MacOS – Delete misspelled words from user dictionary in macOS

dictionarymacosmojave

I have a misspelled word – initiaitializatyion – on my MacBook running macOS Mojave 10.14.5. I have checked all the following files for its existence:

  • /Users/me/Library/Spelling/LocalDictionary

  • /Applications/me/Library/Spelling/LocalDictionary

  • /Users/me/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Default/Custom Dictionary.txt

but couldn't find it.

If I right-click on this word in Slack, TextEdit, etc. I do not get the Unlearn spelling option that many websites I've looked up have suggested. However, I do have Microsoft Word for Mac (16.26), and in that app the word is recognized as being misspelled.

Where can I find this word and remove it from my dictionary? And remove any other words which may be in that dictionary, as there may be other misspelled words in it?

Best Answer

Microsoft Office Word adds all changes to its own Speelling and Grammer database.

For apps that are using the built-in macOS dictionary you can simply remove it like this:

  1. Open Textedit
  2. Paste initiaitializatyion
  3. Select initiaitializatyion
  4. Hold down Command (CMD/Rightclick) and select Unlearn Spelling

Unlearn Spelling

If you do not get the Unlearn spelling option, 'initiaitializatyion' has not been added (learn option) to the Spelling Dictionary.