Share via

Spell check in the new Outlook.

Irwin Gaudett 0 Reputation points
2026-06-03T15:48:53.7466667+00:00

I am from Canada and I want to use Canadian Spelling without it being flagged as a miss spelling. For example colour is flagged and suggests the spelling color. How can I change this?

Outlook | Windows | New Outlook for Windows | For home
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Alice-N 10,035 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-04T07:54:47.6266667+00:00

    Hi Irwin Gaudett

    I understand you are having an issue with spell check in new Outlook for Windows, where Canadian spelling (such as “colour”) is being flagged. I am happy to help. Please confirm

    • Is English (Canada) listed under Manage spellcheck languages?
    • Does the problem happen in every draft or only one?
    • Does the language change back on its own?

    Meanwhile, please also check these steps:

    Set the correct spellcheck language in new Outlook

    Follow these steps:

    • Open a new email draft.
    • Select the (...) menu.
    • Go to:  Editor > Editor Settings > Manage spellcheck languages
    • Select Add language.
    • Choose English (Canada) and add it.
    • Wait a moment for the message to be rechecked.

    If the issue happens in only one message

    • Set the proofing language again inside that draft
    • The proofing language applies only to the current email

    Add English (Canada) as a proofing language in Office

    If English (Canada) is missing or not working correctly:

    • While editing an email, go to:  Review > Language > Language preferences
    • Add English (Canada)
    • Ensure the proofing tools are installed

    Add the Canadian keyboard in Windows

    • Go to:  Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region
    • Select English (Canada)
    • Add the Canadian keyboard if needed

    Enable automatic language detection

    If you switch between English variants:

    • Go to:  Review > Language > Set Proofing Language
    • Enable Detect language automatically

    Check language settings in new Outlook

    • Open Settings
    • Go to: General > Language and time
    • Confirm the correct language and region are selected

    Please tell me how it goes. If the problem persists, please don’t hesitate to reply to this thread and I will be happy to help. Have a lovely day!  

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

    Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

    Was this answer helpful?

  2. AI answer

    2026-06-03T15:49:14.89+00:00

    In the new Outlook for Windows, Canadian spellings like “colour” are flagged because the proofing language is set to a different English variant (for example, US English). To stop this, set the proofing language for your email text to English (Canada) and ensure the correct language tools are enabled.

    Use these steps (Word/Outlook share the same proofing system):

    1. In a message window, select the text (or place the cursor in the body) whose spelling you want checked as Canadian.
    2. Go to the Review tab and choose Language > Set Proofing Language.
    3. In the Language dialog, select English (Canada).
    4. Make sure “Do not check spelling or grammar” is not checked.
    5. Select OK.

    If misspelled words still are not treated correctly:

    1. Ensure the language is enabled as an editing/authoring language in Office (via Language Preferences) and that the correct language dictionary is being used.
    2. Optionally turn on “Detect language automatically” (Review > Language > Set Proofing Language > Detect language automatically) so Outlook can switch proofing language based on the text.
    3. Confirm that the word hasn’t been accidentally added to a custom dictionary in another language; if it has, remove it from that dictionary.

    Once English (Canada) is applied to the text and the correct dictionary is active, words like “colour” will no longer be flagged as misspelled.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.