Computer spell checks?

A note on computer spell-checks.

Language is beautiful. And yet, it's as delicate as a dandelion. At times, one small mistake, one gentle puff of breath, can blow your creation apart. In response to a query by Manali from St. Xavier's Ranchi' I'm posting some advice based on the Oxford language reference:

Surely, some readers say, the advent of the computer spell-check makes all this learning of rules, patterns and exceptions quite obsolete.

Unfortunately not. The computer spell-check is really just that – a useful check. It cannot guarantee accurate spelling, only inform you that certain words you have written do not appear in its dictionary and suggest possible alternatives.

Reliance on this facility has two main drawbacks.

The first one is that any unfamiliar words such as scientific or technical terms, proper names, abbreviations not in general use will register as errors and throw up alternative suggestions (often deeply absurd).

This is not usually very harmful, but can be a nuisance for someone writing on technical subjects or in some other specialised field. It is usually possible to augment the spell-check dictionary to include any other terms that you require.

The second drawback is much more serious. The computer will fail to recognize a genuine error, however ridiculous or damaging, if it corresponds to the correct spelling of a different word. So if I wrote

The computer spell-check is a handy tool but could not be used as a crotch (meaning crutch)

The error would pass undetected.

It should also be pointed out that many spell-checks will automatically operate on the basis of American (rather than the accepted British-Indian) spelling unless they are altered accordingly.