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

[SOLVED]Linux Mint 19.1 system is US English, as is Firefox, but spell check prefers colour over color

  • 4 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 5 views
  • Last reply by gigi

more options

Note: The Automatically Add button led me to a missing page and I have to rewrite this text and re-add "[SOLVED]." I did get signed in.

I installed Linux Mint 19.1, 64-bit, MATE Desktop, which included Firefox, Thunderbird and LibreOffice apps. I do much writing on forums, in email and word processor documents. My system language was set for US English, but the spell checker corrects words that end in "-or" here and that elsewhere end in "-our" if I spell them ending in "-or."

My last check of the issue revealed that only in Firefox did the spell checker prefer British spellings, for TBird and LibreOffice checkers preferred US English.

(Let's see now, I have found three ways to misspell "English" within five minutes: "Englishy," "Engluish," and "eNGLISH!" Agggh!!) :(

I finally got "a round to-it" for the oval and square to-its don't fit, and started this post. Lo and behold, I have no issue under Firefox 70.1 with incorrect locale! The spell checker does accept US spellings and calls me out on the others. I didn't mind the other spellings, because the Internet is a world-wide network, and even adopted some of them like "recognise." Now they get flagged.

This issue is [SOLVED] withoiut me doing anything but update my computer and Firefox to 70.1. Thank you. //Edited to correct some missed spelling errors//

Note: The Automatically Add button led me to a missing page and I have to rewrite this text and re-add "[SOLVED]." I did get signed in. I installed Linux Mint 19.1, 64-bit, MATE Desktop, which included Firefox, Thunderbird and LibreOffice apps. I do much writing on forums, in email and word processor documents. My system language was set for US English, but the spell checker corrects words that end in "-or" here and that elsewhere end in "-our" if I spell them ending in "-or." My last check of the issue revealed that only in Firefox did the spell checker prefer British spellings, for TBird and LibreOffice checkers preferred US English. (Let's see now, I have found three ways to misspell "English" within five minutes: "Englishy," "Engluish," and "eNGLISH!" Agggh!!) :( I finally got "a round to-it" for the oval and square to-its don't fit, and started this post. Lo and behold, I have no issue under Firefox 70.1 with incorrect locale! The spell checker does accept US spellings and calls me out on the others. I didn't mind the other spellings, because the Internet is a world-wide network, and even adopted some of them like "recognise." Now they get flagged. '''This issue is [SOLVED] withoiut me doing anything but update my computer and Firefox to 70.1.''' Thank you. //Edited to correct some missed spelling errors//

Modified by Ellsworth51

Chosen solution

Ubuntu has the habit to include a lot of dictionaries and locales with its special branded Firefox version from the repositories.

You can see which dictionary is selected if you right-click in a text area and open the Languages sub menu. At least one dictionary should be installed and have a check mark to indicate that it is selected.

  • open the "Add Dictionaries" link to install a dictionary if you do not have one.

The spelling checker is enabled if [X] "Check Spelling" in the right-click context menu has a checkmark.

You can check these locations for globally installed dictionaries:

  • /usr/share/hunspell/
  • /usr/share/myspell/
Read this answer in context 👍 1

All Replies (4)

more options

Note that Firefox and Thunderbird spell checkers uses Dictionaries and not your OS system language. Third-party builds of Firefox may come with their own changes and or dictionaries etc compared to the official Linux builds from say www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-do-i-use-firefox-spell-checker https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-install-and-use-another-language-dictionary-th

more options

Chosen Solution

Ubuntu has the habit to include a lot of dictionaries and locales with its special branded Firefox version from the repositories.

You can see which dictionary is selected if you right-click in a text area and open the Languages sub menu. At least one dictionary should be installed and have a check mark to indicate that it is selected.

  • open the "Add Dictionaries" link to install a dictionary if you do not have one.

The spelling checker is enabled if [X] "Check Spelling" in the right-click context menu has a checkmark.

You can check these locations for globally installed dictionaries:

  • /usr/share/hunspell/
  • /usr/share/myspell/
more options

Thank you James and Cor-el, both, for providing additional information on the topic!

I posted on the Linux forum, thinking the issue was system-wide, and after I got an answer, I checked again to find it was only in Firefox. By the time I got into it, for whatever reason, FF was right with the world -- why I posted this question and marked it solved.

Indeed Linux Mint, a derivative of Ubuntu, which in turn is a derivative of Debian, does contain a BIG list of language dictionaries. And US English was checked. And US English it is.

(I did read somewhere that a derivative of another derivative of the original is the best of the three..... perhaps Ubuntu's team made some improvements on Debian and LM's team further improved the product, as in 3 heads are better than one.)

I've learned a lot from both of your inputs. Thank you both.

more options

Ellsworth51 said

Thank you James and Cor-el, both, for providing additional information on the topic! I posted on the Linux forum, thinking the issue was system-wide, and after I got an answer, I checked again to find it was only in Firefox. By the time I got into it, for whatever reason, FF was right with the world -- why I posted this question and marked it solved. Indeed Linux Mint, a derivative of Ubuntu, which in turn is a derivative of Debian, does contain a BIG list of language dictionaries. And US English was checked. And US English it is. (I did read somewhere that a derivative of another derivative of the original is the best of the three..... perhaps Ubuntu's team made some improvements on Debian and LM's team further improved the product, as in 3 heads are better than one.) I've learned a lot from both of your inputs. Thank you both.

I