Check spelling

Check spelling

You can set Keynote to flag spelling errors as you type, and you can check your entire presentation or selected text for misspellings. Keynote can also check grammar and look up the definitions of words.

Use the Spelling and Grammar window to check spelling and grammar, add terms to the dictionary, and change the language of the dictionary. When you add terms to the dictionary, you teach Keynote new words so that it doesn’t mark them as misspelled.

Check spelling and grammar automatically

  1. Choose Edit > Spelling and Grammar (from the Edit menu at the top of your screen), then enable any of the options:

    • Check Spelling While Typing: Underlines misspelled words in red.

    • Check Grammar With Spelling: Underlines misspelled words in red and questionable grammar in green.

    • Correct Spelling Automatically: Underlines misspellings in blue as you enter text and briefly shows its replacement. If you disagree with the replacement, click the x in the suggestion bubble to keep your entry.

  2. Control-click a misspelled word, then choose one of the options in the shortcut menu.

Use the spelling and grammar window

Keynote checks spelling and shows misspelled words in the Spelling and Grammar window.

  • Choose Edit > Spelling and Grammar > Show Spelling and Grammar (from the Edit menu at the top of your screen).

    Spelling and Grammar window

Set up spell checking for multiple languages

You can set up your Mac to automatically check spelling for different languages in System Preferences.

  1. Open System Preferences on your Mac, click Keyboard, then click Text.

    System Preferences is under the Apple menu at the top-left corner of your screen.

  2. Click the Spelling pop-up menu then choose Set Up at the bottom of the menu.

  3. Do any of the following:

    • Drag the languages in the list into the order you want them checked.

    • Select the checkbox next to languages you want to be checked.

    • If you have a dictionary file you want to use, copy it to the Spelling folder in your Library folder.

  4. Click Done.

  5. Make sure the Spelling pop-up menu is set to Automatic by Language, then close the keyboard preferences window.

You can also choose a language for spell checking in the Spelling and Grammar window. Choose Edit > Spelling and Grammar > Show Spelling and Grammar. Then choose a language at the bottom of the window.

Correct misspelled words

When automatic spell checking is turned on and misspelled words are underlined in red, you can use a shortcut to jump from one misspelled word to the next and quickly make corrections.

  1. Control-click the first misspelled word, then choose the correct spelling from the options listed.

  2. Press Command-Semi colon to jump to the next misspelled word.

  3. Repeat these steps for each misspelled word.

Note: If you choose Edit > Spelling and Grammar > Correct Spelling Automatically (from the Edit menu at the top of your screen), misspelled words that already exist in a presentation are underlined. As you type new text, you see suggested spellings for words that may be misspelled. If you don’t want to use the suggested spelling, click the x next to the suggested word to use the spelling you entered. If you want to use the suggested spelling, keep typing.

Look up a word

You can quickly look up the definition and spelling of words. Some listings also include a thesaurus entry and a Wikipedia entry.

  • Control-click the word, then choose “Look up [word]” in the shortcut menu.