Err Msg: The Custom Dictionary Is Full. The Word Was Not Added

• Microsoft Word for Windows versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c
• Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.0 and 3.1

SUMMARY

The following error message sometimes occurs when you attempt to add a word to the custom dictionary using the spelling checker in Word for Windows:

   The Custom dictionary is full. The word was not added.

MORE INFORMATION

When the Word spelling checker uses the MSSPELL.DLL and MSSP_AM.LEX files, it may flag as misspelled a word that is actually found in the main dictionary. The same word is not flagged by the spelling checker in Microsoft Excel. An example of such a word is "Mrs.".

Word allows you to add the flagged word to the custom dictionary. However, if you run the spelling checker again, Word flags the same word as misspelled. If you again add the word to your custom dictionary, the "Custom dictionary is full..." error message appears because the spelling checker is trying to add to the custom dictionary a word that already exists in the main dictionary.

Workaround

Use the SPELL.DLL and SP_AM.LEX spelling files supplied with Word. To determine which spelling files Word is using, look for the following line in the [Microsoft Word 2.0] section of the Windows WIN.INI file:

   Spelling 1033,0=C:\WINWORD\SPELL.DLL, C:\WINWORD\SP_AM.LEX

Note: MSSPELL.DLL and MSSP_AM.LEX do not support the use of exclude dictionaries.

Reference(s):

"Microsoft Word for Windows User's Guide," version 2.0, pages 805, 810