How to Use the Native Spell Checker of Vim

Note#44

notes
Published

2023-03-10

Add the Languages You Want to Spell Check

set spelllang=en_us,fr

Yes, with three times the character l.

Toggle the Spell Checker in a File

set spell!

View Spell Checker Recommendations

Press z= with the cursor on the misspelled word.

Accept the First Recommendation

Press 1z= with the cursor on the misspelled word.

Create a Custom Dictionary

  1. Create a new text file that contains the words you want to add to the custom dictionary. Each word should be on a separate line.
  2. Save the file with a .dic extension. For example, you could save the file as programming.dic.
  3. Type :set spellfile=path/to/custom.dic and press <Enter> (or add it to your .vimrc).

Using Multiple Custom Dictionaries

:set spellfile=~/.vim/spell/en.utf-8.add,~/.vim/spell/my_custom.dic

Add New Words to the Dictionary

Press zg with the cursor on the misspelled word.

Add Words to a Different Dictionary

  1. Switch to the dictionary you want to add the word to: :set spelllang=fr
  2. Add the word using zg.
  3. Switch back to your original dictionary: :set spelllang=en_us,fr

Add Words to a Specific Dictionary

Use :spell {word} {lang} to add a word to a specific dictionary without changing spelllang.

For example, :spell bonjour fr adds “bonjour” to the French dictionary.

Remove Words from the Dictionary

Press zw with the cursor on the misspelled word.

Customize Spell Checker Appearance

  • SpellBad: the color for incorrectly spelled words;
  • SpellCap: the color for capitalized words that might be incorrect;
  • SpellRare: the color for rarely used words;
  • SpellLocal: the color for words that are not recognized in the current language but are defined in a custom dictionary.