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Replacing a Spell Check Dictionary

There are several possible scenarios for replacing an existing Hunspell dictionary for the Oxygen XML Author spell checker:
  • You can download a pre-built Hunspell dictionary and replace an existing dictionary with it.
  • You can build your own full Hunspell dictionary and replace an existing dictionary with it.

Download a Pre-Built Hunspell Dictionary and Replace an Existing One

To replace an existing dictionary with a downloaded pre-built dictionary, follow these steps:
  1. Download the files needed for your dictionary. You will need a dictionary file (with a .dic file extension) and an affix file (with the .aff file extension). If the dictionary does not include an affix file (.aff), you can create one and leave it empty, but it is needed for the mechanism to work properly. An example of a website that includes numerous dictionary files is: http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/dictionary.
  2. Open the Preferences dialog box (Options > Preferences) and go to Editor > Spell Check > Dictionaries.
  3. Choose one of the following two options to replace existing files.
    1. Replace the existing files (.dic and .aff) for the particular language in the default directory displayed in the Dictionaries and term lists default folder option. Leave the Include dictionaries and term list from option deselected.
    2. Replace existing files (.dic and .aff) for the particular language in a directory specified in the Include dictionaries and term list from option. If you choose this option, make sure you read this important note.
    Important: Do not alter the naming convention. The name of the files must begin with a two letter prefix that indicates the language it should be attached to (for example, en_US.dic for a US English dictionary or en.dic for a less specific English dictionary). For a list of language codes, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ISO_639-1_codes.
  4. Restart the application for the spell checker to start using the new dictionary.

Build a Full Hunspell Dictionary and Replace an Existing One

To replace an existing dictionary with a full Hunspell dictionary that you build, follow these steps:

  1. Follow these instructions: Building and Testing Hunspell Dictionaries.

    Step Result: You should end up with a dictionary file (with a .dic file extension) and an affix file (with the .aff file extension). The affix file (.aff) can be empty, but it is needed for the mechanism to work properly.

  2. Open the Preferences dialog box (Options > Preferences) and go to Editor > Spell Check > Dictionaries.
  3. Choose one of the following two options to replace existing files.
    1. Replace the existing files (.dic and .aff) for the particular language in the default directory displayed in the Dictionaries and term lists default folder option. Leave the Include dictionaries and term list from option deselected.
    2. Replace existing files (.dic and .aff) for the particular language in a directory specified in the Include dictionaries and term list from option. If you choose this option, make sure you read this important note.
  4. Restart the application for the spell checker to start using the new dictionary.