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GNU Info File
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1994-07-11
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This is Info file ispell.info, produced by Makeinfo-1.55 from the input
file ispell.texi.
This file documents GNU ISPELL, an interactive spelling corrector.
Copyright (C) 1990 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.
Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that
the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
permission notice identical to this one.
Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a
translation approved by the Foundation.
File: ispell.info, Node: Top, Next: License, Prev: (dir), Up: (dir)
`Ispell' is a program that helps you to correct typos in a file, and
to find the correct spelling of words. When presented with a word that
is not in the dictionary, `ispell' attempts to find "near misses" that
might include the word you meant.
This manual describes how to use ispell, as well as a little about
its implementation.
* Menu:
* License:: Licensing information.
* Emacs:: Using ispell from emacs
* Standalone:: Using ispell by itself
* Ask:: Using ispell to look up individual words
* Private:: Your private dictionary
* Compatibility:: Compatibility with the traditional spell program
* Command summary:: All commands in emacs and standalone modes
Implementation details:
* Near misses:: Definition of a near miss
* Arguments:: Flags to the ispell command
* Interface:: How other programs can use ispell
* Dictionary flags:: How the suffix stripper works
* History:: Where it came from; authors
File: ispell.info, Node: License, Next: Emacs, Prev: Top, Up: Top
Licensing Information
*********************
Ispell is "free"; this means that everyone is free to use it and
free to redistribute it on a free basis. Ispell is not in the public
domain; it is copyrighted and there are restrictions on its
distribution, but these restrictions are designed to permit everything
that a good cooperating citizen would want to do. What is not allowed
is to try to prevent others from further sharing any version of ispell
that they might get from you.
Specifically, we want to make sure that you have the right to give
away copies of ispell, that you receive source code or else can get it
if you want it, that you can change ispell or use pieces of it in new
free programs, and that you know you can do these things.
To make sure that everyone has such rights, we have to forbid you to
deprive anyone else of these rights. For example, if you distribute
copies of ispell, you must give the recipients all the rights that you
have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source
code. And you must tell them their rights.
Also, for our own protection, we must make certain that everyone
finds out that there is no warranty for ispell. If these programs are
modified by someone else and passed on, we want their recipients to know
that what they have is not what we distributed, so that any problems
introduced by others will not reflect on our reputation.
The precise conditions of the licenses for ispell are found in the
General Public Licenses. The programs that are part of GNU Emacs are
covered by the GNU Emacs copying terms (*note License:
(emacs)License.), and other programs are covered by licenses that are
contained in their source files.
File: ispell.info, Node: Emacs, Next: Standalone, Prev: License, Up: Top
Using ispell from emacs
=======================
* Menu:
* Word:: Checking a single word
* Buffer:: Checking a whole buffer
* Region:: Checking a region
* Old Emacs:: Using ispell with older versions of emacs
Look here if M-$ calls the old spell program in your emacs.
File: ispell.info, Node: Word, Next: Buffer, Prev: Emacs, Up: Emacs
Checking a single word
----------------------
The simplest emacs command for calling ispell is 'M-$' (meta-dollar.
On some terminals, you must type ESC-$.) This checks the spelling of
the word under the cursor. If the word is found in the dictionary,
then a message is printed in the echo area. Otherwise, ISPELL attempts
to generate near misses.
If any near misses are found, they are displayed in a separate
window, each preceded by a digit. If one of these is the word you
wanted, just type its digit, and it will replace the original word in
your buffer.
If no near miss is right, or if none are displayed, you have four
choices:
Insert the word in your private dictionary. Use this if you know
that the word is spelled correctly.
Accept the word for the duration of this editing session, but do
not put it in your private dictionary. Use this if you are not
sure about the spelling of the word, but you do not want to look
it up immediately. The next time you start ispell, it will have
forgotten any accepted words. You can make it forget accepted
words at any time by typing `M-x reload-ispell'.
`SPC'
Leave the word alone, and consider it misspelled if it is checked
again.
Replace the word. This command prompts you for a string in the
minibuffer. You may type more than one word, and each word you
type is checked again, possibly finding other near misses. This
command provides a handy way to close in on a word that you have
no idea how to spell. You can keep trying different spellings
until you find one that is close enough to get a near miss.
Lookup. Display words from the dictionary that contain a
specified substring. The substring is a regular expression, which
means it can contain special characters to be more selective about
which words get displayed. *Note Regexps: (emacs)Regexps.
If the only special character in the regular express is a leading
`^', then a very fast binary search will be used, instead of
scanning the whole file.
Only a few matching words can be displayed in the ISPELL window.
If you want to see more, use the `look' program directly from the
shell.
Of course, you can also type
G to stop the command without changing
anything.
If you make a change that you don't like, just use emacs' normal undo
feature *Note undo: (emacs)undo.
File: ispell.info, Node: Buffer, Next: Region, Prev: Word, Up: Emacs
Checking a whole buffer
-----------------------
If you want to check the spelling of all the words in a buffer, type
the command `M-x ispell'. This command scans the file, and makes a
list of all the misspelled words. When it is done, it moves the cursor
to the first word on the list, and acts like you just typed M-$ *Note
Word::.
When you finish with one word, the cursor is automatically moved to
the next. If you want to stop in the middle of the list type `Q' or
G'. Later, you can pick up where you left off by typing `C-X $'.
File: ispell.info, Node: Region, Next: Old Emacs, Prev: Buffer, Up: Emacs
Checking a region
-----------------
You may check the words in the region with the command M-x
ispell-region. See *Note mark: (emacs)mark.
The commands available are the same as for checking a whole buffer.
File: ispell.info, Node: Old Emacs, Prev: Region, Up: Emacs
Old Emacs
=========
Until ispell becomes part of the standard emacs distribution, you
will have to explicitly request that it be loaded. Put the following
lines in your emacs init file *Note init file: (emacs)init file.
(autoload 'ispell "ispell" "Run ispell over buffer" t)
(autoload 'ispell-region "ispell" "Run ispell over region" t)
(autoload 'ispell-word "ispell" "Check word under cursor" t)
(define-key esc-map "$" 'ispell-word)
(It will do no harm to have these lines in your init file even after
ispell is installed by default.)
File: ispell.info, Node: Standalone, Next: Ask, Prev: Emacs, Up: Top
Using ispell by itself
======================
To check the words in