How to Use Spell Check in Excel

Do you wish you could spell check in Excel? Messing up your Excel data can be frustrating. We’ve all been there—you’re trying to run a pivot table or analyze some imported data, and something seems off. You swear the data is missing. You reimport it, scroll through the rows, and check every corner. Everything looks fine on the surface. Yet somehow, your data just won’t cooperate with your analysis tools.

Is it missing? Is it Excel’s fault? Spoiler alert: It’s probably a tiny typo or misspelling somewhere in your spreadsheet. Fixing everything manually can take forever, but here’s the good news: Excel has a built-in spell check feature, and I’m going to show you exactly how to use it. Trust me, it’s a game-changer for anyone frequently working with large datasets.

Before we dive into the tutorial, feel free to watch the video guide below for a quick walk-through:

Why Typos in Excel Can Mess With Your Data

Imagine working on a dataset for an hour, running analyses, pivot tables, or comparisons, only to realize something isn’t adding up. Your data might be “missing,” not because it’s actually gone, but because of a small spelling error. Believe me, it happens more than you’d expect—whether you’re typing data manually or importing it from another system.

Use Cases for Spell Check in Excel

• Manual Data Entry: If you or your team are hand-typing information into Excel, there’s a good chance human error will creep in.
• Imported Data Sets: Systems that export data to Excel aren’t always perfect. They’re prone to glitches and inconsistencies.

Instead of endlessly scanning your data or re-importing files, let Excel’s built-in spell check do the heavy lifting for you.

How to Spell Check Your Data in Excel

Excel’s spell check feature is just like the one in Microsoft Word. It makes scanning your data for misspellings super easy and quick.

Steps to Spell Check in Excel:

1. Select the Data You Want to Spell Check in Excel
   • Highlight the range of cells containing the data you want to scan. If you’re checking an entire column or table, it’s easier just to select the whole thing.
   • You can hold down Control + Shift and press the down arrow (↓) to select everything in your column.
2. Open the Spell Check Tool
   • In the top Ribbon, click on the “Review” tab. Next, find and click on “Spelling.”
3. Review the Suggestions
   • Excel will scan through your data, stopping anytime it finds something that seems misspelled. A pop-up will appear with suggestions for correction. (This popup looks very similar to the Word spell check tool, so you’ll feel right at home.)
4. Correct Misspellings
   • You have options:
     • Ignore Once: Skip over it this time.
     • Ignore All: Skip all instances of this supposed misspelling.
     • Add to Dictionary: If Excel marks a valid word as incorrect, add it to the dictionary.
     • Change: Correct the mistake by selecting the correct word from the suggestions.
5. Repeat Until Excel Says You’re Done
   • Excel will move through your dataset automatically, identifying each issue. When it’s finished, it will let you know your spelling is complete.

RELATED TOPICS: How to Use Text to Columns in Microsoft Excel

Screenshots for Clarity:

1. Selecting Your Data: Use Ctrl + Shift + ↓ to quickly select a column.
2. Opening Spell Check:
3. Dealing with Misspellings:

Pro Tip:

If you can run the spell check in Excel before you start analyzing, that will save you a lot of headaches. The last thing you want is to panic over “missing” data for hours, only to discover it’s a simple typo of “Cantelope” when you meant “Cantaloupe.”

Should You Run Spell Check Before or After Data Analysis In Excel?

This really comes down to preference and workflow. There are two schools of thought:

1. Run Spell Check Early (Before Analysis)
   • By running spell check before you do your pivot tables or start analyzing the data, you know your data is clean from the start. No surprises.
2. Run Spell Check Later (After Analysis)
   • If you prefer to get straight into the analysis and fix mistakes as the need arises, you can always run the spell check at the end of your workflow. Just click through the spelling corrections after you’ve identified missing or mismatched data.

Personally, I recommend checking your spelling before diving into your analysis. It prevents issues before they start, saves time, and eliminates frustrating hours hunting down typos.

RELATED TOPIC: Excel Made Easy: Can You Spot Formulas vs. Functions?

Wrapping It Up

Excel is a powerful tool, but it’s only as smart as the data you feed it. Inaccurate or misspelled data can seriously mess up your analysis—but it doesn’t have to. With a quick spell check, you can make sure everything is in order and avoid the trap of looking for “missing” data that’s been there all along.

Next time you’re ready to tackle a pivot table or run a big analysis, give the spell checker in Excel a try. It can save you from the frustration of endless re-imports, scrolling, and manual data checks.

If you found this guide helpful, don’t forget to give it a thumbs up and hit subscribe for more Excel tips and tricks. Have any questions, suggestions, or feedback? Drop them in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.

Gear Mentioned in the Video:

• Lenovo ThinkPad Laptop
• Logitech Wireless Mouse and Keyboard
  Affiliate links are used to support this channel at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support! ☺

Get Started with Microsoft 365

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more Microsoft Excel and Microsoft 365 Tutorials.

This page may contain affiliate links. These are tools I personally use and love. I may receive a small commission should you make a purchase using one of these links. This helps keep the tutorials and website posts coming and up to date. Thank you for your support! For more information please see my full disclaimer.