ASPELL(1)

📦
version 0.60.8.3 · 5 versions
, in alpine 3.24, arch rolling, debian trixie, nixos 26.05, nixpkgs unstable, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

ASPELL(1) — Aspell Abbreviated User's Manual 👑

okay bestie, sit down, hydrate, because this is the page for aspell, and it is a whole vibe. 💖

✨ NAME ✨

aspell — interactive spell checker 🦋

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

aspell [options] <command>

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

so aspell is a utility program that connects to the Aspell library, which is the whole point — it lets it function as an ispell -a replacement, as an independent spell checker, as a test utility to test out Aspell library features, and as a utility for managing dictionaries used by the library. four jobs, one icon, no cap. ✨

The Aspell library contains an interface allowing other programs direct access to its functions and therefore reducing the complex task of spell checking to simple library calls. literally doing the most so everyone else can do the least. 🫶

🚨 IMPORTANT: The default library does not contain dictionary word lists. To add language dictionaries, please check your distro first for modified dictionaries, otherwise look here for base language dictionaries <http://aspell.net>.

The following information describes the commands and options used by the Aspell Utility.

🙈 full disclosure bestie: This manual page is maintained separately from the official documentation so it may be out of date or incomplete. The official documentation is maintained as a Texinfo manual. See the aspell entry in info for more complete documentation.

🎀 COMMANDS 🎀

<command> is one of:

  • usage, -? — Send a brief Aspell Utility usage message to standard output. This is a short summary listing more common spell-check commands and options. the little snack version 🍓
  • help — Send a detailed Aspell Utility help message to standard output. This is a complete list showing all commands, options, filters and dictionaries. the full meal, no skimping 💅
  • version, -v — Print version number of Aspell Library and Utility to standard output.
  • check <file>, -c <file> — Spell-check a single file.
  • pipe, -a — Run Aspell in ispell -a compatibility mode.
  • list — Produce a list of misspelled words from standard input.
  • [dump] config — Dump all current configuration options to standard output.
  • config <key> — Send the current value of <key> to standard output.
  • soundslike — Output the soundslike equivalent of each word entered.
  • munch — Generate possible root words and affixes from an input list of words.
  • expand [1–4] — Expands the affix flags of each affix compressed word entered.
  • clean [strict] — Cleans an input word list so that every line is a valid word.
  • munch-list [simple] [single|multi] [keep] — Reduce the size of a word list via affix compression.
  • conv <from> <to> [<norm-form>] — Converts <from> one encoding <to> another.
  • norm (<norm-map>|<from> <norm-map> <to>) [<norm-form>] — Perform Unicode normalization.
  • [dump] dicts|filters|modes — Lists available dictionaries, filters, or modes.
  • dump|create|merge master|personal|repl <wordlist> — dump, create, or merge a master, personal, or replacement word list.

👑 DICTIONARY OPTIONS 👑

The following options may be used to control which dictionaries to use and how they behave. yes this is the dictionary lore section, pay attention 📚

  • --master=<name>, -d <name> — Base name of the dictionary to use. If this option is specified then Aspell will either use this dictionary or die. dramatic? yes. accurate? also yes. 💀
  • --dict-dir=<directory> — Location of the main dictionary word list.
  • --lang=<string>, -l <string> — Language to use. It follows the same format of the LANG environmental variable on most systems. It consists of the two letter ISO 639 language code and an optional two letter ISO 3166 country code after a dash or underscore. The default value is based on the value of the LC_MESSAGES locale.
  • --size=<string> — The preferred size of the dictionary word list. This consists of a two char digit code describing the size of the list, with typical values of: 10=tiny, 20=really small, 30=small, 40=med-small, 50=med, 60=med-large, 70=large, 80=huge, 90=insane. the last one is giving unhinged and we love her 🌈
  • --variety=<string> — Any extra information to distinguish this variety of dictionary from other dictionaries which may have the same lang and size.
  • --jargon=<string> — Please use the variety option since it replaces jargon as a better choice. jargon will be removed in the future. ⚠️ deprecated era, bestie, migrate.
  • --word-list-path=<list of directories> — Search path for word list information files.
  • --personal=<file>, -p <file> — Personal word list file name.
  • --repl=<file> — Replacements list file name.
  • --extra-dicts=<list> — Extra dictionaries to use.
  • --ignore-accents — This option is not yet implemented. 🚧 coming soon (not soon)

💖 CHECKER OPTIONS 💖

These options control the behavior of Aspell when checking documents.

  • --ignore=<integer>, -W <integer> — Ignore words <= <integer> characters in length.
  • --ignore-case, --dont-ignore-case — Ignore case when checking words.
  • --ignore-repl, --dont-ignore-repl — Ignore commands to store replacement pairs.
  • --save-repl, --dont-save-repl — Save the replacement word list on save all.
  • --sug-mode=<mode> — Suggestion <mode> = ultra|fast|normal|bad-spellers. pick your fighter ⚔️

🧚 FILTER OPTIONS 🧚

These options modify the behavior of the various filters. filters are the little goblins that decide which parts of your file even get spell-checked 🍄

  • --add-filter=<list>, --rem-filter=<list> — Add or remove a filter.
  • --add-filter-path=<paths>, --rem-filter-path=<paths> — Add or remove paths searched for filters.
  • --mode=<string>, -e, -H, -t, -n — Sets the filter mode. Mode is one of none, url, email, html, tex or nroff. The alternative shortcut options are -e for email, -H for Html/Sgml, -t for Tex or -n for Nroff.
  • --encoding=<string> — encoding the document is expected to be in. The default depends on the current locale.
  • --add-email-quote=<list>, --rem-email-quote=<list> — Add or remove a list of email quote characters.
  • --email-margin=<integer> — Number of chars that can appear before the quote char.
  • --add-html-check=<list>, --rem-html-check=<list> — Add or remove a list of HTML attributes to always check. For example, look inside alt= attributes.
  • --add-html-skip=<list>, --rem-html-skip=<list> — Add or remove a list of HTML tags to always skip while spell checking.
  • --add-sgml-check=<list>, --rem-sgml-check=<list> — Add or remove a list of SGML attributes to always check for spelling.
  • --add-sgml-skip=<list>, --rem-sgml-skip=<list> — Add or remove a list of SGML tags to always skip while spell checking.
  • --sgml-extension=<list> — SGML file extensions.
  • --tex-check-comments, --dont-tex-check-comments — Check TeX comments.
  • --add-tex-command=<list>, --rem-tex-command=<list> — Add or remove a list of TeX commands.
  • --add-texinfo-ignore=<list>, --rem-texinfo-ignore=<list> — Add or remove a list of Texinfo commands.
  • --add-texinfo-ignore-env=<list>, --rem-texinfo-ignore-env=<list> — Add or remove a list of Texinfo environments to ignore.
  • --context-visible-first, --dont-context-visible-first — Switch the context which should be visible to Aspell.
  • --add-context-delimiters=<list>, --rem-context-delimiters=<list> — Add or remove pairs of delimiters.

🦋 RUN-TOGETHER WORD OPTIONS 🦋

These may be used to control the behavior of run-together words. (you know, when someones types like this and the checker has to decide if that's one word or several 😭)

  • --run-together, --dont-run-together, -C, -B — Consider run-together words valid.
  • --run-together-limit=<integer> — Maximum number of words that can be strung together.
  • --run-together-min=<integer> — Minimal length of interior words.

🌈 MISC OPTIONS 🌈

Miscellaneous options that don't fall under any other category. the little grab bag 🎁

  • --conf=<file name> — Main configuration file. This file overrides Aspell's global defaults.
  • --conf-dir=<directory> — Location of main configuration file.
  • --data-dir=<directory> — Location of language data files.
  • --keyboard=<keyboard> — Use this keyboard layout for suggesting possible words. These spelling errors happen if a user accidentally presses a key next to the intended correct key. fat-finger theory, literally ✋
  • --local-data-dir=<directory> — Alternative location of language data files. This directory is searched before data-dir.
  • --home-dir=<directory> — Directory Location for personal wordlist files.
  • --per-conf=<file name> — Personal configuration file. This file overrides options found in the global config file.

⭐ ASPELL UTILITY OPTIONS ⭐

These options are part of the aspell Utility and work independently of the library. solo acts, main character energy, no library needed 👑

  • --backup, --dont-backup, -b, -x — The aspell utility creates a backup file by making a copy and appending .bak to file name. This only applies when the command is check <file> and the backup file is only created if any spelling modifications take place. so if you changed nothing, no backup — she's efficient like that 💅
  • --byte-offsets, --dont-byte-offsets — Use byte offsets instead of character offsets.
  • --guess, --dont-guess, -m, -P — Create missing root/affix combinations not in the dictionary in pipe mode.
  • --keymapping=aspell, --keymapping=ispell — The keymapping to use, either aspell for the default mapping or ispell to use the same mapping that the Ispell utility uses.
  • --reverse, --dont-reverse — Reverse the order of the suggestions list in pipe mode.
  • --suggest, --dont-suggest — Suggest possible replacements in pipe mode. If false, Aspell will simply report the misspelling and make no attempt at suggestions or possible corrections. just the callout, no advice 🫥
  • --time, --dont-time — Time the load time and suggest a time in pipe mode.

In addition Aspell will try to make sense out of Ispell's command line options so that it can function as a drop in replacement for Ispell. If Aspell is run without any command line options it will display a brief help screen and quit.

💖 CONFIGURATION 💖

okay so bestie, plot twist: you do not have to type all those flags every single time like some kind of feral gremlin 🫶 Aspell will happily read its options from config files — one global, one just for you — so you can set your faves once and vibe forever.

The default global config file is /etc/aspell.conf, or whatever other file you point at with --conf, and it gets checked first. ✨

The default per-user config file is ~/.aspell.conf, chillin' in your $HOME directory (or another file you name with --per-conf), and it gets checked next — and it overrides anything the global file said. main character energy, honestly 💅

And then — because the hierarchy is giving very much royalty — options you set at the command line or through an environmental variable override both of the config files. so the order is basically: global < personal < command line/env. periodt. 👑

📝 how a config line actually looks

Every single line in the config file follows this format, no cap:

option [value]

where option is any one of the standard library options we listed above — just without the leading dashes. 🙈

So like, if you want the default language to be Swiss German, you'd write:

lang de_CH
⚠️ and this part is important, bestie: there can be any number of spaces between the option and the value — but it has to be spaces only. There is no '=' between the option name and the value. not one. don't do it. the parser will not be slaying for you that day 😭

You can also leave yourself little notes 💌 — comments are made by putting a '#' in front, and literally anything from that '#' all the way to the newline gets ignored. Blank lines? also totally fine, they're just ✨vibing✨.

And if you want a real-life example of how to set all this up, the /etc/aspell.conf file is a whole mood and a great reference — plus the Aspell Manual has the detailed info if you want to go deeper. 🌸

🔗 SEE ALSO 🔗

Aspell is fully documented in its Texinfo manual 📖 — just go look up the aspell entry in info for the complete, deluxe, director's-cut documentation. 🌈

🫶 SUPPORT 🫶

Need a hand? Support for Aspell lives on the Aspell mailing lists. 💬 Instructions for joining the various mailing lists (plus an archive of them, for the historians 🦋) can be found off the Aspell home page at <http://aspell.net>.

🚨 okay heads up: bug reports should go through GitHub Issues rather than being posted to the mailing lists. so if something's broken, GitHub is the move, not the list. iykyk 💀

👑 AUTHOR 👑

This manual page was written by Brian Nelson <pyro@debian.org>, based on the Aspell User's Manual, Copyright © 2002 Kevin Atkinson.

It was updated Nov 2006 by Jose Da Silva <digital@joescat.com>, and Dec 2006 by Kevin Atkinson <kevina@gnu.org>.

and that's the whole page, bestie!! 🎀 that was a <rainbow>GNU</rainbow> production, dated 2006-12-10, and you were reading ASPELL(1). go forth and spell gorgeously, you absolute icon 💅✨💖

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