Office Settings & Configuration

How to Disable Spell Check and AutoCorrect for a Specific Word Style

Chanuka Geekiyanage Oct 15, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user wants to turn off spelling and grammar checking for a specific text style to prevent distracting error marks on specialized text.

How to Disable Spell Check and AutoCorrect for a Specific Word Style

Product: Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Formatting documents containing code samples, technical terms, or foreign languages that constantly trigger false proofing errors.
Observed behavior: Normal document text needs standard proofing, but specific styled text (like code snippets) shows unwanted red and blue spelling or grammar error underlines.

Before you start

Ensure you have already identified or created the specific text style (such as a 'Code' style) in your document that you wish to modify.

Solution 1Recommended

Modify the Style to Disable Spelling and Grammar Checks

Change the language formatting of your specific style so the word processor automatically ignores it during spelling and grammar checks.

By adjusting the language properties of a specific style, you can tell your word processor to skip proofing for any text that uses it. This is highly effective for technical documents containing code snippets or mathematical formulas.

Open the Styles Pane

Go to the Home tab on the ribbon and click the dialog box launcher in the bottom right corner of the Styles group to open the Styles pane.

Modify the Target Style

Scroll through the list to find the style you want to change (e.g., 'Code'). Right-click the style name and select 'Modify' from the context menu.

Access Language Settings

In the Modify Style dialog box, click on the 'Format' button located at the bottom-left corner, and then choose 'Language' from the dropdown list.

Disable Proofing

In the Language dialog box, check the box next to 'Do not check spelling or grammar'. Click 'OK' to close the Language dialog, and 'OK' again to close the Modify Style dialog.

Apply the Style

Select the code text or specialized content in your document and apply the newly modified style to instantly remove the spelling and grammar underlines.

Modify the Style to Disable Spelling and Grammar Checks

AutoCorrect Considerations: Disabling spell check does not automatically turn off AutoCorrect features (like capitalizing the first letter of a sentence). You may need to manually adjust AutoCorrect Options in the software settings if they still interfere with your code snippets.

Efficient Document Formatting

Easily Manage Styles and Proofing with WPS Writer

WPS Writer provides an intuitive interface for managing document styles and proofing options, making it incredibly simple to format technical documents, code snippets, and standard text side-by-side without unwanted spell-check distractions.

1. Open Styles: Open your document in WPS Writer, navigate to the Home tab, and open the Styles and Formatting task pane.
2. Modify the Style: Right-click the style you wish to exempt from proofing (like your Code style) and select 'Modify Style'.
3. Change Language Settings: Click the Format button, select Language, check the 'Do not check spelling or grammar' option, and confirm with OK.

Easily customize text styles to ignore spelling and grammar checks.Fully compatible with Microsoft Word document formats (.docx) and style sheets.Lightweight, fast, and ideal for handling large technical documents.Free office suite with a clean, user-friendly tabbed interface.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does AutoCorrect still change my code even after disabling spell check?

Disabling the spelling and grammar check for a style does not disable global AutoCorrect behaviors, such as automatically capitalizing the first letter of a line or replacing certain symbols. To fix this, you need to go to File > Options > Proofing > AutoCorrect Options and uncheck the specific automation rules that are disrupting your code.

Can I apply this setting to just a selected paragraph without modifying a style?

Yes. You can simply highlight the text you want to exclude from proofing, navigate to the Review tab, select Language > Set Proofing Language, and check the box for 'Do not check spelling or grammar'. This applies the setting locally without altering your global styles.

Will this proofing setting carry over if I share the document with others?

Yes, style settings and local language formatting are saved internally within the document file. When you share the file with others, anyone opening it in a compatible word processor will see the same proofing rules applied to that style.

Can I use a macro to automatically format my code snippets and disable proofing?

Absolutely. You can write a VBA macro that creates a specific 'Code' style, automatically sets the 'NoProofing' property to true, and applies this style to selected text. This is a common workaround for heavily technical documents.

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