Productivity Portfolio

One of the easiest ways to make a bad impression is to misspell. Although the major stand-alone and web e-mail applications have built in spell checking, they can't help you on web-based forms. These days, web forms are common for such items as product requests, tech support tickets and resume submissions.

One tool I found to help me perform spell checking is IE spell. It's an Internet Explorer extension that adds a toolbar button to the browser. After filling in a form, I hit the IE Spell button on my toolbar and the program scans for spelling errors.

I've used other stand-alone spelling applications, but many have had problems with web forms. In contrast, IE Spell offers several options such as ignoring markup and escape sequences. Occasionally, it runs into a problem with contractions but fewer than other spell checkers I've tried.

The program also has some useful customization features. For example, you can specify whether you want a fast and less accurate spell check or a slower and more accurate check. You can also opt to omit mixed case words such as Win95. The other feature that separates this program is the integration with Merriam Webster dictionary. In the Spell Check dialog, you may highlight a word and look up its definition.

Note: If the toolbar button doesn't show after installation, go to Views | Toolbars| Customize… and add the button to the bar.

Related Article