Office Settings & Configuration

How to Use Multiple Proofing Languages in Microsoft Office

Huma Ashraf Ch Sep 30, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to check spelling for two or more languages simultaneously within their documents and notes.

How to Use Multiple Proofing Languages in Microsoft Office

Product: Microsoft Office
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Writing multi-lingual documents or notes where standard spell checkers highlight foreign words as errors because they only check against a single language dictionary.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Office and OneNote offer limited support for checking two languages at the same time, and the automatic language detection feature does not always reliably identify mixed-language passages.

Before you start

Ensure that the necessary language accessory packs for all the languages you intend to use are downloaded and installed in your Microsoft Office settings.

Solution 1Recommended

Enable Automatic Language Detection in Word

Use Word's built-in automatic detection to switch proofing dictionaries on the fly based on the language you are typing.

While not completely flawless, Microsoft Word includes a feature that attempts to guess the language of the text as you type. If you frequently switch between languages, enabling this feature can reduce the number of false spelling errors.

Open Language Settings

Open your Microsoft Word document, navigate to the 'Review' tab on the ribbon, and click on 'Language' in the Language group.

Access Proofing Language

Select 'Set Proofing Language' from the drop-down menu.

Enable Automatic Detection

In the dialog box that appears, check the box that says 'Detect language automatically' and click 'OK'.

Enable Automatic Language Detection in Word

Limitation Warning: Automatic detection requires at least a full sentence to accurately identify the language. It may still struggle with short phrases or highly mixed passages.

Solution 2

Create a Combined Custom Dictionary

Add words from both languages into a single custom dictionary to prevent frequent words from being marked as misspelled in OneNote and Outlook.

Solution 3

Submit Feature Feedback to Microsoft

Request native support for multiple simultaneous proofing languages directly from the development team.

Free Microsoft Office alternative

Need a Smoother Multilingual Writing Experience? Try WPS Office

If managing multiple proofing languages in Microsoft Office is frustrating and limits your productivity, consider switching to WPS Office. It provides a lightweight, highly compatible alternative with intuitive proofing and language settings that make working on multilingual documents much simpler.

1. Download and Install: Download WPS Office for free from the official website and complete the quick installation.
2. Open Your Document: Launch WPS Writer and open your multi-lingual document.
3. Set Spell Check Language: Navigate to the Review tab, click on Spell Check, and easily set your preferred proofing language for the document.

Completely free and lightweight Office suiteSeamless format compatibility with Microsoft Office (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx)Intuitive built-in spell checker with easily manageable language packagesFamiliar user interface that requires zero learning curve

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why are my foreign language words marked with red underlines even though they are spelled correctly?

Office's spell checker compares your text against the currently selected proofing language dictionary. If the text is recognized as English, valid words from a different language will be marked as incorrect. You must select the text and manually apply the correct proofing language, or enable automatic language detection.

Can I use two different dictionaries at exactly the same time in OneNote?

No, OneNote does not currently support checking two separate dictionaries simultaneously. You can only set one primary proofing language at a time. Using a combined custom dictionary is the most common workaround for this limitation.

How do I install a new proofing language in Microsoft Office?

To add a new language, open your Office app, go to File > Options > Language. Under the 'Office authoring languages and proofing' section, click 'Add a Language', select your desired language, and ensure you check the box to get the proofing tools if prompted.

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