How do I set English (UK) as Permanent default dictionary?

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Level 1

35 points

How do I set English (UK) as Permanent default dictionary?

Can someone explain how to set ENGLISH (UK) as the PERMANENT DEFAULT LANGUAGE using the English (UK) dictionary PERMANENTLY across all programs that use the Mac Dictionary, like Mac Mail, Skype, Scrivener, Pages etc.

What happens, in fact, is that these programs always revert to USA English and have to be REPEATEDLY adjusted. It is a real pain in the arse and I don't understand why, after this question has been asked for EACH AND EVERY Mac Operating System, there is not some definitive and reliable answer. It works for German and French. Why not for UK English?

In practice, you can be busy in a Word or other document and start a new paragraph, and often the default English USA takes over and you have to change back to French, English UK or German, (obviously when these are used as second languages).

I use Mac Sierra Os 10.12.2.

The issue is the same on my Macbook Air, IMac and previously my Macbook Pro. right back to my old IBook.

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on Jan 6, 2017 2:55 AM

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Answer 1

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Tom Gewecke

Level 10

115,964 points

Jan 6, 2017 10:54 AM in response to Eric Huerner

Eric Huerner wrote:

Mail/Edit/Spelling and Grammar/show spelling and grammar is set to British English, but it always defaults to "Automatic by Language"

That's not right and doesn't happen for me. Something must be botched in your system. For starters, go to system prefs/keyboard/text/spelling and go to the bottom of the list and select Setup. Then make sure that only the box for British English is checked. When that's done, I think even "automatic" should only do British English.

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Answer 2

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

115,964 points

Jan 6, 2017 5:37 AM in response to Eric Huerner

Are you talking about spellcheck/autcorrect? If so, have you set system prefs/keyboard/text/spelling to UK English (not Automatic)?

(Word does NOT use Apple spellcheck, so any problem you have with that is different).

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Answer 3

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

115,964 points

Jan 6, 2017 7:12 AM in response to Eric Huerner

Eric Huerner wrote:

you can be busy in a Word or other document and start a new paragraph, and often the default English USA takes over and you have to change back to French, English UK or German,

For problems with Word, which uses its own spelling systems instead of Apple's, best search/ask in the forums devoted to it:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/msoffice_word-mso_mac

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Answer 4

Tom Gewecke

Level 10

115,964 points

Jan 6, 2017 9:00 AM in response to Eric Huerner

Eric Huerner wrote:

Scrivener has it, Skype and Mac Mail and they all use the Mac dictionary.

Have you set system prefs/keyboard/text/spelling to UK English (not Automatic)? I don't have this problem.

Also check the dictionary setting in Edit > Spelling and Grammar > Show Spelling and Grammar

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Answer 5

Eric Huerner Author

Level 1

35 points

Jan 6, 2017 9:02 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Yes, the spellcheck/autocorrect as well as the system language. I have set it to UK English.

keyboard/text/spelling is set to English UK.

Language & Region/preferred language is set to English (UK) with Region United Kingdom.

Mail/Edit/Spelling and Grammar/show spelling and grammar is set to British English, but it always defaults to "Automatic by Language", which is the same as US English, it appears.

My Scrivener settings have to be similarly changed all the time and the settings always default back on opening the program.

Microsoft Word is, as you say, a law unto itself, but its bias for USA English is just the same as that of Apple.

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Answer 6

Eric Huerner Author

Level 1

35 points

Jan 6, 2017 10:57 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Right!! Thanks ever so much. That did it.

I imagine the reason this doesn't happen with other languages is that when you select a computer language, no other settings come into question. With English there are all of the different options available, as well as other languages. I just hope this now lasts, but it did after the restart.

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Answer 7

Eric Huerner Author

Level 1

35 points

Jan 6, 2017 8:53 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Yes, I know that about Word. I'm simply saying it has the same problem as the Apple system dictionaries have. Scrivener has it, Skype and Mac Mail and they all use the Mac dictionary.

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