Add words to the spelling dictionary via AppleScript

May 02, '07 07:30:00AM

Contributed by: michelle_eris

If you have a number of words to add to Apple's spelling dictionary, it can get cumbersome; you have to type the words into a document, then spell check and add them one at a time. Or, as detailed in this previous hint, you can open the "en" file (for English) and type them there, copying and pasting a non-printable character (represented by an upside-down question mark in the file). Until now, that is.

Now you can simply run this Applescript that I wrote. You type each word, press Enter after each word, and then click the Finished button after you're, well, finished. Then click on the dictionary file you wish to update (normally the "en" file for English), and it's done.

[robg adds: I couldn't get this one to work in my testing, but it's working for the author and others, so here it is -- please post your experiences, especially if it won't work for you and you can figure out why :). On my machine, the script works, and I can apparently add words, but they continue to show up as misspelled in my documents.]

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