How to Remove Spaces Between Letters After OCR in Word
Question details
The user needs a way to remove spaces that OCR software incorrectly inserts between individual letters within words, without manually editing the entire document.
- Product
- Word
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Extracting text from scanned documents, such as voter lists, using OCR software.
- Observed behavior
- The resulting text contains unwanted spaces between individual letters, making the document difficult to read, search, and edit.
Before modifying the text with automated Find and Replace tools, save a backup copy of your document to prevent accidental data loss in case legitimate words merge.
Process the Document with a More Accurate OCR Program
Re-processing the original PDF or image with an advanced, language-specific OCR tool is often faster and yields better results than manually fixing spacing errors.
Different OCR tools use varying algorithms to recognize text. If your current tool struggles with kerning and inserts spaces, trying an alternative software designed for high accuracy and specific document languages can prevent the issue at the source.
Launch an advanced OCR tool or a modern PDF editor that includes high-accuracy OCR capabilities.
Before running the scan, go to the OCR settings and ensure the correct primary language for your document is selected. This helps the dictionary recognize whole words.
Process the scanned document or PDF, then export the newly recognized text directly to a Microsoft Word format.
Use Word's Wildcard Find and Replace
Use advanced wildcard searches in Word to target spaces between single letters, minimizing the risk of joining actual words together.
Easily OCR and Edit Documents with WPS Office
WPS Office features a highly accurate built-in OCR tool that correctly identifies text without adding unwanted spaces. You can also seamlessly edit documents and use advanced Find and Replace functions.
- 1. Open WPS Office Tools: Launch WPS Office, go to the 'Tools' tab, and select 'OCR' or 'PDF to Word' to extract text from your scanned files.
- 2. Extract Text Accurately: Run the OCR process. WPS Office's advanced engine will accurately recognize the text formatting without adding random letter spacing.
- 3. Review in WPS Writer: Open the extracted text natively within WPS Writer. The output will maintain high fidelity to the original document's layout.
- 4. Adjust Formatting if Needed: Press Ctrl + H to access the Find and Replace feature for any minor formatting adjustments required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does OCR insert spaces between letters?
OCR software can misinterpret the spacing in scanned documents, especially if the original text had wide kerning, poor scan resolution, or if the OCR tool isn't properly configured for the document's specific language.
Can I remove all spaces and then automatically re-add them between words?
Removing all spaces is simple using Find and Replace, but re-adding them between legitimate words requires a dictionary-based macro or manual typing, which is extremely time-consuming and prone to error.
Does the original font type affect OCR accuracy?
Yes. Unusual, cursive, or highly stylized fonts, as well as very small text, can confuse OCR engines and lead to spacing or character recognition errors. Standard sans-serif or serif fonts yield the best results.
Is there a way to clear all text formatting after OCR to fix spacing?
You can select all text (Ctrl + A) and click the 'Clear Formatting' button in the Home tab. However, this only removes styling like bold, italics, or fonts; it will not delete inserted physical space characters between letters.
