Where Is the Mac Spelling Dictionary Stored?
macOS collects words you teach the spellchecker in a LocalDictionary text file inside a hidden Spelling folder.
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Every Learn Spelling click across Mac apps lands in one file. Mail, Notes, Safari, and third party Cocoa apps share the same LocalDictionary, which is why a taught word stops flagging everywhere at once.
The file is refreshingly simple: UTF-8 text, one word per line, no database involved. Copying it to a new Mac transfers years of accumulated jargon instantly. Deleting it resets the spellchecker to factory vocabulary with no other side effects.
Where macOS stores this, by platform
~/Library/Spelling/LocalDictionary
One word per line in plain text. Use Finder Go to Folder to open ~/Library/Spelling since Library stays hidden.
Frequently asked questions
Can I edit the dictionary by hand?
Yes. It is plain text with one word per line. Quit the apps using it first, edit in TextEdit, and keep one entry per line with no extras. Duplicates and blanks are harmless but sloppy.
Does the dictionary sync to my other Macs?
It stays on the Mac. Unlike many settings, the learned word list does not follow iCloud to other devices, so technical vocabularies need teaching per machine or a copied file.
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