Dictionary & Spell Check

Codex Editor includes a built-in dictionary system and spell checker to help you maintain consistency and accuracy in your translations. The dictionary is per-project, stored locally, and can be populated with Wiktionary data or your own entries.

Project Dictionary

Opening the Dictionary

Open the dictionary editor in any of these ways:

• Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and search for "Dictionary Table: Show"
• Open the file files/project.dictionary directly from the file explorer

The dictionary opens as an editor tab with a searchable, editable table of word entries.

Adding Words

In the dictionary editor, you can:

• Add entries manually — Click the add button to create a new entry with a head word and definition
• Edit existing entries — Click on any cell in the table to modify it
• Delete entries — Remove words you no longer need

Importing Wiktionary Data

To bulk-populate your dictionary with definitions:

1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Search for "Import Wiktionary"
3. Select a .jsonl file containing Wiktionary data
4. The importer processes each word and its definitions, creating dictionary entries automatically

Dictionary Storage

• SQLite database: The active dictionary lives at .project/dictionary.sqlite for fast lookups
• JSONL export: User-created entries are also saved to files/project.dictionary so they sync with your project and team

Spell Check

Codex includes a built-in spell checker powered by the project dictionary and a language server.

Enabling Spell Check

Spell check is disabled by default. To enable it, update your project settings:

1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Search for "Preferences: Open Settings"
3. Find codex-project-manager.spellcheckIsEnabled and set it to true

How It Works

When spell check is enabled:

• Words in your translation cells are checked against the project dictionary
• Unrecognized words are highlighted
• Click on a highlighted word to see correction suggestions
• Select "Add to Dictionary" to add the word to your project dictionary, removing the highlight

The spell checker uses Levenshtein distance to suggest similar words from your dictionary when a word isn't recognized.

Word Lookup

To quickly look up a word's definition:

1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Search for "Look Up Word"
3. Type the word you want to look up
4. If definitions exist in your dictionary, they're shown in a list
5. If no definitions are found, you'll see a "No definitions found" message

Word Frequency Analysis (KWIC View)

Codex includes a Key Word In Context (KWIC) view for analyzing word usage across your translations:

1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Search for "Frontier: View All Words"
3. A panel opens showing every unique word in your target translations

KWIC Features

• Word frequency: See how often each word appears across your project
• Context display: View the left and right context surrounding each occurrence
• Sorting: Sort by frequency, left context, or right context
• Search: Filter for specific words
• Bulk replace: Select occurrences and replace them across the project
• Pagination: Navigate through large word lists

This is useful for spotting inconsistencies in terminology, finding uncommon words, or ensuring key terms are translated consistently throughout the project.

Tips

• Build your dictionary early — Import Wiktionary data for your target language before starting translation
• Add words as you go — When the spell checker flags a correct word, add it to your dictionary so it's recognized going forward
• Use KWIC for consistency — Periodically review word frequencies to catch inconsistent translations of the same term
• Dictionary syncs with your project — User entries in project.dictionary are included in project sync, so your team shares the same dictionary