Word spell check not working on Windows? Check the text language

In Word for Windows, create a blank document. Type a clearly misspelled word in the language you normally use and press F7 to run a spelling check. Try the same check in the affected document. If the blank document works, check the affected text and its document settings first. If the manual check works in both files, focus on what controls the underlines.

Select the affected words or paragraph before opening Review → Language → Set Proofing Language. Choose the actual language of the passage and clear Do not check spelling or grammar. In a bilingual document, apply the right language to each passage instead of setting the whole file to one language. If Word does not have proofing tools for your language, check Microsoft’s language pack guidance.

Go to File → Options → Proofing and turn on Check spelling as you type. If the underlines are missing in just this file, find Exceptions for, select the affected document, and clear Hide spelling errors in this document only. Check the selected document before making the change so you do not alter the default for new documents.

If Word flags other mistakes but skips a word you previously told it to ignore, go back to File → Options → Proofing and use Recheck Document. This clears earlier ignore decisions for the document so Word can check them again. If the misspelling was added to a custom dictionary, remove it from that dictionary instead.