Custom Global and Project Dictionaries

In addition to all of the built-in dictionaries that are installed on your computer, you can develop custom dictionaries. You can think of these as supplements to the built-in dictionaries. A custom dictionary is created and modified automatically whenever you perform a spell check and tell Lingo that a questionable word is okay and should be added to a dictionary. See Spell Checking While Typing and Spell Checking Manually.

There are two kinds of custom dictionaries that you can use: global and project.

Global Dictionary

A global dictionary is a file that contains words and can be used for spell checking by any Lingo project you open on your computer. This is a convenient way to ensure that all of your projects are using the same spellings for terms, rather than having each project rely on a different dictionary.

By default, a new global dictionary is stored in your AppData folder, like all of your built-in dictionaries.

However, you can use the Spelling tab of the Options dialog (File > Options) to choose another location for your global dictionary. For example, you might be working with a team of translators and want to make sure you are all using the same spellings for certain terms. By choosing a network directory, your entire team can use the same global dictionary. See Choosing the Location for Global Dictionaries.

You can also check the Thesaurus column in this dialog to see if your selected language supports it. See Thesaurus.

Project Dictionary

A project dictionary is just what it sounds like. It is unique to a particular project. When a project dictionary is created, it is saved in the Spelling folder of your Lingo project.

For example, you might choose to use this kind of dictionary if you are a translator with several clients, and each client has unique terms with unusual spellings. By using a project dictionary, you can keep those spellings tied to a certain project.