About automatic language detection

When you open a document or enter text, Microsoft Word can automatically detect the language of the text for a number of languages. When Word detects a language, it uses the spelling and grammar dictionaries, punctuation rules, and sorting conventions for that language. This provides a convenient way to perform certain tasks automatically as you type, such as checking spelling and grammar and working with multilingual text.

To get the most accurate results, Word uses special language algorithms and statistics to analyze the letter combinations in every sentence. It does not detect the language of individual words or short phrases. As it detects languages, Word narrows down the results to the languages it is set up to work with by using any of the following criteria:

Whether the language is enabled for editing.
The default language for the document (this is the language format for the Normal style in the active template).
The active keyboard (if more than one keyboard language and layout is installed).

Language detection takes place while you work, without interrupting your work. In a new document, Word starts at the beginning and checks each sentence as you type it and any text you paste or insert into the file. When you open a document it has never checked, Word checks every sentence in the document. Word also rechecks sentences that you edit.

Word keeps track of text it has already checked so that it doesn't recheck the same text every time you open the document. If you apply language formats to whole sentences by using the Language dialog box (Tools menu, Language submenu, Set Language command), Word also keeps track of these language formats and does not change them unless you edit the sentence.

Note Even with automatic language detection, you may need to apply language formats directly to your text. For example, Word may be unable to identify languages that differ subtly in the way they are written, such as Danish and Norwegian. Word might apply the wrong language format or assume the default language for the document — perhaps an entirely different language such as English.

To use automatic language detection, you must first enable the languages you want to use for editing.

In addition, Word can use different spelling and grammar files for each language you type in the document. If the correct files aren't available on your computer when you check spelling or grammar, Word attempts to automatically install them for you.

If Word cannot install the correct files for you, you may need to obtain Microsoft Office 2003 Proofing Tools.

In addition, to have Word detect languages, you must turn on automatic language detection. If the language you use most frequently is not the default editing language, you can change the default language format in your Normal template. This setting affects only new documents.

If you use Word to open a Web page that contains language formats in its HTML code, Word keeps the language formats for text in languages it cannot automatically detect. When Word can detect the language of text, it applies the language format for the language it detects.

Similarly, if you save a document as a Web page, Word continues to automatically detect the languages that you're working in.