Office for Mac Issues

Fix Word for Mac Not Showing the Ignore Spelling Option

John Wilson Oct 8, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user is unable to find or use the Ignore or Add to Dictionary options when right-clicking misspelled words in Microsoft Word for Mac.

How to Fix Word for Mac Not Showing the Ignore Spelling Option

Product: Microsoft Word for Mac
Device & OS: Mac
Scenario: Checking spelling and grammar in a document and attempting to dismiss false positive errors.
Observed behavior: The context menu does not display standard spell check options like Ignore Once, Ignore All, or Add to Dictionary when right-clicking a word with a red squiggly underline.

Before you start

Before troubleshooting the application, create a new blank document and intentionally misspell a word to see if the right-click menu works there. This helps determine whether the issue is with Word itself or if your specific document is corrupted.

Solution 1Recommended

Verify Standard Spelling Options and Document Integrity

Ensure you are triggering the context menu correctly and check if the missing options are isolated to a single corrupted document.

Sometimes file corruption within a specific Word document can cause certain interface elements, like the spelling context menu, to break or hide.

The red underline only indicates a possible spelling error. If you cannot dismiss it, it will not appear when printing or exporting the document.

Open the affected file

Launch Microsoft Word and open the document where you are experiencing the missing spelling options.

Trigger the context menu

Hold down the Control key and click (or right-click) exactly on the word featuring the red squiggly underline.

Check for options

Look for 'Ignore Once', 'Ignore All', or 'Add to Dictionary' at the top of the menu.

Test in a new document

If the options are missing, open a brand new document, type a misspelled word, and right-click it. If the options appear in the new file, your original document requires content recovery or copying text to a fresh file.

Verify Standard Spelling Options and Document Integrity

Valid Words: If the spelling is correct and you use the word often, select 'Add to Dictionary' instead of 'Ignore' so Word stops flagging it across all future documents.

Solution 2

Clear the Microsoft Word for Mac Cache

Clearing cached app files can resolve graphical glitches and restore missing context menu options like spell check tools.

Solution 3

Perform a Clean Startup

Background applications or Mac add-ins might conflict with Word's right-click menu functionality. A clean startup isolates the interference.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Enjoy Seamless Word Processing on Mac with WPS Office

Tired of troubleshooting missing menus and spell check glitches in Microsoft Word for Mac? Switch to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, intuitive, and highly compatible word processing environment for macOS without the heavy resource demands.

1. Download WPS Office for Mac: Visit the official WPS website and download the macOS version.
2. Install the application: Open the downloaded installer package and drag WPS Office to your Applications folder.
3. Edit your documents smoothly: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing .docx files to enjoy reliable formatting and hassle-free spell checking.

Built-in, highly accurate spell check and grammar tools that work flawlessly out of the box.Fully compatible with Microsoft Word formats (.doc, .docx, .rtf) for seamless file sharing.Lightweight application that runs smoothly on all modern Mac systems without crashing.Free to download and use with a familiar user interface, requiring zero learning curve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a red underline appear even when a word is spelled correctly in Word for Mac?

Word's default dictionary may not recognize specialized terms, proper names, or industry jargon. To stop the red line from appearing, right-click the word and select 'Add to Dictionary'.

Can I disable the red spelling underlines completely?

Yes. Go to the top menu and select Word > Preferences > Spelling & Grammar. Under the Spelling section, check the box for 'Hide spelling errors in this document' to turn off the red squiggly lines.

What should I do if 'Add to Dictionary' is greyed out or missing?

This usually happens if a custom dictionary is not active or the language settings are mismatched. Go to Word > Preferences > Spelling & Grammar > Dictionaries, and ensure 'Custom Dictionary' is checked and set to the correct language.

Do I have to ignore or add every single flagged word to save the document?

No, the red underlines are only visual editing indicators and do not affect the document saving process. They will also not appear when you print the document or export it as a PDF. You can safely leave them if you prefer not to add words to your dictionary.

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