Aspell

Jul 20, 2023

Aspell Hebrew dictionaries

Aspell Hebrew dictionaries.


Regardless of whether you are an IT professional, student or an enthusiast, you’ve probably been in a situation where you’ve had to work with languages other than your primary tongue. If so, you may also know how useful spell checking software can be, especially when multiple languages are being juggled at once. For those working in the FreeBSD universe, the software or port aspell comes in very handy.

[Aspell]https//forums.freebsd.org/viewtopic.php?&t=44601 is a versatile, open-source spell checker that can be customized for use with various languages. In this particular post, our focus will be on Hebrew; a unique language with its own set of challenges due to being a right-to-left language.

There are many benefits to using aspell over other spell checking software. It is not just competent, but also malleable and very user-friendly, even for those who aren’t particularly tech-savvy. It can correct most commonly misspelled words and offers suggestions for correct spelling. Additionally, aspell can be customized to include language-specific rules, providing an edge where other spell-checkers may fail.

Installing Aspell

Though aspell comes pre-installed in many systems, if it isn’t present in your FreeBSD operating system, it can be installed quite easily from ports. Open your terminal and type the following command

pkg install he-aspell

This command will install the Hebrew version of aspell. If you wish to install the port for a different language, replace ‘he’ with the appropriate two-letter language code.

Using Aspell

After you’ve installed aspell, using it is relatively straightforward. It can be summoned from the command line in the terminal by typing aspell followed by some command line options and then the name of the file that you want to check.

aspell --lang=he check filename

Once you run this command, aspell opens the file in a new window and points out the misspelled words one-by-one. The line containing the word is displayed as well to provide context. You can then choose to ignore the word or replace it with one of the suggestions provided.

For users who wish to check their spelling as they type, aspell has an interactive mode as well that can be enabled as follows

aspell --lang=he -c filename

While aspell may seem complex to beginners, with a bit of tinkering and patience, its utility is undeniable. It is a versatile tool for any written project and for non-native speakers working with language-specific text files. It enhances efficiency and accuracy in an unrivaled way.

aspell isn’t the only effective port available in the FreeBSD repository. There are several others that cater to various needs. For instance, if you’re interested in IT security, the port [nmap]https//freebsdsoftware.org/security/nmap.html provides essential services for network discovery and security auditing.

In conclusion, FreeBSD ports like aspell and nmap are free and customizable resources for individuals working across disciplines, providing practical solutions to common challenges in today’s tech-dominated world. They embody the spirit of open source software – to make technology accessible, customizable, and usable for everyone. As the open-source community continues to grow and develop more tools like these, we’ll continue to cover them, helping you to stay abreast of these valuable resources.


Checkout these related ports:
  • Py-pyluach - Python package for manipulating Hebrew dates
  • Libreoffice -
  • Hunspell - Hebrew hunspell dictionaries
  • Hspell - Hebrew spellchecker and morphology engine
  • He2 - Editor for editing (primarily LaTeX) Hebrew files
  • Elmar-fonts - Collection of Hebrew fonts from El-Mar software, Ltd
  • Culmus - Free Hebrew Type1 fonts