Contributing to the Authors Dictionary
The Penpoint Authors Dictionary is built from words that fiction writers actually use. When you hit a word that spellcheck flags but shouldn't, you can suggest it for the shared list so every writer benefits.
How to Suggest a Word
First, add the word to your own dictionary: right-click it in your manuscript (or Ctrl+click on Mac) and choose "Add to Dictionary," or type it into the Custom Dictionary box in Settings > Spellcheck & Autocorrect. Then find the word in your custom dictionary list and click the small paper-airplane (send) icon beside it.
A short form opens with the word already filled in. Add a sentence about why it belongs in the dictionary if you like, then send it. That's all there is to it. We review every suggestion and add the ones that fit.
Tip: We don't ask for your name, and we never read or send anything from your books. Just the word and your optional note.
What Makes a Good Suggestion
The Authors Dictionary is for words many writers would use, not names specific to one story. Penpoint already recognizes your own characters, locations, and items automatically, so those never need suggesting.
- Great suggestions: genre vocabulary like "spellcaster," "hyperdrive," "revenant," or "portcullis": real words that standard dictionaries often miss.
- Skip these: a character's invented name ("Zyliaxa"), a place unique to your world ("Kaeldrin"), or a plain typo. Invented names belong in your own custom dictionary instead.
Note: Not sure whether a word fits? Send it anyway. Reviewing suggestions is how the dictionary learns what writers need, and there is no harm in one that doesn't make the cut.