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I really can't stand the dictionary that comes with Firefox. It doesn't catch tons of basic words (like shifter, for instance). I'm tired of having to constantly right-click -> add to dictionary.

Word has a much better dictionary, and conveniently also contains tons of the words I personally added (like names of characters as an example).

In a perfect world, I'd like to just copy the dictionary from Word to Firefox, but I'm not sure where to even find Word's dictionary, let alone if that would work or not.

So, is it possible to replace Firefox's dictionary with Word's? (or to point Firefox at Word's dictionary, or to get some kind of extension for Firefox that overrides it with Word's dictionary, or some other similar solution?)

Failing that, are there any third-party dictionaries that work better than Firefox's?

Edit: I am on Windows 10, FF version (whatever's latest - this is for multiple computers, so I can't check them all, but I'll update before attempting this).

Kulahan
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4 Answers4

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While I don't believe there is a way to access the entire MS Word dictionary, your Word custom dictionary is stored at this path:

%appdata%\Microsoft\UProof\CUSTOM.DIC1

And your Firefox custom dictionary is stored here:

%appdata%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\[unique string].[profile name]\persdict.dat1

[unique string].[profile name] will be the unique identifier for your Firefox profile – there will likely only be one folder there so you should not need to worry about identifying your actual profile ID – the default will be named [unique string].default.

Both of these files are simple text files – just a list of words for the spell checker to ignore. You should be able to copy all your custom definitions from the Word dictionary to your Firefox one. Just make sure to format the definitions the same way as they are in the existing dictionary.

Hope this helps!
________________

1 See What is “%AppData%”?

Next-Door Tech
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    (1) What time machine did you just use, that you still have `Documents and Settings`?    :-)    You might be better off saying that both dictionaries are under `%APPDATA%` (especially since some people have their `/Users` directory on a drive other than `C:`). (2) It might be more useful to say that the Firefox information is in / under a directory called *`unique string `* **`. `** ***`profile name`***.  While the default Firefox profile name is `default`, users can create additional profiles with other names. – Scott - Слава Україні Aug 10 '18 at 18:16
  • Alright, I'll edit my post to reflect this. In all honesty I copied those paths from a google search, not surprised that they aren't 100% accurate :P – Next-Door Tech Aug 10 '18 at 18:58
  • @Cancun101, I know that the community appreciates your numerous contributions and there is nothing wrong with using Google-fu to supplement your own knowledge for an answer. However, you *really* should ensure that it is accurate before you post it as a proposed solution. – Run5k Aug 10 '18 at 22:05
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    @Run5k Thanks for the advice. I've been pretty good about actually going and checking things like that, but lets just say I was a bit rushed on this one. I'll definitely be more careful in the future. – Next-Door Tech Aug 10 '18 at 22:12
  • Make sure there aren't any issues with line ending characters – endolith May 21 '20 at 22:47
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Assuming you're referring to US English, Firefox currently uses the "normal"-sized SCOWL (And Friends) dictionary with some proper names added.

A word like "shifter" is only in the "large"-sized dictionary. This extension supposedly uses the large dictionary, but is no longer maintained.

Jason
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  • and the replacement is the "normal" size dictionary https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/us-english-dictionary/ – endolith Jul 14 '22 at 14:50
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1) You can't use the MS Office dictionary, as it is crypted and would need reverse-engineering. In Word 365, it is located in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\PROOF enter image description here

2) That said, the easiest option probably is to go for one of the many plugins, which you can find here. There are even professional-rate plugins (for editors or translators) which are available as freemiums.

3) Not in for a plugin? Dictionaries in Firefox are extensions (installed extensions are in profile folder -> extensions).

  • The language extensions mostly have stupid names (The British English is marcoagpinto@mail.telepac.pt.xpi), so you need to go to about:support, and search for "dictionary" to be able to correctly associate an extension with a language.
  • Currently available dictionaries (and language packs) are listed here.
  • So, you could also create your own extension, using a word list of your choice, such as this wonderfully huge English word list from Github (or google for "english wordlist").

4) Otherwise, the remaining solution is to add a word list of your choice to your personal firefox dictionary file persdict.dat which is in your profile folder (insert about:support in your address bar and click on profile folder --> open folder).

EDIT: I've tested option 4) with the above mentioned word list from Github, and it works without issues (466'000 Words!). However, be aware that the persdict.dat is for all languages, so if you need to be able to switch between languages, this won't be the best solution.

1NN
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  • "Installing a dictionary add-on will add a new language option to your spell-checker, which checks your spelling as you type in Firefox. Language packs change your browser's interface language, including menu options and settings." So it's not the language pack that needs to be created. – endolith Jul 18 '22 at 15:41
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    @endolith I **meant** dictionaries, not language packs. sorry. I've corrected it – 1NN Jul 18 '22 at 16:02
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    @endolith Option 4) seems to work without issues. See my edit – 1NN Jul 18 '22 at 16:18
  • Option 3 sounds most promising, though – endolith Jul 18 '22 at 16:24
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I don't think it is possible to replace Firefox's dictionary with MS Word's, but there is a Firefox add-on called Grammarly that could be the alternative but would not replace Firefox's internal dictionary. Basically, the add-on (as the web page puts it) "... will help you communicate more effectively. As you type, Grammarly flags mistakes and helps you make sure your messages, documents, and social media posts are clear, mistake-free, and impactful." Signing up for its free service will unlock a number of features. It also offers more comprehensive features via its premium service.

Next-Door Tech
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Gilang Santoso
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