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Australian English spell check files
You have reached the page containing the most extensive range of
Australian English dictionary spellcheck resources available.

Files for Firefox 3 now available.

During the past five years I have been developing and maintaining the Australian dictionary files. My work has been picked up and with a few minutes of time by others, is now used by over half a million people. During this time fifteen generous people have unconditionally donated a total of $137.45. I am very grateful for this contribution. Sadly it has been barely enough to cover the cost of the required reference dictionaries and as they say, I can't live on love alone. In order to continue to develop and maintain the dictionary files, I've made the hard decision to charge a small fee of $5 my services.

Thank you in advance for your payment.

NEWSFLASH - I am in the process of rebuilding the dictionary from scratch. So I can include more names relevant to Australia, for a limited time, and in appreciation for your payment, your name will be included in this new version of the dictionary when it is released. Don't miss this once off chance to have your name in the dictionary used by thousands.

After you pay please click on "Return to Online Connections".
You will then be taken to a page with the current
username and password for the file area.

Click here to win a copy of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007.

Books by Australian authors
(9 January 2008)
Want to support talented Australian authors?

The JustLocal book page is now live listing the extraordinary work
of many talented authors. Buy great books direct from the author.
Check out the JustLocal book page www.JustLocal.com.au/book
which has been designed to help Australian authors.
Check out the book page blog (http://justlocal-book.blogspot.com) or
our JustLocal blog (http://justlocal.blogspot.com) for more news.

Microsoft Office 2007 Exclude Dictionary.
Now Available.

NEW Australian English Dictionary Forum
(October 14, 2007.)
So that others can participate and additional information can
be shared, I've created the Australian English dictionary forum.
The forum can be viewed by everyone.
To actively participate join the mailing list first
and ask for access to the forum.

The following is a link to the forum
http://www.justlocal.com.au/forum/

The following are a couple of articles I have added to the forum.
Help Australia become the top spelling nation on-line.
How to spell check even when your web site designer can’t.
Don't you just hate that American spelling.
How a Vampire assisted Australians with their spelling.

Australian English Medical dictionary
(19 January 2008)

The Australian English Medical dictionary is an add-on dictionary
for OpenOffice.org and is now available.

In-line spell checking for Internet Explorer 7 users
Details below.

Don't use out-dated dictionary files.

Many projects contain outdated dictionary files from 5 years ago.
Obtain the latest Australian English spell check (dictionary) files
direct from the creator and maintainer.

Version 2.2.0 released 26 October 2006
Thesaurus error fix 8 December 2006
Australian Place Names dictionary available, 11 December 2006

The best language files for Australian users for:
OpenOffice.org, Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey,
Opera, Internet Explorer, Mac OSX and Aspell.

An Exclude file for Microsoft Word and Outlook users to exclude
over 1,800 spellings such as words with "ize" (Eg customize).

Add English spell checking to Outlook Express
when spell checking is disabled.

Spell check files available in the ADM format
which are used in programs such as
Addict Software, ClipMate and CoffeeCup.

NOTE: I ask people and other projects not to redistribute the files I provide. This reduces the ongoing viability of my work and my ability to assist others.

Contents

1. Introduction

The Kelvin version of the dictionary files
Australia's first prescriptive spell check dictionary

2. OpenOffice.org

Australian English dictionary

Full version
Kelvin version

Australian English Hyphenation file

Australian English Thesaurus file

Australian English Dictionary.lst file

How to install the Australian English dictionary files for OpenOffice.org

Installing the dictionary files using Windows XP

Installing the dictionary files using Vista

How to install Australian English Dictionary for OpenOffice.org in Ubuntu

To install the Australian English Dictionary into NeoOffice - an OpenOffice port for OS X

UPDATE for MAC OSX users

Convert custom dictionary to a list of words

3. OpenOffice.org Additional Dictionaries

Australian place names

Australian Medical Dictionary

4. Australian English dictionary files in adm format

5. Opera web browser - add spell checking with Aspell

Opera - change the User Interface to Australian English

6. Internet Explorer - add spell checking

IE7Pro

ieSpell

7. Aussie Slang

8. Firefox, Thunderbird and SeaMonkey

9. Microsoft Word Exclude file - say goodbye to "ize" and American spelt words"

Australian English Medical dictionary

10. Outlook Express Australian English spell checker

11. Keep updated, or send us feedback

12. Your feedback

13. The procedure we now follow when adding new words to the dictionary files

14. Known issues

15. How can I help?

16. Credits

17. Biography

Introduction

I developed the original Australian English dictionary for OpenOffice.org and now use the same word list, to create a range of dictionary files for Australian writers.

The dictionary files (in some cases with minor file name changes)  are now used by  hundreds of thousands of users. The dictionary files are also known to be used with:

• Firefox

• Thunderbird

• SeaMonkey

• Internet Explorer

• TeXnicCenter

• Opera web browser

• Programs using Aspell

• Programs using the Addict component from Addictive software such as ClipMate.

We continue to enhance the language files and release the latest versions available for a small contribution from this page.

Our language files are the best because:

• You help make them the best with your input.

• They remain available for a small contribution.

• Thousands of words often (incorrectly) called "American" spellings, have been identified and removed if you use the "Kelvin" version. The "Kelvin" version is the only Australian English prescriptive dictionary
  

• Hundreds of Australian words have been added and we continue to add more.

The Kelvin version of the dictionary files

Australia's first prescriptive spell check dictionary

Until the mid 1900s dictionaries guided people how to spell.

They were known as prescriptive dictionaries.

Modern dictionaries document the words we use and are known as descriptive dictionaries. They no longer guide us how to spell. If you check a word in a modern dictionary you will often see the word spelt in more than one way. The first listed spelling is the spelling which occurs more often in current usage.

For example the Macquarie Concise dictionary has the entry "colour=color". The first spelling variation is the more common way to spell a word. (The spelling variation "color" and other "or" words are not included in either dictionary we produce, but is used here to illustrate a point.)

In Australia there are thousands of words with this dual spelling. The dual spelling of words leads to confusion and inconsistent spelling in documents.

I have found it is rarely considered wrong in Australia to spell using the first listed spelling variation of a word, but it is often considered wrong to spell with the second. For example it is never considered wrong to use "colour", but "color" is often considered wrong.

For decades I was confused with the dual spelling of words. My work with the dictionary files gave me an understanding of how the Australian English language has evolved and the skills needed to create the first Australian English prescriptive spell check dictionary.

The prescriptive spell check dictionary (known as the Kelvin version of the files) is what I have always wanted. No more confusion as to when to spell using "ise" or "ize".

As I identify and research each additional word, the Kelvin version of the spell check dictionaries will become an increasingly valuable resource for all Australians.

The Kelvin version is great for:

• Every Australian (and we have noticed some other countries such as New Zealand) wishing to spell using the most commonly used spelling variation.

• Those whose native language is not Australian English, where two ways to spell a word adds complexity.

• The next generation of spellers who are confused with the dual spelling of a word. (I have on occasion asked my daughters to ask their teachers to spell some words. Different teachers in the same school spell differently, which can only cause confusion for the next generation.)

• Those who want consistent spelling in a document. (When you cut and paste text to create a document, your readers will pick up words being spelt in two ways, which in general reduces the perceived quality of your document.) Using two different ways to spell a word in the one document, is considered incorrect.

• Those who are in tertiary education. Some academics incorrectly believe there is only one way to spell a word and enforce their incorrect beliefs on their students.

• Those who are applying for jobs. The real word is very different from the world of school. Some people have said to me, schools don't care about spelling. In the real world spelling can affect your chances of getting a job, or your perceived ability. Don't take the chance your resume ends up on the desk of a word snob, affecting your future opportunities.

The "Kelvin" version of the dictionary files provides my preferred way to spell. It should however be kept in mind how you spell is your choice. The Kelvin version is a subset of the full version of the dictionary.

Use either version of the best dictionary files for Australians and enjoy.

OpenOffice.org

Australian English dictionary

Full version

Right click on the following link and save the full version of the dictionary files.

en_AU_V2.2.0.zip

(Please contribute to access this file.)

Kelvin version (Our preferred dictionary.)

Right click on the following link and save our preferred spelling dictionary files.

kelvin_en_AU_V2.2.0.zip

(Please contribute to access this file.)

Australian English Hyphenation file

This version of the hyphenation file corrects an error.

Right click on the following link and save the hyphenation file.

hyph_en_AU.dic

(Please contribute to access this file.)

Australian English Thesaurus file

We have made a first pass of the Thesaurus file and removed numerous obvious entries which are generally not considered the way to spell the word in Australia. For example the word "color" has been removed.

Left click on the following link and save the Thesaurus file.

th_en_AU_2.2.1.zip

(Please contribute to access this file.)

The file names within the zip file is kept is v2 in keeping with the file naming standards introduced with OpenOffice.org V2.x.

File release date: 9 December 2006

NOTE: Version 2.2.1 fixes an error reported by Scott Steele. Thanks.

Australian English Dictionary.lst file

The dictionary.lst file is the file which lets OpenOffice.org know which language files to use.

The following file is set up to work with all the above language files. You should review this file to see that it meets your needs.

If you wish to use additional languages to Australian English you should manually modify the dictionary.lst file to meet your needs.

Right click on the following link and save the dictionary.lst file.

dictionary.lst

(Please contribute to access this file.)

NOTE: One person has reported this file downloading as "dictionary.lst.txt". If this happens rename the file back to "dictionary.lst".

NOTE: Thanks to Tauroka for advising that Linux/Unix/BSD are sensitive to a final carriage return at the end of files. For Linux/Unix/BSD a final carriage return needs to be added to the dictionary.lst file.

How to install the Australian English dictionary files for OpenOffice.org

Installing the dictionary files using Windows XP

First you need to download the Australian English dictionary, hyphenation, thesaurus and dictionary.lst files to your computer as suggested against each of the files.

Close down OpenOffice.org including closing Quickstarter.

Open Windows Explorer and open the following folder. (This folder may change if you are using a later version of OpenOffice.org or you installed into a folder of your choice.)

C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 2.1\share\dict\ooo

Rename the file dictionary.lst to dictionary.lstold.

We do this just in case you wish to use this file later.

Copy the dictionary.lst and hyph_en_AU.dic files to the C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 2.1\share\dict\ooo folder.

Extract the contents of the en_AU_V2.2.0.zip (or kelvin_en_AU_V2.2.0.zip) file to the C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 2.1\share\dict\ooo folder.

Extract the contents of the th_en_AU_2.2.1.zip file to the C:\Program Files\OpenOffice.org 2.1\share\dict\ooo folder.

Now start OpenOffice.org.

Select Tools -> Options -> Language settings -> Languages

For Default language for documents select English (Australia)

Click OK

Now test to see the spell checker is working by typing in the words "colour" and "color". The word "color" should be highlighted as incorrect. For the Kelvin version type in "organise" and "organize". In this case "organize" should be marked as incorrect.

Installing the dictionary files using Vista

Complete the steps as per the Windows XP installation.

Restart the computer
Select Tools -> Options
Select Language settings -> Writing aids
Tick OpenOffice.org Hunspell SpellChecker
Tick ALTLinux LibHnj Hyphenator
Tick OpenOffice.org New Thesaurus
Click OK

At this point restart OpenOffice.org. It may not be necessary, but we did it anyway.

Now perform the "color" test to see "color" is identified as incorrect.

How to install Australian English Dictionary for OpenOffice.org in Ubuntu

Download Dictionary files from this page.

Unzip the downloaded dictionary files

If you're using Ubuntu (Gnome), press Alt-F2 and type
gksudo nautilus
If you're using Kubuntu (KDE), press Alt-F2 and type
kdesu konqueror
If you're using Xubuntu (XFCE), press Alt-F2 and type
gksudo thunar

Go to

/usr/lib/openoffice/share/dict/ooo

Find the file

dictionary.lst

rename it to dictionary.lstold

This will allow you to get it back if you need to

drag the unzipped dictionary files into /usr/lib/openoffice/share/dict/ooo

Close the window and restart OpenOffice.org. You will now have Australian English as your default dictionary

The Ubuntu instructions were provided by Gareth Humphreys. Thank you for taking the time to contribute the instructions for the benefit of others.

To install the Australian English Dictionary into NeoOffice - an OpenOffice port for OS X

First you need to download the Australian English dictionary, hyphenation, thesaurus and dictionary.lst files to your computer as suggested against each of the files.

Close down NeoOffice.

Open Finder, and then locate your NeoOffice application, either by using Spotlight or by right-clicking the Dock icon and selecting 'Show In Finder'.

Right-click (or control-click) on the NeoOffice application and select 'Show Package Contents'.

Double-click on 'Contents' then 'Share' then 'Dict' then 'ooo'.

Rename the file dictionary.lst to dictionary.lstold.

We do this just in case you wish to use this file later.

Copy the dictionary.lst and hyph_en_AU.dic files to the displayed folder.

Extract the contents of the en_AU_V2.2.0.zip (or kelvin_en_AU_V2.2.0.zip) file to the same folder.

Extract the contents of the th_en_AU_2.2.1.zip file to this folder as well.

Now start NeoOffice.

Select Tools -> Options -> Language settings -> Languages

For Default language for documents select English (Australia)

Click OK

Now test to see the spell checker is working by typing in the words "colour" and "color". The word "color" should be highlighted as incorrect. For the Kelvin version type in "organise" and "organize".  In this case "organize" should be marked as incorrect.

Thanks to Rob McQualter for providing these instructions.

UPDATE for MAC OSX users

Please be advised the following is my interpretation of emails gratefully received from Grant Gillespie. I do not have knowledge of the Mac operating system and pass this information as it may be of use to Mac users.

It appears NeoOffice now users the spelling features built into the Mac OSX operating system.

To now use the Australian English dictionary files use the following procedure with the Aspell version of the dictionary files.

install cocoAspell (http://cocoaspell.leuski.net/)
copy your Aspell files into the /application support/cocoAspell folder, as directed
select OSX Preferences, Spelling and check Australian English

NOTE: The Thesaurus available for OpenOffice.org will no longer work.

The best part of using this approach is the Australian English dictionary files (Aspell version) can now be used with the native Mac applications including the Safari browser.

Convert custom dictionary to a list of words

With OpenOffice.org you can add words not in the dictionary to a custom dictionary which has the file name standard.dic.

If you are using Windows XP with the Administrator account the standard.dic file will be located in the following folder or similar.

C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Application Data\OpenOffice.org2\user\wordbook

If you have added words to your custom dictionary because you found words missing in the dictionary, please feel free to send us a list of your words to review.

Because the contents of the custom dictionary is in a format which is difficult to change, we have written a utility to convert the contents of a custom dictionary into a list of words.

The following OpenOffice.org document contains a form. If open the custom dictionary (which is the file standard.dic) using Notepad and copy and paste the contents of your custom dictionary into the form and click on Convert, then contents of the dictionary will be converted to a list of words. You can then copy and paste the list of words into the Feedback form below.

ConvertCustomDictionary.odt

NOTES:

1. This conversion document/macro no longer works due to a change in OpenOffice.org 2.3. It works with earlier versions of OpenOffice.org.
   

2. When you download this file using Internet Explorer 7, it may rename the extension of the file to zip. Rename the extension back to odt so you can open the document using OpenOffice.org.

3. If you open the standard.dic or another .dic file with Notepad and if you can't see the words you have added separated by strange characters, this method will most likely not work.

4. If the conversion doesn't work, try opening the file with WordPad and saving the file as a Text document with the extension .txt. Then try running the conversion again.

5. This program will not work with languages which use Unicode characters.

6. This program has only been tested under Windows. We don't know how it will go under Linux or on the Mac.

OpenOffice.org Additional Dictionaries

OpenOffice.org has two capabilities for the user to add to the list of words which will be spell checked.

The user can add words to their custom dictionary. In fact they can half multiple custom dictionaries. We understand the custom dictionaries may be limited to 2,000.

Custom dictionaries have the advantage they are simple to set up and can be enabled and disabled as the user requires, from the user interface. The user can easily add their own words to their custom dictionary.

NOTE: Many users add words to their own custom dictionary to correct for words that are not in the dictionary and that should be. If this is the case for you, think about submitting your word list back to the dictionary maintainer.

The second approach is to create an additional dictionary. The additional dictionary is like adding more words to the normal dictionary. If you work in a particular profession you may have a word list you want to use in conjunction with the normal dictionary.

This very easy to create. It is simply the list of words in a text file with the number of words in the file listed on the first line.

However the word list can be taken one step further. It can be processed to become an additional dictionary which has been created in the same way as the normal dictionary. and includes an affix file. This is the way we release additional dictionaries.

In this section you will find additional dictionaries. If you have a word list you would like to make available to others as an additional dictionary, please feel free to contact us. (Please make sure any work you wish to pass on to others does not impinge of the copyright of others.)

Australian Place Names file

The Australian place names file was provided by John Campbell.

The normal OpenOffice.org dictionaries include many of the major place names. This additional dictionary provides an extensive list of place names.

Right click on the following link and save the Australian Place names file.

en_AUPlace_V1.0.zip

To install

Extract the contents of the zip file to the ooo\dict folder

Edit the dictionary.lst file so that it looks like the following.

DICT en AU en_AU
DICT en AU en_AUPlace
HYPH en AU hyph_en_AU
THES en AU th_en_AU_v2

Australian Medical Dictionary

The Australian Medical dictionary is provided by Russell Butler and is an add-on dictionary to be used with OpenOffice.org.

Right click on the following link and save the Australian Place names file.

en_AUMedical_V1.0.zip

Installation instructions can be found on the dictionary forum under the following topic.

http://www.justlocal.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=18

Australian English dictionary files in adm format

Based on a request from an OpenOffice.org user we created versions of the dictionary files in adm format.

The adm format is used by the Addict component from Addictive Software. There are a great number of programs which use the adm format. One such application which uses this software is ClipMate.

Place the adm file of your choice in the program folder and then select the dictionary file using the options in the application.

Right click on the link of your choice to save the adm file to your computer.

en_au_v2.2.0_adm.zip

kelvin_en_au_v2.2.0_adm.zip

(Please contribute to access these files.)

Thanks to Addictive Software for assistance in creating these dictionaries.

Opera web browser - add spell checking with Aspell

There are numerous open source and commercial programs which use the Aspell spell checking software.

One of the best known commercial programs is the Opera Web Browser.

The included readme file provides information on where to install the files.

Aspell_en_AU_V2.2.0.zip

Aspell_en_AU_V2.2.0_Kelvin.zip

(Please contribute to access these files.)

Click here for additional notes we prepared for installing Aspell and the Australian English dictionary files for use with the Opera Browser. These instructions include the approach we used to install and test Aspell.

TIPS

1. Spell checking not working.
   
   We have noticed quite a few people having problems with installing spell checking with Opera. The pattern appears to be it Opera is installed first and Aspell second. If spell checking is not working for you, remove and reinstall Opera once Aspell is installed.

Credit: Aspell was written by Kevin Atkinson. More information on Aspell can be found at http://aspell.net/.

Opera - change the User Interface to Australian English

We found the Opera browser User Interface to be relatively easy to change and have produced the necessary language file for Australian English.

We used OpenOffice.org with the "Kelvin" version of the Australian English dictionary files to spell check the language file.

A number of people have commented that because they see the American spelling of words in the User Interface with browsers, they are becoming confused with the spelling of a number of words. With Opera it is now possible to have a browser with the user interface being Australian English.

The following are the versions of the User Interface language files we have created. The latest version is for Opera 9.2.

ouw920_en-AU.zip
ouw910_en-AU.zip
ouw902_en-AU.zip

(Please contribute to access these files.)

Download the ouw920_en-AU.zip file and extract the ouw920_en-AU.lng file into your Opera folder (C:\Program Files\Opera by default under Windows.)

NOTE: The language files are based on the US versions of the language files. (The release information is contained in the lng file which can be read using Notepad.)

Install this file as follows:

Open Opera
Select Tools -> Preferences
To the right of Language click Details button
Click the Choose button
Locate and Select the ouw920_en-AU.lng file
Click Open
Click OK
Click OK
Restart Opera
Select Tools -> Preferences
For the language select Australian English
Click OK

Now when you check the dialogues which are presented when using Opera, you will notice the word "color" now appearing as "colour".

Internet Explorer - add spell checking

At this point in time Internet Explorer 6 and 7 do not come with spell checking.

The following are products that can be used with the Australian English spell check dictionaries I create and maintain.

IE7Pro

IE7Pro is an stable add-on to Internet Explorer 7 which provides in-line spell checking . We find the in-line spell checking of Firefox 2 to be better across a range of online applications.

Now if you like Internet Explorer 7, you don't have to change your browser to get spell checking.

ie7pro.zip

The latest Australian English dictionary files for use with IE7Pro are provided from this site. The files on the IE7Pro site we produced around five years ago.

The advantage of using IE7Pro is you can install the same dictionaries as OpenOffice.org.

Whatever you type into an online form can now be checked against the Australian English dictionary.

More installation, configuration and usage information is provided in the MyAnswers knowledge base solution 1735 for JustLocal friends.

IE7Pro is now preferred over ieSpell, but we find the in-line spell checking of Firefox to work across more applications. We also disable all features in IE7Pro that we don't use.

For those who would like an Australian English user interface for IE7Pro you can install the following file (proena.ini). Further notes for the Australian English user interface are provided in the MyAnswers solution 1735

We can't change the user interface for Internet Explorer, but at least we can change the user interface for the add-on.

ieSpell

The second product is a product called ieSpell.

This product is free for personal use and low cost for business use.

For JustLocal friends on our mailing list instructions on how obtain, install and patch ieSpell to use the Australian English dictionary files is available for free by requesting MyAnswers solution 1736.

Aussie Slang

A number of people have expressed interest in including more Aussie slang words in the dictionary.

If there is sufficient feedback from users of the dictionary files we will create an Aussie slang dictionary to be used as a secondary dictionary with OpenOffice.org.

The following is a link to an article on a blog. Please submit any Aussie slang by posting a comment and any words.

http://justlocal.blogspot.com/2008/02/aussie-slang-dictionary-bonzer-idea.html

Firefox, Thunderbird and SeaMonkey

Click on the following link to go to the page for Firefox, Thunderbird and SeaMonkey.

http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/mozillaau/

Microsoft Word Exclude file - say goodbye to "ize" and American spelt words

Many people prefer not to spell using the "ize" spelling of words. (These words are often incorrectly considered to be the American spelling. So for those who wish to exclude the so called "American" spelling when using Microsoft word, our Exclude Dictionary file will achieve that result.)

The Microsoft Word Exclude Dictionary file we produce will show over 1,800 words which contain the "iz" variation, as well as any American spelt words we identify as being spelt as incorrect. For example in Australia we don't consider "mom" to be correct.

If you or your children have ever been in this situation, this is what the Microsoft Word Exclude Dictionary file will help to avoid. (I found this quote on the Internet.)

Once I had an assignment due and our lecturers are very strict about only using Australian spell checks. Despite changing the language setting on every facet of my computer it just wouldn't stop turning "s" into "z" and abandoning letters...

I sat at my computer, alone, in the dead of night and cried and cried and cried....

The lecturers were imposing a restricted style on this student which caused considerable grief. Our Microsoft Word Exclude Dictionary file will assist students to comply with this style requirement.

Two versions of the Exclude Dictionary file are available. One for Microsoft Vista and Office 2007, and the other for users of Word 2003 or earlier.

http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/mswordexcl/mswordexcl.php

Australian English Medical dictionary

The Australian English Medical dictionary is an add-on custom dictionary for use with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Office 2007.

Based on the Australian English Medical dictionary created by Russell Butler for OpenOffice.org users, this dictionary is now also available for Microsoft users.

MEDICAL_V1.0.DIC

Outlook Express Australian English spell checker

Without an additional Microsoft program installed, Outlook Express does not have spell checking enabled.

Two programs are provided.

The first program adds spell checking which is the American spelling.

The second program is a patch applied to the first program to enable spelling suitable for Australian and many others countries. For example when the patch is applied the  "our" and "ise" spelling (such as colour and customise) is used as the correct spelling.

http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/oespellcheck/

Keep updated, or send us feedback

We notify people via the JustLocal newsletter about updates to the Australian dictionary files. You are welcome join the mailing list to receive an email with a link to the latest newsletter.

Join the JustLocal mailing list and receive some great benefits.

1. Be the first to know when we release new versions of the files. We will notify you of when the JustLocal newsletter is available. The JustLocal newsletter will contain a section on updates to the Australian English dictionary spell check files and related news.

2. Keep informed with what is going on with the dictionary files. We have now released the dictionary files for the major browsers. The work we do applies across a range of projects.

3. Influence the content of the dictionary files with your feedback and input. You help create a better dictionary for yourself and others.

Use of your contact details:

• We will not pass your email address on to anyone else without your permission.

Your feedback

Thank you everyone for you support and feedback. The following is some of the feedback we have received.

"Great instructions. Spell check failed for OpenOffice 2.2 and 2.1 under Vista. After following your instructions it worked first time. Thank you for your good work ! - Mads"

"Thanks Kelvin. That really did the trick. Cheers...Mick"

"Thanks for the comments about an Aussie dictionary. Another pet peeve of mine is it's difficult to get away from US spellings. So using your dictionary will be great. - Peter"

"OMG you're my hero lol, it worked. Now all I need is to remove the "ize/ise" spelling difference. - ex_raven"

The procedure we now follow when adding new words to the dictionary files

The following is a guide on our procedure we now use for adding new words to the dictionary files.

1. All words submitted are checked. The two authoritative sources we use for checking are the Macquarie Concise Dictionary Third Edition (MCD) and The Australian Concise Oxford Dictionary Fourth Edition (AOD).

2. If a word appears in either of the MCD or AOD it will be automatically accepted for the full version of the dictionary.

3. If a word does not appear in either dictionary it will still be reviewed. There should be substantial usage of the word in Australia as would be indicated by a search of pages from Australia using Google.

4. The case of a word is considered important and must also match. Plurals and possessives also need to be confirmed using an authoritative source.

5. The "Kelvin" version uses the full version as the starting point. Where there are two ways to spell a word which has the same meaning (eg organise/organize), the word with the lesser usage in Australia will be excluded.

6. Lesser usage is determined as the second listed word in an authoritative source. Where the MCD and AOD differ, a search of the Internet using Google/Yahoo and pages from Australia will be used to determine the word with the greater usage.

Our aim is to provide quality descriptive and prescriptive spell check dictionaries for the benefit of all Australians.

Thanks Brendan Scott for his suggestion to document and fine tune the approach being used.

Known issues

In this section we list known issues which may affect people's ability to use the files.

It should be kept in mind that I only develop on Windows and unfortunately don't have the time to test on Linux or other platforms. If you tell me of mistakes or problems affecting Linux or other platform and how to fix them, I'm happy to include the fixes.

Many of the files provided do work under operating systems beside Windows.

Exceptional exceptions

Legal writers (judgement/judgment)

The full version of the dictionary files contains "judgement" and "judgment".

The "Kelvin" version only contains "judgement".

In legal writing the feedback we have received indicates the "judgment" variation is used significantly more frequently for legal work than in common usage.

A recent search of Google for pages from Australia indicates equal usage. Previously it showed a "judgment" with the greater usage. We suspect Google has now made searching for either version equivalent, which is not helpful in this case. However searching for "judgement/judgment" in the one document returns 209,000 which shows a very large conflict in usage.

A search of Yahoo for pages in Australia shows judgement:727,000 and judgment:800,000., Searching for "judgement/judgment" in the one document returns 57,000.

Based on these results it appears "judgment" is becoming (or is already perhaps) the predominant spelling. This however could be biased by the large amount of legal material on the Internet where "judgment" is the preferred spelling.

Further investigations show the dictionaries our children use at school show "judgement" as the spelling for the word. In addition checking other words which have the soft "g" sound such as "acknowledgement", shows the "e" is still the main spelling.

For the reasons of consistency with other soft "g" words and the reference our children are currently using, at this point in time, we have decided to keep "judgement" as the primary spelling in the "Kelvin" version. The full version of the dictionary contains both spellings.

For legal use if this is an issue, we suggest the following approach to handling this situation if you wish to use the "Kelvin" version of the files.

Add "judgment" to your personal word list.
Use the autocorrect replace option to replace "judgement" with "judgment".

The same will also apply to variants of the word "judgment".

Thank you to Christopher for providing further information on the usage of "judgment" from a legal perspective.

Focused/focussed

Both versions of the word and variants exist in the dictionary files. Our research indicates the single "s" has much greater usage than the "ss" version.

We have not yet decided how we will handle this word (and variants) but we believe we will move to the single "s" version sometime in the future.

We hope you find the language files useful.

i versus I

The letter "i" does not appear as a spelling error in OpenOffice.org.

The letter "i" is not included in the dictionary. The letter "I" is included in the dictionary. The issue is with the program and how it handles single letters. This can't be fixed by a change to the dictionary files.

One approach to work around this issue is to add an AutoCorrect entry to change "i" to "I". If you wish to use "I" (the Roman numeral) after typing the letter it will convert to "I". Immediately press Control+z and the auto-correction will be reversed.

How can I help?

A number of people have asked how they can help.

The following are a few suggestions if you wish to help.

1. If you find a word not in the dictionary, or an error, use the above form to let us know. Your input will help create the best resource for all Australians.

2. If you have an idea let us know. Because of feedback in recent months we have now extended greatly the use of the dictionary files. The feedback we received gave us new ideas.

3. Some people have wanted to donate. We don't really take donations although we really very much appreciate the thought.

If you want to donate then think about buying from a JustLocal advertiser instead of buying elsewhere. You get something for your money and you indirectly help me. You should be able to buy at as good if not better price, and you are supporting the businesses that support me, which makes this work possible.

4. Let others know about the dictionary files.

Don't just say I'm right, I have the dictionary files and I'm now okay.

I've helped you and I hope you will help others.

If you see someone in a mailing list or a forum that is having problems with Australian English spell checking point them to this page. Add a link to your web page or blog. Spread the word.

You never know where a great idea will come from.

5. Let others know about the "Kelvin" version of the dictionary. This is the only prescriptive spell check dictionary we know of. It helps people from overseas as it simplifies the language. It has helped me. I hope it helps others.

6. Send me a message if you appreciate my work. It is amazing how much value there is in a simple thank you.

7. Write an article if you feel I don't cover something.

For example I'm not a Linux expert and there are many Linux distributions.

Write a short article and make it available on the Internet. Let me know and if there is no clash with JustLocal advertiser and it can help others, I will be happy to link to it.

8. Most of all enjoy the results of my work and the many people who have provided input.

Knowing the files are used by possibly hundreds of thousands of Australians is very satisfying. Thank you for your support.

Credits

The Australian English dictionary files was only possible because others were prepared to help at the start and others are now chipping in. The following page lists those who have assisted in some in the creation and maintenance of the Australian English dictionary files.

Click here to view the Credits page.

Biography

Kelvin Eldridge is an IT consultant with over 25 years of experience in the IT industry. He considers himself to be an accidental lexicographer. Around four years ago he identified a need for an Australian English spell check dictionary for OpenOffice.org and had the skills to build one. In his own time, he built the dictionary with around 100,000 keystrokes of work. The dictionary was made available to his clients and contributed to the project.

For three years the dictionary remained buried deep in the project. With almost no feedback, Kelvin was about to discard the work.  But there was one more thing to try. To pull the work outside of the project and give it a life of its own. As a result, a handful of people contacted Kelvin over the coming months and the interaction lead to ideas, which lead to Kelvin building one product, and then another, and another, until he had built Australian English dictionaries covering a range of applications greater than any other spell check dictionary.

Kelvin’s work is an invaluable resource available for a small contribution to the people of Australia.

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