[GH-ISSUE #143] Aspell En dictionary

kerem commented

2026-03-03 01:19:56 +03:00

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Originally created by @Vainyards on GitHub (Sep 22, 2023).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/d99kris/nmail/issues/143

Originally assigned to: @d99kris on GitHub.

Description:
How do I tell aspell to include EN dictionary?

OS / distro: Macos, kitty term with tmux

Originally created by @Vainyards on GitHub (Sep 22, 2023). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/d99kris/nmail/issues/143 Originally assigned to: @d99kris on GitHub. **Description**: How do I tell aspell to include EN dictionary? - OS / distro: Macos, kitty term with tmux

kerem

2026-03-03 01:19:56 +03:00

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kerem commented

2026-03-03 01:19:57 +03:00

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@d99kris commented on GitHub (Sep 22, 2023):

I believe you can use the --lang argument to specify which language you'd like to use. The following config parameter in ~/.nmail/main.conf works for me:

spell_cmd=aspell --lang=en -c

@d99kris commented on GitHub (Sep 22, 2023): I believe you can use the `--lang` argument to specify which language you'd like to use. The following config parameter in `~/.nmail/main.conf` works for me: ``` spell_cmd=aspell --lang=en -c ```

kerem commented

2026-03-03 01:19:57 +03:00

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@Vainyards commented on GitHub (Sep 26, 2023):

Great I will test, and see.

Since im writing both in Swedish and English.

Used nmail for a year but totally missed this function! XD

@Vainyards commented on GitHub (Sep 26, 2023): Great I will test, and see. Since im writing both in Swedish and English. Used nmail for a year but totally missed this function! XD

kerem commented

2026-03-03 01:19:57 +03:00

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@d99kris commented on GitHub (Oct 1, 2023):

Hi @Vainyards - I see, well I think with aspell --lang=en -c then aspell will only use English dictionary. So if you want it to sometimes check Swedish and sometime English you could perhaps create a simple wrapper script that first detects language of the text, and then calls aspell. Something like this:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# pre-req: needs packages aspell and translate-shell

SAMPLE=$(cat ${1} | cut -d' ' -f1-20) # use first 20 words as a sample to determine language
LANG=$(trans -id "${SAMPLE}" -no-auto -no-ansi | grep "Code" | awk '{print $2}')
LC_ALL="en_US.UTF-8" aspell --lang="${LANG}" -c ${1}

Then save this as a text, e.g. anyspell.sh, chmod it:
chmod +x anyspell.sh
And finally point nmail to use it in ~/.nmail/main.conf:

spell_cmd=~/scripts/anyspell.sh

I'll proceed to close this issue, but feel free to re-open it if you have any follow-up questions or related issues.

@d99kris commented on GitHub (Oct 1, 2023): Hi @Vainyards - I see, well I think with `aspell --lang=en -c` then aspell will only use English dictionary. So if you want it to sometimes check Swedish and sometime English you could perhaps create a simple wrapper script that first detects language of the text, and then calls aspell. Something like this: ```bash #!/usr/bin/env bash # pre-req: needs packages aspell and translate-shell SAMPLE=$(cat ${1} | cut -d' ' -f1-20) # use first 20 words as a sample to determine language LANG=$(trans -id "${SAMPLE}" -no-auto -no-ansi | grep "Code" | awk '{print $2}') LC_ALL="en_US.UTF-8" aspell --lang="${LANG}" -c ${1} ``` Then save this as a text, e.g. `anyspell.sh`, chmod it: ```chmod +x anyspell.sh``` And finally point nmail to use it in `~/.nmail/main.conf`: ``` spell_cmd=~/scripts/anyspell.sh ``` I'll proceed to close this issue, but feel free to re-open it if you have any follow-up questions or related issues.

kerem commented

2026-03-03 01:19:57 +03:00

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@Vainyards commented on GitHub (Oct 4, 2023):

yes, it works, but I think I have some miss configuration on my mac.

It only looks for Swedish no matter what I type. Any suggestions on how to configure EN?

@Vainyards commented on GitHub (Oct 4, 2023): yes, it works, but I think I have some miss configuration on my mac. It only looks for Swedish no matter what I type. Any suggestions on how to configure EN?

kerem commented

2026-03-03 01:19:57 +03:00

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@d99kris commented on GitHub (Oct 7, 2023):

Does aspell work standalone if you specify English, i.e. like this (assuming you have a text file named README.md):

aspell --lang=en -c README.md

If yes, maybe there's something wrong in the script I shared - it was just a quick hack. I did some more testing now and have made some updates to the script to make it a little more robust:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# pre-req:
# sudo apt install aspell aspell-en aspell-sv translate-shell

if [[ ! -f "${1}" ]]; then
  echo "usage: anyspell.sh <txtfile>"
  exit 1
fi

LANG=$(cat "${1}" | awk 'NR<=20{print;next}{exit}' RS='[[:blank:]]+|\n' | tr '\n' ' ' | trans -id -no-auto -no-ansi | grep "Code" | awk '{print $2}')
LC_ALL="en_US.UTF-8" aspell --lang="${LANG}" -c ${1}

I tested it on a text file containing the following Swedish text:

Han kom som ett yrväder en aprilafton och hade ett höganäskrus i en svångrem om halsen.

As well as on a text file containing the following English text:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

Language is detected correctly for both, and aspell can spell check them.

@d99kris commented on GitHub (Oct 7, 2023): Does `aspell` work standalone if you specify English, i.e. like this (assuming you have a text file named README.md): ``` aspell --lang=en -c README.md ``` If yes, maybe there's something wrong in the script I shared - it was just a quick hack. I did some more testing now and have made some updates to the script to make it a little more robust: ```bash #!/usr/bin/env bash # pre-req: # sudo apt install aspell aspell-en aspell-sv translate-shell if [[ ! -f "${1}" ]]; then echo "usage: anyspell.sh <txtfile>" exit 1 fi LANG=$(cat "${1}" | awk 'NR<=20{print;next}{exit}' RS='[[:blank:]]+|\n' | tr '\n' ' ' | trans -id -no-auto -no-ansi | grep "Code" | awk '{print $2}') LC_ALL="en_US.UTF-8" aspell --lang="${LANG}" -c ${1} ``` I tested it on a text file containing the following Swedish text: ``` Han kom som ett yrväder en aprilafton och hade ett höganäskrus i en svångrem om halsen. ``` As well as on a text file containing the following English text: ``` It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. ``` Language is detected correctly for both, and aspell can spell check them.

kerem commented

2026-03-03 01:19:57 +03:00

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@Vainyards commented on GitHub (Oct 17, 2023):

Does aspell work standalone if you specify English, i.e. like this (assuming you have a text file named README.md):
aspell --lang=en -c README.md
If yes, maybe there's something wrong in the script I shared - it was just a quick hack. I did some more testing now and have made some updates to the script to make it a little more robust:
#!/usr/bin/env bash

# pre-req:
# sudo apt install aspell aspell-en aspell-sv translate-shell

if [[ ! -f "${1}" ]]; then
  echo "usage: anyspell.sh <txtfile>"
  exit 1
fi

LANG=$(cat "${1}" | awk 'NR<=20{print;next}{exit}' RS='[[:blank:]]+|\n' | tr '\n' ' ' | trans -id -no-auto -no-ansi | grep "Code" | awk '{print $2}')
LC_ALL="en_US.UTF-8" aspell --lang="${LANG}" -c ${1}
I tested it on a text file containing the following Swedish text:
Han kom som ett yrväder en aprilafton och hade ett höganäskrus i en svångrem om halsen.
As well as on a text file containing the following English text:
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
Language is detected correctly for both, and aspell can spell check them.

Thanks, that probably solved something BUT I noticed aswell that I probably used too few characters for the script to work properly, now it recognize language! So it probably defaulted to SE when under 20 and did not recognize EN.

@Vainyards commented on GitHub (Oct 17, 2023): > Does `aspell` work standalone if you specify English, i.e. like this (assuming you have a text file named README.md): > > ``` > aspell --lang=en -c README.md > ``` > > If yes, maybe there's something wrong in the script I shared - it was just a quick hack. I did some more testing now and have made some updates to the script to make it a little more robust: > > ```shell > #!/usr/bin/env bash > > # pre-req: > # sudo apt install aspell aspell-en aspell-sv translate-shell > > if [[ ! -f "${1}" ]]; then > echo "usage: anyspell.sh <txtfile>" > exit 1 > fi > > LANG=$(cat "${1}" | awk 'NR<=20{print;next}{exit}' RS='[[:blank:]]+|\n' | tr '\n' ' ' | trans -id -no-auto -no-ansi | grep "Code" | awk '{print $2}') > LC_ALL="en_US.UTF-8" aspell --lang="${LANG}" -c ${1} > ``` > > I tested it on a text file containing the following Swedish text: > > ``` > Han kom som ett yrväder en aprilafton och hade ett höganäskrus i en svångrem om halsen. > ``` > > As well as on a text file containing the following English text: > > ``` > It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. > ``` > > Language is detected correctly for both, and aspell can spell check them. Thanks, that probably solved something BUT I noticed aswell that I probably used too few characters for the script to work properly, now it recognize language! So it probably defaulted to SE when under 20 and did not recognize EN.

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[GH-ISSUE #143] Aspell En dictionary #116