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Firefox spellchecker, omissions of note

NathanJ79's picture
NathanJ79 (Homepage) - January 1, 2010 - 5:06am

I'm wondering if anybody here would be interested in collaborating on a simple enough project.

I lost my flash drive, so I'm using my wife's (I don't think she ever uses it) and since I'm bad and don't back up, I had to start a new profile. Took no time at all to round up my favorite extensions and whatnot, but I found the spell checker was notoriously off.

Now that I have a personal wiki (I'm using Wiki on a Stick) I decided to make a page for spellchecker omissions. In just a few hours it had grown quite long. I plan to maintain this, adding to the wiki page as well as the spell checker as I go on.

If you'd like to help, just make a note of words you use that Firefox's spell checker doesn't check. If you want to go all out, delete your dictionary, reinstall, and start over, and just collect words you may use. I may or may not add all of your suggestions to the master list based solely on my discretion.

The intended use, if you want to add to your dictionary from this list, just copy the entire list into a text field, and manually add the ones you no longer want flagged as you type them.

Obviously we will not all agree on what should and what should not be added. I'm not even proposing revising the official English dictionary in Firefox -- that might not even be a good idea. But I'm sure some of you will agree with some.

- Adblock (currently Adblock Plus, also a verb "adblock" or general term "adblocker" to block ads, i.e. on the Internet)
- adware (software designed to deploy ads on the end user's machine)
- AMD (CPU brand)
- apps (abbreviation for software applications; often specific to portable devices e.g. iPhone, Blackberry)
- Apso (from Lhasa Apso. Mop-looking dogs)
- Ars (Latin for Art)
- Athlon (AMD brand)
- ATI (former GPU brand)
- AwesomeBar (Firefox component, was Address bar)
- Barack (first name of the 44th President of the USA)
- BitTorrent (networking protocol)
- blockquote (HTML tag)
- bloodlust (urge to kill)
- Blu (as in Blu-ray)
- bootloader (a software product that manages OS booting)
- Bon (Australian given name, e.g. Bon Scott of AC/DC fame; also as in Bon Jovi)
- brainer (i.e. "no-brainer")
- BRB (Be Right Back)
- BSG (Battlestar Galactica)
- Camaro (Car, also a band, 'Bang Camaro')
- carte (Latin, as in 'a la carte', which means 'individually')
- Cartman (surname)
- CDs (Compact Discs)
- cel (i.e. cel-shading)
- CenturyLink (North Carolina telco)
- CMS (content management system)
- colour (color, British variation)
- CrossFire (GPU tech)
- combinations
- CSI (popular cop show, general term for forensics)
- CSS (cascading style sheets, a web design tech, or content scrambling system, basic DVD protection)
- CTF (Capture the Flag, game mode based on the yard game)
- CyanogenMod (popular Android modification build for premium smartphones)
- Dalek (Doctor Who villains; inspiration for R2-D2; also Daleks)
- deathmatch (kill-all multiplayer shooter mode; also Deathmatch)
- deus (Latin, deity (god), also Deus)
- DDR (in computer memory, double data rate; in gaming, Dance Dance Revolution)
- DLC (downloadable content)
- DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act)
- downloadable
- downloaders
- downmix (when content, typically audio, is reduced in quality)
- DRM (Digital rights management)
- Drupal (open-source CMS)
- DS (dual-screen Game Boy; Nintendo handheld)
- DSL (Digital Subscriber Line, or broadband over telephone lines)
- DVDs (Digital video discs)
- DX (a game (Deus Ex), and a pro wrestling tag team (D-Generation X) among others)
- dystopia
- edu (Internet TLD for schools)
- EQ (feature on nice stereos and decent multimedia programs)
- ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board)
- EULAs (EULA plural, as in more than one End User License Agreement)
- Facebook
- Fayetteville (city in North Carolina)
- FC, FCs (Full combos/flawless completions in rhythm games; force close in Android)
- fi (as in sci-fi or Semper fi)
- flashcart (colloquial term for a device which lets you put flash memory in a game cartridge)
- Fleetwood (kind of car, also the band Fleetwood Mac)
- FTW (For the win; also sometimes f**k the world)
- Fullscreen (in home video, to have an aspect ratio of 4:3; or to fill the screen with your video or game, as opposed to windowed)
- Fx (Mozilla-designated abbreviation for Firefox)
- GameFAQs (Popular website for games)
- Gamerscore (An Xbox 360 profile's cumulative score across multiple games)
- Gamertag (A profile on the Xbox 360)
- GameStop
- GBA (Game Boy Advance, a Nintendo handheld)
- GeForce (nVidia family of GPUs)
- Gmail (email service operated by Google)
- Godsmack (band)
- google (Google as a verb)
- GPL (GNU Public License)
- Greenville (college town in NC; also other states)
- grey (gray, British variation)
- greyware (software that is in a grey area; or grayware)
- GPS (global positioning system)
- GPU (graphics processing unit, also GPUs)
- habanero (chili pepper)
- Halen (as in, Van Halen, the rock group, or i.e. Van Halen, the surname)
- handheld (device)
- Harmonix (gaming studio)
- HD (high definition, or hard disk)
- HDD (Hard disk drive)
- HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface)
- homebrew (unauthorized third-party software for a device)
- honour (honor, British variation)
- IMDb (The Internet Movie Database)
- INXS (Australian rock band)
- iPhone (Apple-branded smartphone)
- ISP (Internet Service Provider; also ISP's)
- JIT (Just-in-Time debugging)
- JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Game) also JRPGs (as opposed to a WRPG, or Western Role-Playing Game) also WRPGs
- Lifehacker (website)
- malware (malicious software, e.g. spyware, adware)
- mana (also Mana, a game term and rock band)
- MapQuest (website)
- McAfee (computer security software company)
- Metallica (rock band)
- microSD (memory card format)
- MiniDisc (media format)
- MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)
- MMOG (also MMORPG, massive multiplayer online [role playing] game)
- mobo (colloquial term for motherboard)
- MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America)
- multi (a prefix that can be separated by a hyphen)
- multiplayer (a game that supports multiple players)
- MySpace (social network)
- NES (gaming console)
- netbook (portable computer)
- Newegg (website)
- Nickelback (rock band)
- Nitro (colloquial term with various meanings)
- NSIS (software)
- Nullsoft (software company)
- nVidia (GPU maker)
- Obama (American President)
- OEM (Original equipment manufacturer)
- onboard (onboard video/audio, something that is built-in on a computer's motherboard)
- OpenOffice (software)
- Orkut (social network)
- PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect, a peripheral tech)
- PDA (Personal Data Assistant or Public Display of Affection)
- plugin or plugins (software)
- PNG (Portable Network Graphic, an image format)
- portablize (to make something portable)
- pre (prefix that can be separated by a hyphen)
- Prez (colloquial term for President)
- PSP (game system)
- QA (Quality Assurance)
- Raedon (GPU)
- replayable
- RIAA (Record Industry Association of America)
- ringtone
- roadmap
- roleplaying
- ROMs (software dump of a cartridge, or firmware package; plural of ROM)
- rumour (rumor, British variation)
- scratchers (scratch-off lottery tickets)
- screenshot
- SDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity)
- se (as in 'per se', a Latin phrase meaning "...as such")
- setlist (also Setlist)
- sims (simulations)
- SLI (Scalable Link Interface, GPU tech)
- smartphone (handheld computer with GSM/CDMA radio and wireless broadband modem)
- SMS (short message system, i.e. text messages)
- SNES (game system, also SuperNES)
- SourceForge (open source development website)
- spinoff (also spinoffs)
- spyware (software designed to spy on the user who installed it)
- startup (what a computer does when it boots, e.g. startup sequence; also a small business, e.g. internet startup)
- SVU (Special Victims Unit, a Law & Order show)
- taskbar (Windows tool)
- Technica (from Latin for technology, e.g. website "Ars Technica")
- teleport (also, teleporting, teleported, teleportation)
- texting (sending text messages via SMS)
- that'll (contraction for "that will")
- timeline (roadmap of goals for a project)
- TLD (Top Level Domain, e.g. .com, .net, .edu and others)
- telco (telephone company)
- Torchwood (British sci-fi show)
- Trekkies (fans of Star Trek)
- Ubuntu (Linux distribution)
- UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)
- UI (User Interface)
- USB (Universal Serial Bus)
- uTorrent (BitTorrent software, officially μTorrent)
- valour (valor, British variation)
- VideoLAN (software, also VLC)
- voicemail
- Warcraft (game series)
- weaksauce (meme, i.e. disappointing)
- webcam, webcams
- Wiccan (relating to witchcraft)
- widescreen (wide aspect ratios)
- Wii (game console)
- Wiimote (Wii controller)
- Winamp (software)
- WinXP (Windows XP)
- WMA (Windows Media Audio)
- WWF/WWE (World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment)
- Xbox (game console)
- XnView (software)
- XP (Windows in 2002, also Experience in RPGs)
- y'know (slang contraction for "you know?")
- YouTube (website)
- Zealand (i.e. New Zealand)
- Ziti (pasta)

[Topic title changed from "Firefox spellchecker hall of shame" to "Firefox spellchecker, notable omissions" by topic creator for clarity.]


( categories: )

Stuff like Ubuntu shouldn't

Stuff like Ubuntu or NewEgg shouldn't be in there.

For example, eXpresso, isn't a word, it's just the name of a program. Firefox should really only be checking WORDS, not names.

Edit: Even firefox isn't the dictionary. Last time I checked, we didn't have fox's on fire Sticking out tongue

Siggys waste Bandwidth... that's why I have one.

Latin words shouldn't be in

Latin words shouldn't be in there either. In fact, the only ones in that list that should be are the acronyms, "texting" and "smartphone". "Crossfire" without a capital "f" is already in the dictionary. Everything else is either a trademark or not an English word.

Vintage!

Respect his authoritah

I don't think Nathan is applying for Chief-of-Detectives with the spelling police. He just wants common, every-day colloquialisms to not appear as a spelling error in Fx, if I understand correctly. No law against that as far as I know.

I've always wondered about "webpage". Is it two words? If so, why isn't "website" two words? Should "web-page" be hyphenated?

Language is ever evolving to suit the needs of its users.

English Never Got to be a Language In Sure Hindsight

Recursive acronym of the day: English Never Got to be a Language In Sure Hindsight (abbr. ENGLISH)

Insert original signature here with Greasemonkey Script.

Correct. Not trying to change

Correct. Not trying to change anybody's mind or anything, just looking to make something more convenient.

DarkbeeI've always wondered about "webpage". Is it two words? If so, why isn't "website" two words? Should "web-page" be hyphenated?

Firefox doesn't flag website, but it does flag webpage. Website is OK, but web page should be two words. My interpretation anyway.

DISCLAIMER: My posts are my own and do not represent PortableApps.com in any way, shape, or form. I am just a regular guy who happens to be a fan of PortableApps.com and computers/software/gaming in general.

I've got a couple of thoughts

I've got a couple of thoughts and a word for you.

* People have made a good point - why would Fx treat trademarks, etc. like regular words? (The Fx dictionary would get impressively huge if that was done...)

* Why not just ignore the "misspellings" Fx flags? You wouldn't believe how often one particular word gets flagged for me; I just ignore it.

That word, btw, is Elluminate - it's an online collaboration tool.

Other than that, Fx is generally pretty good about recognizing what I'm typing...

(Something just occurred to me - this is going to be a long thread.) Here's some more words I use fairly often.

Elluminate
Avira
MalwareBytes Anti-malware
Drupal (:P)
phpBB
REALbasic
malware

"The question I would like to know, is the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. All we know about it is that the Answer is Forty-two, which is a little aggravating."

...

computerfreaker* Why not just ignore the "misspellings" Fx flags? You wouldn't believe how often one particular word gets flagged for me; I just ignore it.

That word, btw, is Elluminate - it's an online collaboration tool.

Why ignore them? Your additions don't go into any public work. If it tells you it's a misspelling, make sure it isn't, and then just add it. Not because it's in the OED but because it's in fact spelled right and it's a word you use.

Elluminate *should not* be in a spell checker by default because boneheads will get told it's a correct spelling of illuminate... but that doesn't mean you shouldn't add it. Likewise with me and Invision, it's a play on envision, but I add it because I'm always talking about forum platforms (and they're the top dog). Remember what a spell checker will and will not flag. Their/they're/there misuse, and too/two/to are both ignored because the words are actually spelled correctly.

DISCLAIMER: My posts are my own and do not represent PortableApps.com in any way, shape, or form. I am just a regular guy who happens to be a fan of PortableApps.com and computers/software/gaming in general.

Firefox abbreviation

The actual Firefox trademark abbreviation according to Mozilla is not "Fx" but "Ff".
On a side note, it is not FireFox either, it is Firefox.

And just by curiosity, "Ff" counts as a word on Firefox' spell-checker.

#tuna { color: silver; smell: delicious; }

Since when?

Since when?

Vintage!

Research says...

WikipediaMozilla prefers that Firefox be abbreviated as Fx or fx, though it is often abbreviated as FF.

Mozilla8. How do I capitalize Firefox? How do I abbreviate it?
Only the first letter is capitalized (so it's Firefox, not FireFox.) The preferred abbreviation is "Fx" or "fx".

(Granted, this is from the Firefox 1.5 FAQ, but I don't believe it's changed, though I will quickly change my tune if I see the proof over on Mozilla.)

DISCLAIMER: My posts are my own and do not represent PortableApps.com in any way, shape, or form. I am just a regular guy who happens to be a fan of PortableApps.com and computers/software/gaming in general.

Oh...

I see I was messing up ideas, sorry for the faulty information about "Fx" and "Ff". At least the rest is correct... Sticking out tongue

#tuna { color: silver; smell: delicious; }

inbox. No lie.

inbox. No lie.

!!

...

gluxonStuff like Ubuntu or NewEgg shouldn't be in there.

For example, eXpresso, isn't a word, it's just the name of a program. Firefox should really only be checking WORDS, not names.

Yes it should.

A spell checker should tell you when you misspell something. It's not to be confused with a dictionary, in which case you're right. To clarify, it doesn't matter if it's recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary, it only matters if it's a word that YOU use that Firefox is telling you that you are misspelling it when you are NOT. Furthermore, the goal is not to replace the official dictionary, just to create a repository for people to grab stuff they might use all in one place.

Also, is it just me, or is it interesting (perhaps prejudicial?) that Firefox's spellchecker recognizes "PlayStation" but not "Xbox"? What is a PlayStation that an Xbox is not? The PlayStation is older, but the Xbox is no less important.

My ideal dictionary would include a heck of a lot of colloquial terms that I would be able to type that would not be flagged as wrong. It would also include words in British English -- "honour", for example, is not a misspelling of "honor", it's just the British variation (or rather, the French-influenced English variation).

DISCLAIMER: My posts are my own and do not represent PortableApps.com in any way, shape, or form. I am just a regular guy who happens to be a fan of PortableApps.com and computers/software/gaming in general.

Yes and...

I think we can add a footnote to that saying that it depends on what you're using the spellchecker for.

If it's for a dissertation to graduate Oxford University, England, then you probably don't want "l33t" being picked up as a correct word. However, if it's for your own personal use and no-one else is ever going to critique it, or others will see it but it doesn't matter then who cares! Go ahead and FX, FF, FireFox, FireFreakinfox, whatever you want. I thought that was the whole point of a custom "dictionary" (which might explain where the confusion comes from).

Hell, I think I might add "y'all" and "ya'll" if they aren't in there already.

y'all vs. ya'll

"Ya'll" is incorrect; "Y'all" is the correct -- if it could be called so -- term, and Firefox tags appropriately. See, the apostrophe in a contraction represents the missing letters, e.g. in "you'll" the apostrophe "contracts" " wi" (space w i). In "y'all", which is a bastardized contraction, the apostrophe contracts "ou ". Unless the incorrect one is supposed to be a contraction of "ya all" which is still wrong.

See, there are strict rules which apply to the English language which can be, and are, debated extensively... but you can take those rules and apply them to colloquial speech as well. It's strictly academic since you'll be talking about proper usage of words that don't exist within the language (for example to say "pwn" would be pronounced "poon" because W as a vowel (pronounced oo) is a Welsh thing that is used a total of 2 times in the language) but it can work, sort of. Or you can abandon all self-respect and go all l33t-sp34k on people, e.g. on AOL (sorry -- Aol.).

DISCLAIMER: My posts are my own and do not represent PortableApps.com in any way, shape, or form. I am just a regular guy who happens to be a fan of PortableApps.com and computers/software/gaming in general.

Word

regardless of strict rules, I've had people make a case for both "spellings", although I'm inclined to agree with you based on simple rules of contractions.

Like I said before, language is in a constant state of change and bastardization to suit the needs of its speakers. It's fascinating to compare being taught a "foreign" language versus being taught English. The teaching concepts should be very similar but sadly they aren't. I think I know more about French and German grammar than I do English. Smiling

Y'all is the only way to

Y'all is the only way to spell that saying because it's a contraction of "you" and "all". The first word doesn't begin with "ya" therefore "ya'll" isn't even close to right.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%27all

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/yall.html

Cancer Survivors -- Remember the fight, celebrate the victory!
Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!

Slang

Since "y'all" itself isn't "right", it's hard to say a misspelling (mispunctuation) of it is "wrong" although technically I suppose mispunctuating a slang word is wronger than properly punctuating a slang word. It's like "ain't" -- "Ain't ain't a word", LOL.

It's also hard for me, as a Southerner only by residence (Californian by birth, I've lived in North Carolina since late 2005 -- ain't love funny?), to correct people who have lived here their entire lives, when they say "ya'll", e.g. on facebook.

So I can't take a solid stance one way or the other, but I will continue, in my own writing, to use the more grammatically correct variation.

DISCLAIMER: My posts are my own and do not represent PortableApps.com in any way, shape, or form. I am just a regular guy who happens to be a fan of PortableApps.com and computers/software/gaming in general.

Incorrect

"Ain't" was added to the dictionary years ago and "y'all" is in there too so neither are "wrong".

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Ain%27t

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/y%27all

Cancer Survivors -- Remember the fight, celebrate the victory!
Help control the rugrat population -- have yourself spayed or neutered!

ISP? DSL? Pokemon?

ISP? DSL? Really, Mozilla? Really?

Someone said on another forum that Pokemon is in the default dictionary. Pokemon? Wow. Sure enough...

DISCLAIMER: My posts are my own and do not represent PortableApps.com in any way, shape, or form. I am just a regular guy who happens to be a fan of PortableApps.com and computers/software/gaming in general.

Spellchecker

From my last post I found:
EEE
XP
USB
SDHC
netbook
WinXP
Ubuntu
Apps

EEE is isn't correct anyway.

EEE isn't correct anyway. If you're talking about the netbook brand, isn't the correct spelling "Eee"? Granted, that's probably not in the dictionary either.

One thing is curious about these acronyms and initialisms (okay... so apparently "initialisms" isn't in Chrome's dictionary...), though. Most spell checkers in e.g. word processors are set by default to ignore words in all caps, but the one in Firefox and Chrome don't seem to follow this rule...

EEE -- Not important enough

EEE -- Not important enough for me to add to my list. Sticking out tongue
XP -- Already on the list.
USB -- Thanks for this.
SDHC -- ^^
netbook -- ^^
WinXP -- Abbreviation. I use it too. Ah hell, it deserves its spot.
Ubuntu -- Already on the list.
Apps -- Thanks.

Updating the main list with my master list from the wiki (local wiki).

DISCLAIMER: My posts are my own and do not represent PortableApps.com in any way, shape, or form. I am just a regular guy who happens to be a fan of PortableApps.com and computers/software/gaming in general.

DVI chipset on-board works

DVI
chipset

on-board works this way , but not as onboard.

Added

Added DVI and chipset, and onboard sounds right in context.

I'll upload the latest version sometime tonight.

DISCLAIMER: My posts are my own and do not represent PortableApps.com in any way, shape, or form. I am just a regular guy who happens to be a fan of PortableApps.com and computers/software/gaming in general.

I think KidSafe needs to

I think KidSafe needs to added Smiling

"It's just an online installer. It's not going to mug you.", JTH
"The shell is the key to unlock Linux's greatest advantages."

Could I please say again that

Could I please say again that Firefox SHOULD and DOES only check WORDS? Not NAMES? Sticking out tongue

If it checked for names, I'd say about every single word wouldn't be corrected. Unless it's like al;kjfa;ljfa;df or something like that :/

Siggys waste Bandwidth... that's why I have one.

lather, rinse, repeat

And can I just say again that I think Nathan's goal is really a typo-checker, not a complete lexicon of English language. To the best of my knowledge, "al;kjfa;ljfa;df" has no meaning in the English language and so would make sense to be highlighted as questionable (even though with punctuation it's actually treated as 4 different words). If he has typed something that would be recognizable to most English-speaking users then his browser should not be telling him otherwise (most of the time).

If however, he's writing for a scientific journal then that's a different story. Pun intended. Sticking out tongue

It really depends on the goal of the individual. I don't think Nathan is trying to single-handedly bring the English language to ruin; the populous as a whole is doing that quite nicely, ya'll! Word! Nuff respect!

Again...

Again, the purpose here is not to augment the official dictionary at the distribution level. I do not work for or with Mozilla.

Again, the purpose of the list is to document common words and names that are not misspelled but in fact are spelled correctly.

The list in the first post of this topic is just the latest-published copy of the master I keep on my flash drive. As I make forum posts and whatnot, if I spell something right and Firefox flags it, I add it to the list.

The desired intention is that others, upon reinstalling Firefox (or at any time really) will reply to the first post, copy the entire list into the text box, and add words they want to their own dictionary. It is purely voluntary. What words you add to your own dictionary is up to you. I'm just the guy posting the master list and deciding what gets added. (The decision is based purely on what I add to my own dictionary.)

Also, again, a spell checker's dictionary is only called so because it's a bunch of words. A spell checker's dictionary is in no way an authority on language. A spell checker's sole purpose is to tell the user when they've misspelled a word. If it flags a word that is spelled correctly, it is not doing its job correctly.

DISCLAIMER: My posts are my own and do not represent PortableApps.com in any way, shape, or form. I am just a regular guy who happens to be a fan of PortableApps.com and computers/software/gaming in general.

"Combinations"

Alright, here's a word that's not in the dictionary but actually should be: Combinations. Uppercase and lowercase it was omitted.

Also added more stuff that is debatable as to whether or not it "should" be there, but again, that isn't the point of the topic.

DISCLAIMER: My posts are my own and do not represent PortableApps.com in any way, shape, or form. I am just a regular guy who happens to be a fan of PortableApps.com and computers/software/gaming in general.

This topic again

Yup, it's this topic again. I actually stopped using my list for a while, then started using it again last month, or maybe late May. I've been adding to it, and just trimmed down some of the longer definitions. I really don't need to define anything for myself, it's just a thing I can edit (the Wiki page, not the OP) and correct all the "misspellings". One entry was removed, and a few have been added. I've got no incentive or reason to keep it updated here, but I will probably still do so every couple of months.

DISCLAIMER: My posts are my own and do not represent PortableApps.com in any way, shape, or form. I am just a regular guy who happens to be a fan of PortableApps.com and computers/software/gaming in general.