Google Docs just gave spell check a boost — here’s how it works

Google Docs is always updating its features, from reorganizing its layout to the ability to edit Microsoft Word documents offline. Now, the online word processor hopes this latest change will prevent you from unwittingly making a mistake.

As reported by TechRadar (opens in new tab), the search giant recently announced in a blog post that it is bringing “enhanced spell check” to Google Docs. The most interesting part of enhanced spell check is that unknown words will no longer be ignored by Google Docs — even if there is no suggestion. Previously, if Google could not identify an alternative solution for a word it would not necessarily identify it as needing attention. Now, it will underline the offending word and ask if you want to add it to your personal dictionary.

As someone who regularly uses Google Docs, I am very much looking forward to this update. Currently, I use Grammarly when writing because I find the built-in spell check in Google Docs to be less than effective, but I would love a more streamlined experience. Unfortunately, I couldn’t enable this feature while writing this piece but hopefully I will be able to soon.