This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Hierdie gesprek is in die argief. Vra asseblief 'n nuwe vraag as jy hulp nodig het.

Strange spell-checking Wikipedia/dictionary/Google box pops up in text boxes

more options

I'm not really sure how to describe this... if I'm typing in a text box such as the one I'm using to type this - this has happened on Tumblr and AOL Mail most frequently - occasionally, and seemingly randomly, a box will pop up on the right side of the text box. It's almost like another frame overlaying the inside of the text box... I tried to get it to pop up purposefully so I could take a screenshot but every time I managed it I accidentally clicked inside the text box and the mysterious box disappeared.

The box seems to be some sort of dictionary service. Sometimes it shows links to Wikipedia or Google, and sometimes it shows a dictionary site that I can't remember the name of but have never heard of otherwise.

When the box pops up, after I click back inside the text box and it goes away, everything seems normal, but if you look at the sent message, it'll have this text at the bottom, as if it's an artifact the mystery box left behind:

"WikipediaWictionaryChambers (UK)Google imagesGoogle defineThe Free DictionaryJoin exampleWordNetGoogleUrban DictionaryAnswers.comrhymezone.comMerriam-Webster<>0wvcidfjoguarm"

The box seems to pop up when I double click on a word or something of the likes. As I said, I couldn't quite figure out how to make it show up on purpose.

I don't have any plugins installed that I think would do this, and I'm most definitely spyware and adware free. I've had this popping up in Firefox for a VERY long time now.

As I was typing this out, I took a little Tumblr break and the box popped up. I've taken a screenshot, here it is: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v97/shiverstheninja/weirdbox.png

I'm not really sure how to describe this... if I'm typing in a text box such as the one I'm using to type this - this has happened on Tumblr and AOL Mail most frequently - occasionally, and seemingly randomly, a box will pop up on the right side of the text box. It's almost like another frame overlaying the inside of the text box... I tried to get it to pop up purposefully so I could take a screenshot but every time I managed it I accidentally clicked inside the text box and the mysterious box disappeared. The box seems to be some sort of dictionary service. Sometimes it shows links to Wikipedia or Google, and sometimes it shows a dictionary site that I can't remember the name of but have never heard of otherwise. When the box pops up, after I click back inside the text box and it goes away, everything seems normal, but if you look at the sent message, it'll have this text at the bottom, as if it's an artifact the mystery box left behind: "WikipediaWictionaryChambers (UK)Google imagesGoogle defineThe Free DictionaryJoin exampleWordNetGoogleUrban DictionaryAnswers.comrhymezone.comMerriam-Webster<>0wvcidfjoguarm" The box seems to pop up when I double click on a word or something of the likes. As I said, I couldn't quite figure out how to make it show up on purpose. I don't have any plugins installed that I think would do this, and I'm most definitely spyware and adware free. I've had this popping up in Firefox for a VERY long time now. As I was typing this out, I took a little Tumblr break and the box popped up. I've taken a screenshot, here it is: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v97/shiverstheninja/weirdbox.png

All Replies (5)

more options

Do you have that problem when running in the Firefox SafeMode?
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Safe+Mode
Don't select anything right now, just use "Continue in SafeMode."

If not, see this:
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/troubleshooting+extensions+and+theme...

more options

The problem with figuring out if it still happens in safe mode is that I don't know how to make it happen. It seems rather random. I'm trying to get it to happen by going to the pages where it happened before and typing and clicking and such, but it's just not happening. I had this same problem earlier when I was not running safe mode and I was just trying to capture a screencap of the problem. I could not cause it to happen on purpose. I just happened to be very lucky that while I was typing elsewhere it happened and I was able to grab a screencapture.

more options

I just typed out a long e-mail and the box didn't pop up, so it doesn't seem to be happening in safe mode. However, I've typed out plenty of long e-mails without the box popping up just due to random happenstance. I really don't know what causes it to show up, it seems to be a keystroke or a certain way of clicking but as I said I can't seem to make it happen on purpose.

I know I can't be the only person who has this happening, as I can Google the artifact it leaves behind (all the names of the search engines and such) and see that other people have accidentally posted it as well, leading me to believe the box popped up for them and left that text behind and they did not realize it happened. (You don't realize it happens before you hit the post button because that text does not show up until the post has actually been sent through.)

more options

Gekose oplossing

more options

That was it! Thank you! The script was Lookitup2, for anyone else who might run across this page looking for the solution later on...