You receive a "The custom dictionary is full. The word was not added" error message when you add a word to the custom dictionary in Word 2003 and in Word 2002 (291176)

THINGS TO TRY

Custom Dictionary Is Corrupted

To rename the corrupted custom dictionary, and then create a new custom dictionary, follow these steps:

1. Locate the custom dictionary on your hard disk. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Start Word.
   2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
   3. On the Spelling & Grammar tab, click Custom Dictionaries.
   4. In the Dictionary list box, click your custom dictionary.
      
      The path to your custom dictionary is displayed under the Dictionary list box designated by the text Full path. Make a note of the location of the custom dictionary.
   5. Click Cancel, and then click Close.
2. Rename the damaged custom dictionary. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Start Windows Explorer. To do this, right-click My Computer, and click Explore on the shortcut menu.
   2. Browse to the location of the damaged custom dictionary.
   3. Right-click the custom dictionary, and then click Rename.
   4. Rename the custom dictionary file by using the .old extension. For example, to rename Custom.dic, type custom.old, and then press ENTER.
3. Create a new custom dictionary. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Start Word.
   2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
   3. On the Spelling & Grammar tab, click Custom Dictionaries.
   4. In the Dictionary list box, click the old custom dictionary, and then click Remove.
   5. Click New to create a new custom dictionary.
   6. Type a name for the new custom dictionary in the File name box, and then click Save.
      
      The new custom dictionary is added to the Dictionary list box.
   7. Click OK, and then click OK.
4. Add words to the new dictionary file. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. Start Windows Explorer, and browse to the location of the damaged custom dictionary.
   2. Right-click the custom dictionary, and then click Rename.
   3. Rename the custom dictionary file by using the .txt extension. For example, to rename Custom.old, type custom.txt, and then press ENTER.
   4. Start Word, and open the old dictionary file that you just renamed.
   5. Press F7 to spell check the document.
   6. Click Add to Dictionary to add the words that you want from the old custom dictionary to your new custom dictionary.

Spelling Checker Files Are Damaged

If the steps shown in the "Custom Dictionary Is Corrupted" section of this article do not resolve the issue, the files that are used to check spelling are damaged. To resolve this behavior, rename the Msspell3.dll and Mssp3en.lex files by using the .old extension, and then reinstall the spelling checker files. To do this, follow these steps.

NOTE: Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.

1. Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
2. In the Search for file or folders named box, type msspell3.dll.
3. In the Look In box, click the drive on which Microsoft Windows is installed (usually drive C), and then click Search Now.
4. In the Search Results window, right-click the file, and then click Rename.
5. Type msspell3.old
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 to rename the Mssp3en.lex file to Mssp3en.old.
7. Start Word, and then open a blank document.
8. Type some text, and then press F7 to check spelling the document.
9. Click Yes when you receive the following message:

   Microsoft Word can't check the spelling or grammar in this document. This feature is not currently installed. Would you like to install it now?

   Note You may be prompted to install the Microsoft Word CD or the Microsoft Office CD to install the required files.