Word constantly checks your writing in the background and quietly points out things worth a second look. By the end of this page you will understand what the coloured squiggly lines mean, how to act on them, and how to find and replace text safely across a whole document.
As you type, Word underlines certain words and phrases with a wavy line so you can spot them at a glance. A red squiggle usually means a word is not recognised, often a spelling mistake, though sometimes just a name Word does not know. A blue or gold squiggle points to something about grammar or style worth reviewing, such as a missing word or an awkward phrase.
The quickest way to deal with a squiggle is to right-click directly on the underlined word or phrase. Word offers a short list of suggested corrections, plus an option to ignore that instance, or to add the word to its dictionary if it is a name or term you use often and do not want flagged again.
- Word's best guess
- Swaps in the suggestion
- Stops future flagging
Try it yourself: spelling and grammar
Type a word with a deliberate spelling mistake and watch a red squiggle appear beneath it.
This confirms Word has checked the word against its dictionary and not recognised it.
Right-click the underlined word.
This opens a short menu of likely correct spellings, generated from how close each one is to what you typed.
Click the correct spelling from the list.
Word replaces your mistake with the chosen word in one click, no retyping needed.
Right-click a word that is correct but unusual, such as a surname, and choose Add to Dictionary.
This stops Word flagging that particular word every time it appears in future documents, useful for names you type often.
Find and Replace is a separate tool for searching an entire document rather than reading it line by line. Pressing Ctrl+F opens a simple search box down the left-hand side that jumps to and highlights every match as you type. Ctrl+H opens the fuller Replace window, which can swap every occurrence of one word for another automatically.
Try it yourself: Find and Replace
Press Ctrl+F and type a word you know appears in your document.
Word highlights every matching occurrence and lets you jump between them, which is far quicker than scrolling and reading.
Press Ctrl+H instead, type a word to find and a word to replace it with, then click Replace.
This changes just the one occurrence you are currently looking at, letting you check each change before it happens.
Words people use
The spelling and grammar checks, together with Find and Replace, are there to catch what a tired pair of eyes might miss, but they are suggestions, not commands. A careful read-through of your own is still worth doing before anything important goes out the door.
Check yourself
If you can say yes to each of these, you are ready for the next lesson.
- I know the difference between a red squiggle and a blue or gold one
- I can right-click a squiggly underline to see and accept suggestions
- I can use Ctrl+F to find a word anywhere in a document
- I understand why Replace All needs care before I use it