Spell check and Highlight Misspellings Using Macros In Excel

Excel has spell checking functionality, and we can take this to the next level by using Excel Macros to spell check then highlight misspellings for you! Make sure your Excel has the Developer Tab enabled following this tutorial.  I explain how you can do this below step by step!

Key Takeaways

• Automate Spell Checking – You can use a macro to automatically run spell check across selected cells, saving time compared to manually checking.

• Highlight Misspelled Words – A well-designed macro can not only find errors but also highlight them with a color for easy review.

• Customize the Action – Macros allow you to choose what happens after a misspelling is found: highlight, correct, or notify.

• Works Across Sheets or Ranges – You can build macros that spell-check an entire worksheet, specific ranges, or even selected columns.

• Improve Data Quality – Automating spell checks helps maintain clean, professional-looking data, especially in large reports or customer-facing sheets.

Quick Overview

What does it do?

Highlights the cells with incorrect spelling

Copy Source Code:

Sub HighlightMisspellings()

Dim cell As range
For Each cell In ActiveSheet.UsedRange

'Check the spelling and if it's wrong, then change the style to be Bad
If Not Application.CheckSpelling(word:=cell.Text) Then
cell.Style = "Bad"
End If

Next cell

End Sub

Final Result: 

How to Spell check and Highlight Misspellings Using Macros In Excel

STEP 1: Go to Developer > Code > Visual Basic

 

STEP 2: Paste in your code and Select Save. Close the window afterwards.

 

STEP 3: Let us test it out!

Open the sheet containing the data. Go to Developer > Code > Macros

 

Make sure your macro is selected. Click Run.

 

With just one click, all of the cells with incorrect spellings are now highlighted!

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run a spell check on just a selected range instead of the entire worksheet?
Yes, you can select a specific range before running the macro to limit the spell check only to that portion.

Will a macro automatically correct misspelled words?
Most macros are set to highlight errors rather than auto-correct, giving you control over changes. You can customize it to offer auto-correction if needed.

Does Excel’s standard spell checker highlight misspellings automatically like Word?
No, Excel’s built-in spell checker checks spelling when you run it, but it doesn’t highlight misspelled words automatically unless you use a macro.

Can I apply different colors for different types of spelling errors using macros?
Yes, you can modify the macro to apply different colors based on rules, such as misspelled words vs. ignored words.

Is it possible to undo changes made by a spell-check macro?
It’s best to save a backup before running any macro because changes like highlighting or corrections can’t be undone easily with Ctrl + Z.