Office Settings & Configuration

How to Fix Microsoft Word Using US Spelling Instead of UK English

Steve K Sep 28, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user needs to change the spell check and proofing language in Microsoft Word from US English to UK English.

How to Fix Microsoft Word Using US Spelling Instead of UK English

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: Windows
Scenario: Editing a document or setting up Word where the spell checker incorrectly flags UK English words as misspelled.
Observed behavior: Word defaults to US spelling and applies character-level US English proofing, even if UK English is installed.

Before you start

Ensure that you have the UK English language pack downloaded and installed in your Microsoft Office settings before attempting to change the default proofing language.

Solution 1Recommended

Change Proofing Language for the Current Document

Manually apply UK English to all existing text in your document and disable automatic language detection to prevent Word from reverting to US spelling.

Language in Microsoft Word is treated as a character-level property, much like font size or color. This means simply changing the overall default language won't automatically update text that has already been typed or pasted.

Select all text

Press Ctrl + A on your keyboard to highlight all the text in your current document.

Access language settings

Navigate to the 'Review' tab on the ribbon, click on the 'Language' button, and select 'Set Proofing Language' from the dropdown menu.

Select UK English

Scroll through the language list in the dialog box and select 'English (United Kingdom)'.

Disable auto-detect

Uncheck the box that says 'Detect language automatically'. This is crucial to stop Word from aggressively switching back to US English based on what you type.

Apply changes

Click 'OK' to apply the UK English proofing to the selected text.

Change Proofing Language for the Current Document

Instant Fix: Your existing text will immediately be re-evaluated using the UK English dictionary, removing red squiggly lines from words like 'colour' or 'organise'.

Solution 2

Update the Normal Style for Future Documents

Change the default language in your Normal template so that all new documents automatically start with UK English.

Solution 3

Synchronize Windows and Office Language Settings

Ensure your Windows display language matches your Office proofing language to prevent conflicts.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Word keep changing back to US English while I am typing?

Word often reverts to US English if the 'Detect language automatically' feature is enabled, or if your Windows keyboard layout is set to US English. Disabling the auto-detect feature in the 'Set Proofing Language' dialog usually resolves this.

Does installing the UK English language pack automatically fix the spelling in my document?

No. Installing the language pack only makes the UK English dictionary available. Because language is applied as a character-level property in Word, you still need to manually apply UK English to your existing text.

How do I add UK English to my spell checker if it is missing from the list?

Go to File > Options > Language in Microsoft Word. Under 'Office authoring languages and proofing', click 'Add a Language', select 'English (United Kingdom)', and ensure the proofing tools are downloaded and installed.

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