Thesaurus in International Versions Shows Wrong Synonyms

ID: Q137917

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word, it may display incorrect synonyms or no synonyms at all. This problem occurs when you run Word version 6.0, 6.0a, or 6.0c for Windows (that is, any version of 16-bit Word), with a non-U.S. version of Windows 95 or a non-U.S. version Windows NT.

This problem can also occur when using Word6.x with a U.S. Version of Windows but the Regional Settings in the Control Panel are set to English Australian or English British.

CAUSE

The problem occurs because non-U.S. versions of Windows 95 and Windows NT use a different sort order than the U.S. versions. Because the Thesaurus depends on the operating system's sort order, the Thesaurus sometimes displays incorrect synonyms.

RESOLUTION

If using a U.S. version of Windows, the Control Panel Regional Settings must be set to English U.S.

The application note titled "Word Thesaurus Correction for Non-U.S. Versions of Windows 95 and Windows NT" is available that contains an updated version of the thesaurus file (MSTHES.DLL) that corrects this problem. For information about how to obtain this Application Note, query on the following word in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   WD1253

MORE INFORMATION

The updated version of the file can be installed on any system running Word for Windows version 6.x, but will only affect behavior on non-U.S. system.

KBCategory: KBSubcategory: kbproof Additional reference words: 6.0 6.0a 6.0c word6 windows95 winword missing blank empty list alphabetic

Keywords          : kbinterop kbproof 
Version           : 6.0 6.0a 6.0c
Platform          : WINDOWS

Last Reviewed: February 6, 1998