SPELL(1) SPELL(1)
NAME
spell - find spelling errors
SYNOPSIS
spell [ options ] [ file ]
sprog [ options ] [ -f file ]
DESCRIPTION
Spell looks up words from the named files (standard input
default) in a public spelling list. Possible misspellings-
words that occur in neither and are not plausibly derivable
from the former-are placed on the standard output.
Spell ignores constructs of troff(1) and its standard pre-
processors. It understands these options:
-b Check British spelling.
-v Print all words not literally in the spelling list,
with derivations.
-x Print, marked with `=', every stem as it is looked up
in the spelling list, along with its affix classes.
As a matter of policy, spell does not admit multiple spel-
lings of the same word. Variants that follow general rules
are preferred over those that don't, even when the unruly
spelling is more common. Thus, in American usage, `mod-
elled', `sizeable', and `judgment' are rejected in favor of
`modeled', `sizable', and `judgement'. Agglutinated vari-
ants are shunned: `crewmember' and `backyard' cede to `crew
member' and `back yard' (noun) or `back-yard' (adjective).
FILES
/sys/lib/amspell American spelling list
/sys/lib/brspell British spelling list
/bin/aux/sprog The actual spelling checker. It expects
one word per line on standard input, and
takes the same arguments as spell.
SEE ALSO
deroff(1)
BUGS
The heuristics of deroff(1) used to excise formatting infor-
mation are imperfect.
The spelling list's coverage is uneven; in particular biol-
ogy, medicine, and chemistry, and perforce proper names, not
to mention languages other than English, are covered very
Page 1 Plan 9 (printed 12/21/24)
SPELL(1) SPELL(1)
lightly.
Page 2 Plan 9 (printed 12/21/24)