Fix Typos Fast: Tips for Using Visual Studio Spell Checker

How to Install and Configure Visual Studio Spell Checker

Installing and configuring the Visual Studio Spell Checker extension will help catch typos in comments, strings, and other text inside your codebase—improving readability and reducing errors. This guide assumes Visual Studio 2019 or later; steps are similar across recent versions.

1. Install the Extension

1. Open Visual Studio.
2. From the menu bar choose Extensions > Manage Extensions.
3. In the Online tab, enter Visual Studio Spell Checker in the search box.
4. Locate the extension (typically by EWSoftware) and click Download or Install.
5. Restart Visual Studio when prompted to complete installation.

2. Enable the Spell Checker

• After restart, the extension will be active by default. To confirm, open Tools > Options and look for Spell Checker (or Visual Studio Spell Checker) in the options tree.

3. Basic Configuration

Navigate to Tools > Options > Spell Checker and set these essentials:

• Enable spell checking: Ensure the main toggle is on.
• Check scope: Choose which file types and regions to check (Comments, Strings, Plain text files, XML documentation, TODO comments, etc.).
• Languages: Select your primary language (e.g., English (US)) and add others if needed.

4. Manage Dictionaries

• Built-in dictionaries: The extension includes common language dictionaries—confirm the ones you need are selected.
• Custom dictionaries: To add project- or solution-specific words:
  1. Open Tools > Options > Spell Checker > Dictionaries.
  2. Add words to the User dictionary or create a new dictionary file in your solution.
  3. For team consistency, add the dictionary file to source control and reference it via the extension settings or solution-level configuration.

5. Ignore Lists and Patterns

• Use Ignore Words to whitelist identifiers, acronyms, brand names, or technical terms.
• Use Ignore Regular Expressions to skip patterns (e.g., GUIDs, hex literals, function signatures).
• Use Ignore Files/Folders to exclude generated code or third-party libraries.

6. Severity and Visual Cues

• Configure how spelling issues appear:
  • Under Error Reporting, choose whether misspellings show as warnings, suggestions, or are only visible in the Spell Checker tool window.
  • Choose squiggle color and underline style via Visual Studio’s Fonts and Colors if desired.

7. Using the Spell Checker

• As you edit, misspelled words are flagged inline. Right-click a flagged word to see suggested corrections, add to dictionary, or ignore.
• Run a full solution or project scan:
  1. Open Extensions > Spell Checker > Spell Check Solution (menu path may vary).
  2. Review results in the Spell Checker window and apply fixes in bulk or per-file.

8. Solution-Level Settings (Recommended for Teams)

• Create a solution configuration file or a shared dictionary in the repository.
• In Tools > Options > Spell Checker, add the solution dictionary path so every team member uses the same word list.

9. Troubleshooting

• If the extension doesn’t appear: ensure your Visual Studio edition and version are supported; update Visual Studio and the extension.
• If false positives occur: add patterns or words to ignore lists, or adjust the check scope to exclude problematic file types.
• If performance slows: narrow the check scope, exclude large folders, or disable automatic checking and run manual scans.

10. Best Practices

• Maintain a shared dictionary in source control for consistent team spelling.
• Regularly run solution-wide checks as part of code reviews or CI.
• Combine spell checking with code linters to keep code quality high.

Date: February 8, 2026