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Firefox's spell checker is puzzling me.

I'd like to auto-select the language, but searching Google I've only found this relevant link which suggests this old unmantained addon which just doesn't work (no update in ~1.5 years, and the developer doesn't answer emails).

Did I miss something else, or is it something that actually works? Or do multi-language people using Firefox just use to keep it disabled?

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  • The process is described here: How do I use the Firefox spell checker?, though it is not "auto-select". If you mean automatically detecting the language, you still have to switch languages in the context menu.
    – user3169
    Jun 22, 2015 at 18:46
  • @user3169 no, I'd like to automatically select it of course. But thanks anyway.
    – o0'.
    Jun 22, 2015 at 19:01
  • Do you mean "auto-detect" meaning FF determines the language and automatically applies the correct dictionary?
    – user3169
    Jun 22, 2015 at 19:53
  • @user3169 yes, I can't be bothered to manually select the language, since I alternate it very often. There was a plugin who did that on Chrome, so it is definitely "possible".
    – o0'.
    Jun 22, 2015 at 19:55
  • You might check this answer to another post How to make Firefox to spellcheck in multiple languages simultaneously?.
    – user3169
    Jun 22, 2015 at 20:32

4 Answers 4

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+25

Software in general is unfriendly to us bilingual users.

No web browser offers this functionality built-in. Some operating systems do, however. For example, on the Mac, switching your keyboard layout will switch default-dictionary used in any input field implemented using the OS-provided methods. Similarly, if you enter a full sentence into a text field, it can automatically switch dictionary based on that sentence. This works in Opera, Safari, and some other browsers, but not Firefox on the Mac. In Windows 10 (and in modern apps on Windows 8.1), the dictionary used depends on the keyboard layout. There is no attempt at language detection, unlike the Mac. This works in Edge and IE only.

All modern mobile operating systems also use the keyboard layout to determine the spelling dictionary, so this seems to be the way everyone wants to go. (From my own experiences with Mac’s language-auto-detection as a bilingual user, I can say that it’s just awful.) You can add more keyboard layouts in PC Settings / “Control Panel”: “Region and Language”, and switch between them by pressing (Win)+Space.

An alternative relevant to the web would be to switch based on a page’s lang attribute. However, you may use Google Mail in English but still want to write an email in Italian. So this method is, like Mac’s auto-detection, unreliable, and no web browser implements this.

Checking two languages at the same time, as suggested in one of the comments, lowers the quality of the spellchecker and it may not catch instances where you forget the English word and fill in an Italian word instead without even thinking about it. Different words in the two languages that are spelled slightly differently is a problem a bilingual user is likely to run into all the time. Combining dictionaries will just make this issue worse.

What I actually would suggest you do is to separate off your brain a bit. Put all primary language content in one instance of Firefox, and keep all secondary language content in a separate instance and profile. You can manage this with Firefox profiles and the Profile Manager. Install just one dictionary in each profile and use the two windows for different things.

The add-on you mention has an open-source license. You could grab the source code and try to repair it or change it to work the way you want. More work, but it’s fun to code and learn new things!

In summary, you cannot have nice things in Firefox at the moment. You can, however, search the Mozilla bug database and vote for any relevant improvement you find for handling multiple languages and dictionary switching (there are a few for handling it on keyboard layout switching as other systems do).

Sources: Working on browsers at Opera Software for six years as a bilingual user.

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  • Thanks for the two-profiles tip, I considered doing that, but the hassle would be greater than the gain, I fear :/
    – o0'.
    Jul 2, 2015 at 12:43
  • I was just thinking such an extension would be nice in FF... So there is still nothing available I guess? If I can make a small FF extension to solve this problem I'll update this comment.
    – Shautieh
    Apr 18, 2017 at 2:09
  • 3
    Your answer is really at least strange, and I suppose it's because the developers in USA, cannot figure out that a huge portion of Europeans, for instance, speak and write two, three, four or even more languages fluently. Language detection, using simple pattern recognition algorithms, is actually very simple, and you just need three or four words to get it accurately (assuming the user writes decently). May 25, 2017 at 11:13
  • Is this still the most accurate information on the topic? It seems CRAZY to me. Nov 28, 2017 at 19:17
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The extension suggested by o0' no longer works since Firefox switched the technology used for addons. However, I also needed this, so I just created and published a new extension for automatically switching to the correct dictionary for spell checking: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/automatic-spelling-language/

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Finally there's an extension that does just that and it works!

Automatic Dictionary Switcher

example image

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  • 1
    Nice! At first I thought it didn't work but sometimes it takes a few words to recognize that you are writing in another language. Thanks! Dec 4, 2015 at 0:53
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    "This add-on has been removed by its author." :(
    – hugomg
    Aug 16, 2016 at 23:55
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    Yes, this link is broken ("Page not found"). Jul 9, 2018 at 8:37
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Most multilingual people don't find it a problem to switch the language via right-click -> Languages. I also find that Firefox has some knowledge of website/language combinations, because often I don't need to manually switch the language when in a website that always uses the same language.

As for suggestions for spell-checking add-ons to Firefox that can do auto-detection of the language:

LanguageToolFx

LanguageToolFx claims spell-checking support for more than 25 languages, auto-detection of the language of the text, and it can even detect some grammar problems.

ImTranslator

Suggested in one of your links, it claims spell-checking and detection for 70+ languages. But as this is principally meant for translation, it might be awkward to use.

(I have never used these add-ons and cannot vouch for them.)

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  • Tried them both, thanks. Unfortunately, LanguageTools fails to autodetect, and ImTranslator just doesn't do inline spell-checking, apparently :/
    – o0'.
    Jun 25, 2015 at 12:13
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    LanguageToolFx seems to still be developed. You could try their User Forum. Other options are available on their Support page, including direct contact with the developers.
    – harrymc
    Jun 25, 2015 at 12:39
  • Re LanguageToolFx, "This add-on has been removed by its author."
    – RenniePet
    May 15, 2017 at 15:02
  • @RenniePet: The add-on LanguageToolFx is still available for Firefox, although its website has disappeared. I have updated the link.
    – harrymc
    May 15, 2017 at 15:17
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    @PeterMortensen: Right-click the typed text.
    – harrymc
    Mar 31, 2018 at 19:44

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