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Enable and disable dictionaries

Use dictionaries in your CSpell configuration to choose which dictionaries apply. Some default dictionaries are enabled for specific file types. If you installed a dictionary separately, follow its installation and import instructions before referring to it by name.

Enable a dictionary​

Add the dictionary's ID to dictionaries. For example, lorem-ipsum is included with CSpell and can be enabled for a project.

cspell.json

{
  "dictionaries": ["lorem-ipsum"]
}

To find an ID, use cspell trace to see which dictionaries contain a word, or check the Dictionary Information table in the dictionary package's README.

Disable a dictionary​

Prefix the ID with !. For example, set "dictionaries": ["!cpp"] to disable the dictionary with ID cpp, even when the default settings enable it for C++ files. The same rule applies if an imported configuration enables it through languageSettings. Other dictionaries from the same package, such as cpp-refined, can still apply.

To enable lorem-ipsum except in Markdown files under examples/, put !lorem-ipsum in a matching override.

cspell.json

{
  "dictionaries": ["lorem-ipsum"],
  "overrides": [
    {
      "filename": "examples/**/*.md",
      "dictionaries": ["!lorem-ipsum"]
    }
  ]
}

Enable a dictionary only for matching files​

If a shared configuration already enables a dictionary, disable it at the top level, then use !! in an override to enable it again. In this example, only Markdown files under examples/ use lorem-ipsum.

cspell.json

{
  "dictionaries": ["!lorem-ipsum"],
  "overrides": [
    {
      "filename": "examples/**/*.md",
      "dictionaries": ["!!lorem-ipsum"]
    }
  ]
}

For each file, CSpell uses the entry with the most leading ! characters among the settings that apply to that file. An even count enables the dictionary and an odd count disables it. For example, !cpp wins over cpp, !!cpp wins over !cpp, and !!!cpp wins over !!cpp. Changing the order of the entries has no effect.

VS Code and the command line​

In VS Code settings, use cSpell.dictionaries with the same dictionary IDs and prefixes. On the command line, use cspell lint --dictionary <name> or cspell lint --disable-dictionary <name> with the files you want to check. These flags add an entry equivalent to !!name or !name, respectively.