How does Microsoft Outlook Express Spell Check ?

Microsoft outlook express doesn't have its own spell check software but relies on the spell check capabilities of other Microsoft office programs. Outlook Express can use the spell check functionality from office programs like have Microsoft Word,Excel, or PowerPoint if they are installed .

If you have any of those office programs installed and you have installed spell checking with them, then spell checking on Outlook Express should work ok.

To configure Outlook express to spell check you need to go to the tools-options-spelling tab. If it is greyed out or unavailable then you don't have spell checking installed. If you don't have any of the office products or don't want to install them then you need a third party spell checking product.

I have listed some spell checking products below that work with Outlook Express; some will even work with Yahoo email and msn Hotmail as well.

Spell checking add-ons For Outlook Express

Free ware product Spell Checker for OE there are problems with some of the links on this page but one of them should work. You can find a short review of this program here

Commercial software Spellex-Anywhere can be used not just for spell checking Outlook express but for Yahoo email, Internet forms, forums etc. a free trial version is available

Commercial software SpellCheckAnywhere is $29.97 and works in almost all Windows programs including outlook express, Internet explorer. It comes with a 3 month, risk-free, money-back guarantee. You can also download a 15 day trial from the web site so you can try it before you buy it.

Spell check problems

Spell Checking not Working in XP

When running windows XP with outlook Express 6 you may find that spell checking cannot be enabled or does not work. If you try to spell check a message, you may also receive the message

an error occurred whilst the spelling was being checked

or

When you click Send, and the Always check spelling before sending check box is selected in the Options dialog box, you may receive the following error message:

If you have a suitable Microsoft office application installed on your computer but spell checking still doesn't work, then the most common cause of this problem is the missing file Csapi3t1.dll. The file is on the XP cd ( in I386 directory) and should also be on your office cd. You need to locate the file decompress it and copy it to its location.

If the file is on the XP cd in the D drive then the command

expand d:\i386\csapi3t1.dl_  c:csapi3t1.dll

expands the file to the root of the c: drive. You now need to copy the file now to the Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\proof directory. If that doesn't work then copy it to the program files\outlook express folder as well.

Here are some links to Microsoft articles covering some of the more common know spell check problems. If they don't answer you're question then go to the Microsoft support website and search for "outlook spell check"

OLEXP: Extra Period Added After Spell Check in Outlook Express

(191794) - After you run a spelling check on an Outlook Express e-mail message, some abbreviations that end with a period may have a second period. For example, the abbreviation "Mr." may appear as "Mr.."

OLEXP: Spelling Checker Does Not Run on Message in Outlook Express 5

(224176) - When you attempt to check the spelling in a message in Outlook Express 5, 5.01, or 5.5, you may receive the following error message: An error occurred while the spelling was being checked. When you click Send, and the Always check spelling before...

OLEXP: Error Message: An Error Occurred While the Spelling Was Being Checked

(253351) - When you attempt to use Outlook Express to check the spelling of an e-mail message, the spelling checker may not work and you may receive the following error message: An error occurred while the spelling was being checked.

OLEXP: Spelling Is Not Checked in the Subject Line of a Message

(177397) - When you try to spell check a message in Outlook Express, the body of the message is checked, but the Subject line is not checked.

OLEXP: Spelling and Grammar Options Not Available in Outlook Express 5

(232950) - When you are spell checking a message in Outlook Express 5, the Options button may be unavailable. The Options button should allow you to choose options for spelling, grammar, and custom dictionaries. This functionality works when you are spell.

OLEXP: Err Msg: Spelling Could Not Be Initialized Because Initialization of the English Dictionary Failed

(214532) - When you start Outlook Express, you may receive the following error message: Spelling could not be initialized because initialization of the English dictionary failed. Please select a different language using the Spelling panel in Preferences. After...

OLEXP: Spell Checker or Custom Dictionary Errors in Outlook Express

(178238) - You may experience any of the following symptoms:

OLEXP: Outlook Express Spell Checker Gets Cancelled When Visual Basic 6 or Access 97 Is Running

(282807) - When you post a message, if Microsoft Visual Basic 6 or Microsoft Access 97 is also running, Outlook Express reports that the spelling checker was cancelled.

OLEXP: The Outlook Express for Macintosh Spelling Checker Requires Microsoft Office

(317800) - The spelling checker features in Outlook Express for Macintosh may seem to be removed or may seem to have never been installed.

The Spelling command in Outlook Express 6 is no longer available after you install Works 7.0

(832537) - Describes how the Spelling command in Outlook Express 6.0 is removed when you upgrade to Works 7 from an earlier version of Works.