Spell Check in Mail not working

Hello Kathy,

I have a suggestion. I had that same problem on my IPhone after updating software.

I managed to fix it on my phone.

Check setting “Keyboards” and make sure there is just English and Emoji in the list.

I had on extra language in the list, and that was the reason why autocorrect wasn’t working in Email App. After removing that it started working straight away.

Hope it will help

Old issue, but still relevant. This advice helped me.

Before I got the red underline, but NO alternative spellings/word suggestions when right-clicking the misspelled word.

Solution:

When I right-clicked misspelled word (red underline) > Spelling > Spelling and grammar > SHOW spelling and grammar, then I selected U.S English (in the dropdown at the bottom) it immediately suggested the right word. FINALLY!

Then I went and changed back the drop-down to "Automatically detect language" and then it could suggest words for Norwegian and German (which I use) too.

I have really developed a DEEP hate for Apple just because of this bug and that it has survived for so long. If this turns out to be a cure,my Apple relationship is quickly becoming more peaches and roses. But this bug needs to be fixed!

Hi Tom,

Thanks for getting involved.

I am on 10.11.6.

Just restarted Mail and the problem reappeared.

Went into the dropdown and changed to US English, then it started suggesting words. Then I changed to Auto-Language and it still worked. But does not "Auto-detect" other loaded languages (German, Norwegian) now.

Restarted Mail again and word suggestion was gone. Apparently does not save. Most def a cheap bug.

Perhaps they are short of programmers at Apple. Too busy designing dongles and showing dough in their pockets...

Tom,

Update:

I just realized that the correct word suggestion works on my Macbook Air (mid 2012), but not on my MBP (mid 2010), although they are both running the same OS Version (10.11.6). I tried making every bit of the settings in Text, Keyboard and Language the exact same and restarted with both, but the functional difference remains.

This suggests that there is something deep in the MBP that is different from the MBA although on the surface they are having the same OS. Is there a way to reset whatever might control the language feature without wiping everything else? (Hoping not to reinstall every program, networks, etc.)

Help is very much appreciated.

Ben

Kathy, had same problem -- here is what I found just now by running tests:

Ok, what is going on is that the preferences for spelling and grammar in word and mail seem not to be working…..

in mail preferences there is no oportunity to set preference re spelling and grammar. I can't find it in apple preferences either

You have to do it manually --- so if mispelled words in EMAIL YOU GO TO EDIT, SPELLING AND GRAMMAR:

if you check grammar with spelling -- all you get is red underline.

if you CHECK check before sending nothing happens

If you check ----check spelling and grammar (which seems to be the default) nothing happens

BUT IF YOU CHECK show spelling and grammar, you get the red underline and correction box

IN WORD, there is spelling preferences --- i chose : check spelling as type, suggest corrections, check grammar with spelling.

IF I go back to check preferences, they are changed for example if i had chosen check spelling while typing, when i go back it is unchosen

So with a document----- (before going back to preferences) ,only mispelled words are underlined red. BUT if then you go to tools, spelling and grammar --- you get the box right away

i did this research before checking directions on web see http://support.apple.com/kb/PH6911

Which for me would take copying the article, double space, under key words AND THEN MAYBE i could understand it --

i have no idea if it correlates to actual testing above.

Mail Preferences/Composing: what have you selected under Check Spelling?

If you have CHECK SPELLING IN composing, all it does is underline mispelled words. And you have to figure the right spelling.

BUT, here is the exciting part... if you chose check spelling when i send, it offers you the box to change to their corrections and when you have gone through the message content -------,it sends it right then

so you have no opportunity to doublecheck your message for content, spelling or to add new content

I think I fixed it.

I need spelling checking both in English and in German. It used to swap automatically depending on how a sentence began. Recently it stopped working.

I can't remember where, but somewhere I think I switched on check grammar for British English. After that it didn't check either English or German or whatever correctly. Everything showed as wrong and was red underlined..

To fix:

Open a new mail

Typed in some German ( but I am sure it works with any language).

From the Mail Menu: edit / spelling and grammar / show spelling and grammer

This opens a little window. At the bottom there is a drop-down where you can select the language, or as I did select automatic by Language.

Voila it now checks both English and German the way it used to.

-Paul-

Hope this helps

I just spoke to apple support

in case you haven't gotten this

MAIL - on an red underlined word click control and then click - the correction box comes up

in word, select misspelled word, go to tools, select spelling and box comes up

Bea28 wrote:

I had that same problem on my IPhone

But this question is from 4 years ago and concerns a Mac, which is totally different.

Are you still running 10.6.8, which is what this thread is about? Nobody will be fixing any bugs except those in 10.13. I'm not sure I have seen anyone reporting spelling problems with that one.