Tiny SpellChecker Editor's Review

A minimal application with strong usability and extreme focus, this is what Tiny SpellChecker is. Its title explains the nature of this program/utility that provides an additional backup in terms of spell checking. With its invisible (non existent) interface, Tiny SpellChecker delivers an audio notification whenever you've typed a misspelled word. It can check your spelling in any text editing application based on its own built-in dictionary which can be English, Spanish, German, Russian and French.

Its invisible tendency comes from the fact that Tiny SpellChecker hides from the start in the status bar of your computer without displaying anything. With no local interface and without any reaction while left-clicking its shortcut, the audio notification and the 'suggestions list' are the only signs that show the existence of this application on your computer. The audio notification is nothing else but a Windows beeper which is activated when you have misspelled a word.

Tiny SpellChecker is a universal spell checker that works with desktop applications but also with your web browser while writing text. You can opt for using it as the default spellchecker or you can deactivate it and add its correspondent application in the exceptions list. In this way you can manage Tiny SpellChecker to enable or disable other applications which support the spell-checking option.

In case you want to enter deeper into its options, right clicking its status bar icon brings you to the settings list. From the settings list you can check different hot-keys for different actions, set checking rules, enable or disable list of applications, activate/disactivate the checking process. Overall, this approach is an immediate approach to a rather basic solution regarding the lack of a visual interface.

Being the first version to be released, Tiny SpellChecker is not a perfect application. Version 1.0 comes with some obvious disfunctionalities such as the lack of detection in certain moments even when the used text application provides the right correction. The pop-up list of suggestions freezes at some point because of unknown software conflicts.

Pluses: audio notification, no interface, can run with desktop and web-based applications;

Drawbacks/flaws: lack of detection in certain moments, software conflicts, demo version checks only 50 wrong spelled words, then shuts down;

In conclusion: Tiny SpellChecker is the perfect back-up spell-checker solution for any text based editing tool.

version reviewed: 1.0