SPELL(1)                                                 SPELL(1)

     NAME
          spell, sprog - 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 spelling list and places possible
          misspellings-words not sanctioned there-on the standard out-
          put.

          Spell ignores constructs of troff(1) and its standard pre-
          processors.  It understands these options:

          -a   Label each line of output with its address in the
               input, in the notation of acme(1) and sam(1).

          -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.

     SOURCE
          /rc/bin/spell       the script
          /sys/src/cmd/spell  source for sprog

     SEE ALSO
          deroff(1)

     Page 1                       Plan 9             (printed 3/28/24)

     SPELL(1)                                                 SPELL(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
          lightly.

     Page 2                       Plan 9             (printed 3/28/24)