Make Word spell check uppercase words

It’s a little known fact that Microsoft Word by default does not spell check uppercase words.  I had the opportunity to read through many co-op resumes from a couple universities this past week, and the typos I’ve seen seem to support this observation.

The problem comes when you have a section heading in capitals, such as “ACHIVEMENTS” or “RELEVENT SKILLS”.  Microsoft Word by default doesn’t indicate that the spelling is wrong!

I’m not sure why this “feature” is enabled by default, as I’d think it would be better to have more false positives than to have typos go undetected.  In any case, it’s easy to get Word to spell check uppercase words, which I’ll outline below.

More importantly it’s essential to manually proofread your job applications.  Having typos (among other things) shows a lack of attention to detail.  Don’t rely on an automated spell check.

Enable uppercase word spell check in Microsoft Word 2010 and 2007

1. Open up Word Options.
   2010: Click the File tab, then Options.
   2007: Click the Office button at the top left, then click Word Options.
2. Click the Proofing tab on the left.
3. Deselect “Ignore words in UPPERCASE”.

Enable uppercase word spell check in Microsoft Word 2003 and older

1. Click on the Tools menu, then click on Options.
2. Click the “Spelling & Grammar” tab.
3. Deselect “Ignore words in UPPERCASE”.

Enable uppercase word spell check in Microsoft Word 2011 and 2008 for Mac

1. Click on the Word application menu, then click on Preferences.
2. Click on the “Spelling & Grammar” icon.
3. Deselect “Ignore words in UPPERCASE”.

Have you got other related tips and tricks to Microsoft Words, or resume writing?  Share yours in the comments.