A spell checker does not automatically know your customer names, product labels, abbreviations, or specialist vocabulary. If the same correct terms are flagged in every document, the checker quickly becomes noisy. That is what a personal dictionary is for.
What belongs in a personal dictionary?
- first and last names you use regularly
- company and product names
- specialist terms from your field
- internal abbreviations
- correct foreign words or new terms missing from the standard dictionary
What should not be added
Do not add a word simply to remove the red underline. If the spelling is actually wrong, you will suppress exactly the warning that would have helped you later.
When you are unsure, verify the spelling before adding the term.
Think about capitalization
Depending on the spell checker, the stored form can matter. Proper names often use capitalization, while technical identifiers can use unusual casing. Add the term in the form you genuinely need.
Specialist vocabulary changes
A personal dictionary is not a permanent archive. Product names change, internal abbreviations disappear, and preferred spellings evolve. Review older entries occasionally.
Device-bound or synchronized?
A personal dictionary can remain on one device or be synchronized. Both approaches have trade-offs: local storage is simpler and avoids another data path; synchronization reduces repeated setup across devices.
The important point is to know which model your software uses.
Personal dictionaries and privacy
A dictionary can contain information about projects, customers, or internal terminology. In sensitive environments, it is useful to know whether those terms remain local or are transferred elsewhere.
How to keep the dictionary useful
- Add only confirmed correct terms.
- Store variants deliberately rather than indiscriminately.
- Remove obsolete terminology from time to time.
- Document unusual spellings internally if they are important.
- Do not use the spell checker dictionary as a replacement for a proper terminology glossary.
Priviot Proof
The spell checker in Priviot Write supports a personal dictionary. According to the current product documentation, your own terms remain local and device-bound.
That works well for names and specialist vocabulary that do not belong in the general dictionary. If you use several devices, remember that a device-bound dictionary does not automatically become identical everywhere.
Conclusion
A personal dictionary makes spell checking quieter and more relevant. It works best when you add terms deliberately and keep genuinely incorrect spellings out.