390. Windows 7 Context Spell Checker

The reason I moved to multiple User Accounts was because Google Chrome Browser was not as pleasant as the Internet Explorer browser. For example, if you wanted to print ONLY text you highlighted on a page, instead of full page, you cannot do in a straight foward way using the built-in print interface. Google did allow you to select the Windows printer facilities from their print screen, but that adds a step. Chrome also has problems with selection windows where you open a list of choices by clicking on an arrow. You must click on the window instead of the arrow with Chrome. What affected me the most were functions that did not work properly on my broker's website. Although there a few more unlikes, these were the major issues with Chrome. If these aren't your major issues, ignore this post, because Chrome does have a lot of nice features too, like the built-in context spell checker.

A CONTEXT spell checker is one that let's you know of a misspelled word AS YOU TYPE IT. Internet Browser does NOT have this type of spell checker. Thus, if you are typing an email or posting on some blog or bulletin board, you are at the mercy of it's spell checker, usually an after the fact manual scan that bounces from one to the next. Fine for some, but not for me. Particularly if the half left of the text is off the screen along with the option to CHANGE, requiring you to always scroll left to do the CHANGE!

My searches for Internet Browser spell checkers led me first to ieSpell. It's description did not state whether it did CONTEXT checking, so I downloaded it to see. NOPE. Really did nothing more than what is built into Yahoo Mail. So, I looked for one I had put on an old Windows ME system a few years back. tinySpell was the answer again, even for Windows 7. It can remain on always, meaning every time you type a word not in its dictionary you'll get a beep and can hit a key (I use down arrow) to popup the available correct spelling, or add to the dictionary. Remember, this will check everywhere, even when you enter a website to go to, or complete a form. Everywhere! If I don't want to hear the beep, I simply right-click the tray ICON and DISABLE BEEP allowing it to continue to flash a missplelled word above where you are typing (it disappears itself and is not part of you entry) or DISABLE tinySpell to neither hear the beep nor see the misspelling. Reenabling it is also done with the right-click of ICON.

tinySpell works for me (just got beeped on the word tinySpell for the second time in this sentence ... now that I added it to the dictionary after the second time, tinySpell no longer beeps me). Perfect for me. Maybe good for you too.