does not work.

Word won't switch to the new dictionary.

Is there a working solution?

You'll likely be better served by asking about this is a Word user group. Word is a Microsoft product; Microsoft user are going to be more prolific in answering in my experience.

Good advice, & to get rid of all the files belonging to an Install, I use this...

App Cleaner & Uninstaller, which is my goto cleanup app...

https://nektony.com/mac-app-cleaner