It happens to almost everyone: while rushing through a spelling check, you mistakenly add a misspelled (or mistyped) word to Word's custom dictionary. From then on, Word doesn't flag that misspelled word as incorrect, so it may go unnoticed. Fortunately, the custom dictionary is a simple text document that you can easily edit. Here's how:

1. Select Tools-Options.

2. In Word 97, click the Spelling & Grammar tab in the Options dialogue box. In Word 6 and 7, click the Spelling tab.

3. In Word 97, click Dictionaries. In Word 7, click Custom Dictionaries. Word 6 users can skip this step.

4. Select CUSTOM.DIC or the dictionary you want to change in the Custom Dictionaries list.

5. Click Edit, then click OK in the advisory dialogue box that appears.

6. After Word loads the dictionary, delete any words you added erroneously.

7. Once your edits are finished, select File-Save, then File-Close.

8. In Word 7 and 97, you'll need to select Tools-Options, click the Spelling & Grammar tab, and enable Check spelling as you type in the dialogue box if it was enabled prior to your edits. This is necessary because Word turns this feature off when you edit a custom dictionary.

9. You can also add words to your custom dictionary if you want. Just type them in during Step 6 and save.