Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!apple!oliveb!pyramid!prls!gordon
From: gordon@prls.UUCP (Gordon Vickers)
Newsgroups: comp.sources.wanted
Subject: Re: A spell checker that offers suggestions
Message-ID: <26891@prls.UUCP>
Date: 16 Oct 89 16:06:16 GMT
References: <3342@ur-cc.UUCP>
Reply-To: gordon@prls.UUCP (Gordon Vickers)
Organization: Philips Research Labs, Sunnyvale, California
Lines: 33

In article <3342@ur-cc.UUCP> lm03_cif@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Larry Moss) writes:
->For some time I've been looking for a UNIX spell checker that will offer
->suggestions for the proper spellings of words it doesn't know.  If
->somehting like this exists, I'd be very interested in hearing about it.

      Sometime last year, I posted a program called 'soundslike' to
   comp.unix.sources. Check your local archive.  If you can't find it,
   I'll send a copy to thoughs who request it.  If I receive many request,
   maybe I can get it reposted to comp.unix.sources. (I think it was posted,
   I went on vacation right after I submitted the source).

      Soundslike uses the soundex algorthym and consults either /usr/dict/words
   or some other wordlists (if specified as an argument).  This program
   should not be confused with the program 'sl' that created it's own database
   to consult.

     My program is easy to use, you need only to get the first letter correct,
   and spell the remaining phonetically.  I normally use this program from
   vi.  The spelling checker I use makes a list of 'unacceptable' words and
   calls vi so I can edit the list. Using vi's shell escape feature to call
   'soundslike' really speeds up the process of correcting spelling errors.

     Soundslike is written in 'C' , contains comments and explains the
   simple algorthym so it can be easily ported to your favorite lanquage.
   The algorthym used was taken from an article I read and may not be complete
   or even accurate but it does work well.

     I haven't used either program on this article though. :-)

Gordon Vickers 408/991-5370 (Sunnyvale,Ca); {mips|pyramid|philabs}!prls!gordon
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