hunspell ☆

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Description:
Spell checker and morphological analyzer

Type: Formula | Tracked Since: Dec 28, 2025

Links: Homepage | formulae.brew.sh

Category: Developer tools

Tags: spell-checking nlp text-processing dictionary c++

Install: brew install hunspell

About:
Hunspell is a fast, open-source spell checker designed for use with long-word dictionaries and complex morphological languages. It serves as the core spelling engine for major software like Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and LibreOffice. Its primary value is providing robust, high-performance orthographic analysis and suggestions.

Key Features:

Morphological analysis for complex languages
Affix compression for compact dictionary storage
High-performance C++ implementation
Cross-platform compatibility
Open-source (GPL/LGPL/MPL)

Use Cases:

Integrating spell check functionality into text editors and IDEs
Building natural language processing (NLP) tools
Validating user input in web forms and applications
Creating dictionary generation tools

Alternatives:

Aspell – Aspell is an older GNU project; Hunspell is generally considered faster and handles complex morphological languages better.
Nuspell – Nuspell is a modern C++ rewrite of Hunspell, offering improved performance and full Unicode support while maintaining compatibility.

Version History

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