Don't worry, we all make mistakes when we type. Luckily, PowerPoint includes an easy-to-use
spell check that can help you create professional, error-free presentations. All you have to
do is go to Review, then click the Spelling command.
PowerPoint will cycle through every error in your presentation, giving you the chance
to type the corrections yourself, or select one of their suggestions. Click Change to
accept the correction and move on to the next error.
Spell check isn't perfect, though. Sometimes it'll say something's spelled wrong when it
isn't - like people's names, or proper nouns. If that happens, you have a couple options.
Ignore will skip the word one time without changing it; Ignore All will skip the word
every time it appears in your presentation; and Add will add the word to the PowerPoint
dictionary so it never comes up as an error again. Just make sure the word is spelled
correctly before you go with this option.
Now I'd like to close this dialog box, so we can take a look at the auto-check that's
going on. You may not even need to run a separate check because, by default, PowerPoint marks
spelling errors automatically, using these red wavy lines.
So, let's take a look at what I did wrong I spelled the word "June" correctly, but forgot
to capitalize it. To correct the error, all you have to do is right-click, and choose
the proper spelling here. Looks like I also misspelled "spectacular."
If you're curious about changing the spell check settings, just go to the Backstage View,
then Options, and Proofing. Here, PowerPoint gives you the ability to change the way it
addresses spelling errors, including the auto-check (or Check spelling as you type), and the use
of contextual spelling. Contextual spelling can help you find words that are spelled correctly,
but may be used the wrong way - like the word "no," as in "no thank you," versus "now I
know my ABCs."
Check the box here if want PowerPoint to hide the red wavy lines that mark any spelling
errors in your presentation. This is the same as turning off the auto-check; notice how
the box is checked and disabled now? In this mode, you can still find and correct spelling
errors using the command on the Review tab. I prefer to leave the auto-check on, however,
because this affects all of PowerPoint, not just what you're currently working on.
Click OK when you're done to return to your presentation. It's still a good idea to have
someone look over your work before you present it to an audience, just to be safe. Happy
proofing!