How To Add Custom Dictionary In Outlook?

A dictionary is a collection of words that are known or are known to exist in one’s language. A dictionary is a useful tool for anyone learning a language and for students studying a foreign language.

Look up a word on Outlook and suddenly you have a new dictionary installed for that word. Usually, this happens when a word is misspelled, for example.

A good spell checker can do wonders, but if you use Microsoft Office, Outlook is smart enough to also suggest alternative spellings, words that mean the same thing, or words that are like “the” searched word.

Most of the words still have meaning likely in the different forms of English but do not exist in the Dictionary. In such a scenario, you can add or create your customized dictionary.

This Article Consist Of:

How to Add Word to Outlook Dictionary

Normally when you type a special name/word in an email message, for instance, the mailsmartly in Outlook, it will flag the spelling mistake of mailsmartly with the wavy red line.

It will react that way, Microsoft Outlook won’t recognize special names and technical names, and mark the name and terms as spelling mistakes, until you manually add them into a dictionary.

To add a word to your document, click on it and then select Spelling from the popup menu >> Add to Dictionary.

How to Add a Word to Outlook Dictionary?

Let’s dive in and understand the step-by-step method of how to add the specific word in the custom dictionary in Outlook and also while composing in Microsoft 365, Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, and 2010.

Open the Microsoft Outlook Application.
Click File >> Options >> Click on Mail from the left navigation section.
Click the Spelling and Autocorrect button in the Compose Messages section.

The next step is to click on Custom Dictionaries which is available in the Editor Options >> Proofing.

Custom Dictionaries dialog box appears, and you will observe multiple dictionaries already available in the list.

You can edit the list by selecting a specific dictionary, for instance: “RomingCustom.dic (Default)” >> then click Edit Wordlist.

Enter the word that causes trouble and hit add and OK. Click OK until all dialog boxes close.

In order to add a word to the custom dictionary in Outlook, add it using the “Add” button or press “Ctrl + Shift + Add“. Under the word, click on the “Define” button.

Remove Words using Edit Options

You have already understood two methods above “How to add the specific word” in Outlook Dictionary.

Accidentally if you added some misspelled words to the custom dictionary, you could easily remove the word.

Click on the file Tab >> Options
Shift to the Mail tab and click on Spelling and AutoCorrect.
Next to the Edit Options window, click on Custom Dictionaries under the Proofing tab.
You need to click on the Edit Word List button from the Custom Dictionaries dialog box.
Your custom dictionary opens, and now you can add or remove words accordingly.

To add the specific word, enter the word in the ‘Word(s)’ field and click the ‘Add’ button in case, to remove a word, select it in the ‘Dictionary’ box, and click the ‘Delete’ button.

How To Create and Add Your Own Custom Dictionary in Outlook?

Creating your own custom dictionary is not as simple as that, it’s a process of importing your existing dictionary which you already have on your computer system.

A custom dictionary may be necessary if you want to add multiple words to a Microsoft Outlook application. This tutorial provides the steps needed to create and include a custom dictionary.

Importing a dictionary (.dic) file is important:

Let’s begin with how to create a (.dic) file that consists of multiple words.

Open Notepad or any other text editor from your computer.
Type words one word per line.
Once your list is ready, save the file with a .dic extension for instance:(mycustomdictionary.dic)

Now it’s time to upload the file:

Click File >> Options in Outlook
Click on the Mail option from the left navigation section.
Click Spelling and Autocorrect >> Custom Dictionaries
From the Custom Dictionaries dialog box, click the Add button.
Choose the .dic file from the browser or select the location where you save your above file.
Click Ok to finalize.

Importing and Exporting Dictionaries

Importing Dictionaries

To import a dictionary in Outlook, follow these simple steps:

Go to File > Options > Mail > Spelling and Autocorrect > Proofing.
Click on Custom Dictionaries.
Click on the Add button.
Navigate to the location of the custom dictionary file (usually with a .dic extension) that you want to import.
Select the dictionary file and click Open. The custom dictionary will be added to your Outlook dictionary list.

When you import a dictionary, Outlook will recognize the words in the custom dictionary alongside the words in the default dictionary.

This allows you to use both sets of words when using spell check and autocorrect functions.

Exporting Dictionaries

To export a custom dictionary, you can follow a similar process:

Locate the custom dictionary file on your computer. The default location for the custom dictionary files in Outlook is C:\Users\%Username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Uproof\Custom.dic.
Copy the custom dictionary file (.dic) you want to export.
Save the copied file in your desired location, such as an external drive or cloud storage folder.

By exporting your custom dictionary, you can easily transfer it to another computer or share it with others.

Just make sure to follow the steps in the Importing Dictionaries sub-section to add the exported dictionary to the new Outlook installation.

Proofing Options in Outlook

Spelling and Grammar Checks

In Outlook, it’s important to ensure the content of your emails is free of spelling and grammar errors.

To access and adjust the settings for spelling and grammar checks, go to File >> Options >> Mail >> Spelling and Autocorrect >> Proofing.

Here, you can customize settings such as checking spelling as you type, marking grammar errors while typing, and even checking for contextual spelling.

AutoCorrect Settings

Another helpful feature within the Proofing options is the AutoCorrect settings. These settings can be found by going to File >> Options >> Mail >> Editor Options.

Within the AutoCorrect Options, you have the ability to toggle between replacing text as you type or not.

Additionally, you can customize the list of words that get autocorrected, ensuring that Outlook understands your unique writing style and vocabulary.

Language Settings

Outlook allows users to work with multiple languages for composing emails and checking spelling and grammar.

You can customize your language preferences by going to the Language Preferences settings in the Review tab.

Here, you can select the preferred language, add new languages, or change the primary language for your mail content.

Furthermore, Outlook has an automatic language detection feature that can be enabled for smoother multilingual communication.

Final Words

In conclusion, adding a custom dictionary to Microsoft Outlook can greatly enhance your writing experience and ensure accurate spell-checking for specialized terms, technical jargon, or industry-specific terminology.

By including your own custom dictionary, Outlook can recognize and accept words that may be unique to your field or personal vocabulary.

We explored the simple and straightforward process of adding a custom dictionary in Outlook.

By accessing the Proofing settings within Outlook’s Options menu, you can import or create a custom dictionary file (.dic) containing your preferred terms.

This empowers you to tailor the spell-checking feature to your specific needs and prevent the unnecessary flagging of valid words as errors.

Whether you’re a professional in a specialized industry, a student working with subject-specific terminology, or simply someone with unique vocabulary preferences, utilizing a custom dictionary in Outlook ensures that your written communication remains accurate, efficient, and free from unnecessary distractions.

So, take advantage of this feature and unleash the full potential of Outlook by incorporating a custom dictionary.

Enjoy a more personalized and effective writing experience as you communicate with confidence and precision.

How To Add Custom Dictionary in Outlook?