---
title: "Spelling service settings"
description: "Configuration options for the Spelling premium server-side component."
canonical_url: "https://www.tiny.cloud/docs/tinymce/latest/configure-spelling-service/"
md_url: "https://www.tiny.cloud/docs/tinymce/latest/configure-spelling-service/index.md"
version: "latest"
last_updated: "2026-09-28T00:27:52Z"
tokens: 733
---
# Spelling service settings

The following settings for the Spelling premium server-side component are optional. These settings should be added to the `application.conf` file described in [Required configuration for the server-side components](../configure-required-services/).

## `spelling` (optional)

The Spelling service has these configurable settings:

- `hunspell-dictionaries-path`
- `custom-dictionaries-path`
- `dynamic-custom-dictionaries`
- `num-incorrect-words-in-suggestions-request-limit`

### `hunspell-dictionaries-path` (optional)

The `ephox.spelling.hunspell-dictionaries-path` setting is used to define the location of the Hunspell dictionaries. When the setting is not provided, Hunspell dictionaries are not supported.

Requirements:

- The directory containing the Hunspell dictionaries must conform to the file structure defined in [Hunspell dictionary storage for Spell Checker](../self-hosting-hunspell/#hunspell-dictionary-storage-for-spell-checker).
- The directory containing the Hunspell dictionaries must be mounted as a volume in the container.

Tiny recommends storing the Hunspell dictionaries in a similar location to the `application.conf` file. For example, if `application.conf` is in a directory called `/opt/ephox`, the Hunspell dictionaries should be stored in the subdirectory `/opt/ephox/hunspell-dictionaries`.

Example:

```properties
ephox {
  spelling {
    hunspell-dictionaries-path: "/opt/ephox/hunspell-dictionaries"
  }
}
```

### `custom-dictionaries-path` (optional)

For information on creating custom dictionaries, see: [Adding custom dictionaries - Creating custom dictionary files](../custom-dictionaries-for-tiny-spellchecker/#creating-custom-dictionary-files).

The `ephox.spelling.custom-dictionaries-path` element is used to define the location of the custom dictionaries. When the setting is not provided, no custom dictionaries are loaded.

Requirements:

- The directory containing the custom dictionaries must be mounted as a volume in the container.
- The directory should not contain subdirectories or non-dictionary files.

Tiny recommends storing the custom dictionaries in a similar location to the `application.conf` file. For example, if `application.conf` is in a directory called `/opt/ephox`, the dictionary files could be stored in the subdirectory `/opt/ephox/dictionaries`.

Example:

```properties
ephox {
  spelling {
    custom-dictionaries-path = "/opt/ephox/dictionaries"
  }
}
```

### `dynamic-custom-dictionaries` (optional)

Adding the `ephox.spelling.dynamic-custom-dictionaries` element and setting it to `true` instructs the spelling service to periodically check the `custom-dictionaries-path` for changes, and update the custom dictionaries accordingly. This allows updates to the custom dictionaries without restarting the spelling service. The default value is `false`.

Example:

```properties
ephox {
  spelling {
    custom-dictionaries-path = "/opt/ephox/dictionaries"
    dynamic-custom-dictionaries = true
  }
}
```

### `num-incorrect-words-in-suggestions-request-limit` (optional)

Adding the `num-incorrect-words-in-suggestions-request-limit` element and setting it to a number instructs the spelling service to reject any requests for `/2/` suggestions where the number of **incorrect** words exceeds the specified limit. The default is to have no limit.

Example:

```properties
ephox {
  spelling {
    num-incorrect-words-in-suggestions-request-limit = 100
  }
}
```