I write a lot of posts on social media and often find that I’ve posted something with a spelling error or even some weird grammar mistake. Is there an extension for Edge on Windows that can help me avoid these silly mistakes?
The sophistication level of spelling and grammar checking tools in Windows has evolved quite a bit since the early days, but since it’s all behind the scenes, it’s hard to see what’s improved. Not only that, but there are features in programs that aren’t document processors too, so you don’t need to open up Microsoft Word whenever you want to check your grammar! Finally, there are extensions like Grammarly that you can add to your Windows computer that will open up even more sophisticated options that can rephrase entire sentences to improve them.
Shortcuts: Text Prediction | Spelling | Grammar | Settings
However, before you add new software to your PC, let’s check out how Microsoft Edge offers up three different tools that will improve everything you write while in the browser. They are text prediction, spell checking, and grammar checking, and all can be enabled in Settings if they’re not already turned on. As always, start by ensuring you have the very latest version of Edge too, easily done by choosing Help and Feedback > About Microsoft Edge from the “•••” menu in your browser.
HOW EDGE TEXT PREDICTION WORKS
Perhaps the least useful of the three features is text prediction. This is something you might have seen with Google search too; you start to type in a word and it suggests the rest of the letters and even a short phrase. I’ll demo writing a tweet in Twitter [I’m @DaveTaylor if you want to follow me!] and you can see it below:
See the vertical cursor bar? The letters after “ab” are all part of the text prediction suggestion, with it assuming that the word I am typing is “absolutely”. If it is, then a tap on Tab finishes the word for me, but if it’s not, I can simply keep typing to change it to the actual word I intend (in this case “about”). I’m not a huge fan of this feature, but it might be just what you need if you enter lots of long, complicated words and appreciate the typing assist.
This feature can be enabled or disabled, as I’ll show momentarily.
HOW TO WORK WITH SPELL CHECK IN EDGE
A vastly more useful feature in Microsoft Edge is spell check. Even if you just won the local spelling bee, it’s not hard to slip up and type in a word that’s not spelled correctly. There are also some words that we tend to stumble over and spell incorrectly too; for me, it’s the word “exaggerate”. 🙂
Edge automatically underlines those words with a tiny red line as you type, however. Consider this post:
I could easily just post it, but there are two spelling errors and one grammatical error present, so why not fix them first and sound a bit more erudite? To fix a word that’s flagged as misspelled, simply move your cursor over it. A tiny menu appears:
Notice you can “Ignore all” if you want to just get rid of the red line, or chose the correctly spelled word that you meant to type (in this case, “franchise”). Easy enough!
FIXING GRAMMATICAL MISTAKES IN EDGE
Grammar repairs are just as easily applied, except they’re shown with a blue line, rather than red:
In this instance, it’s flagged “whole” when I’m referring to plot holes: That “w” is not needed. Notice, however, that “wholes” is a correctly spelled word, so spell check didn’t complain about it. Helpful to have the second level of validation, no question, and easily fixed by choosing the correct word from the menu.
Both menus also offer a tiny “•••” option too, which is worth a peek:
This is particularly important for spelling because sometimes words you use with frequency – like a friend’s name – might not be in the spelling dictionary. Rather than have them flagged as a misspelling forever, you can use this submenu to “Add to dictionary” or simply “Ignore” the word. All easily done once you know how the menus work.
ENABLING SPELLING AND GRAMMAR IN MICROSOFT EDGE
Before we wrap up, remember that you can use the search feature within Settings to get to specific configuration options. Try that by going to Settings then search for “spell”:
You can see that I have enabled text prediction and both grammar and spellcheck assistance, and chosen “Microsoft Editor” as my default text input box tool to enable better validation and proofreading. Not enabled is “Use synonym for spelling suggestions”, but if you find that you constantly use the same few words, that might be one to investigate too!
Tip for Power Users: I’ve been writing about Windows for many years and have an extensive Windows 11 help library here. Please check it out while you’re visiting. Thanks!