I edited the words in my "custom dictionary," but I can't find the main spell-checker dictionary in Outlook Express or Microsoft Word. How can I edit the spell-checker dictionary?

When a user attempts to edit the dictionary in Microsoft Word, the software automatically disables its own automatic spell-checking feature until you turn it back on.

To restore the automatic spelling changes in Microsoft Word, click on Tools, then Options and then select the Spelling & Grammar tab. Put a check in the proper box there, and your automatic changes will be restored in Word only.

Outlook Express does not allow these automatic word changes. Microsoft Outlook does because it uses Word to create e-mail messages. But Outlook Express, which is included in Microsoft Internet Explorer, does not include the full functions of Word.

For a fine tutorial on spell-checking in Microsoft Word from the University of Wisconsin site: www.uwec.edu/Help/Word/splchck.htm#about.

James Coates writes for the Chicago Tribune, a Tribune Publishing newspaper. He can be reached via e-mail at jcoates@tribune.com.