---
name: "enchant"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "enchant"
version: "1.6.0-11.1+b1"
release: "Debian 10 (Buster)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/enchant"
---

# enchant(1)

a spellchecker

## NAME

Enchant - a spellchecker

## SYNOPSIS

**enchant** \[**-a**\] \[**-d dict**\] \[**-h**\] \[**-l**\] \[**-L**\] \[**-v**\]\

## DESCRIPTION

**Enchant** is an ispell-compatible spellchecker.

### OPTIONS

- **-a**

  List suggestions in ispell pipe mode format.

- **-d dict**

  Use dictionary \<dict\>.

- **-h**

  Show short help.

- **-l**

  List only the misspellings.

- **-L**

  Include the line number in the output.

- **-v**

  Prints the program's version.

## ENCHANT ORDERING FILE

Enchant has a global and a per-user ordering file named *enchant.ordering*. It lets the user specify which spelling backend to use for individual languages in the case when you care which backend gets used. The global file is located in *$(datadir)/enchant* and the per-user file is located in *~/.enchant*. The per-user file takes precedence, if found.

The ordering file takes the form language\_tag:\<comma-separated list of spelling backends\>. I am currently aware of the following backends: aspell, myspell, ispell, uspell, hspell, voikko, and zemberek. '\*' is used to mean "use this ordering for all languages, unless instructed otherwise." For example:

\*:aspell,myspell,ispell\
 en:aspell,myspell,ispell\
 en\_UK:myspell,aspell,ispell\
 fr:myspell,ispell:aspell

## DIRECTORIES IMPORTANT TO ENCHANT

Unless configured otherwise, Enchant's Myspell, Ispell, and Uspell backends will look for dictionaries in directories specific to Enchant, and will not use your system-wide installed dictionaries. This is for pragmatic reasons since many distributions install these dictionaries into different locations.

Like the *enchant.ordering* file described above, Enchant looks in the global directory for these dictionaries and a per-user directory. The per-user directory takes precedence if it is found. Enchant looks for Myspell dictionaries in *$(datadir)/enchant/myspell* and *~/.enchant/myspell*. Enchant looks for Ispell dictionaries in *$(datadir)/enchant/ispell* and *~/.enchant/ispell*. Enchant looks for Uspell dictionaries in *$(datadir)/enchant/uspell* and *~/.enchant/uspell*.

Packagers and users may wish to make symbolic links to the system-wide dictionary directories. Or, preferably, use the --with-myspell-dir, --with-ispell-dir, and --with-uspell-dir 'configure' arguments.

## MORE INFORMATION

http://www.abisource.com/enchant/

## SEE ALSO

**[aspell(1)](/aspell/1.md),** **[ispell(1)](/ispell/1.md),**

## AUTHOR

 Dom Lachowicz\
  WEB: http://www.abisource.com/enchant/\
  MAIL: domlachowicz@gmail.com