So in effect it becomes useful for applications like Notepad which do not have an in-built spellchecker. TinySpell comes as a freeware and also as a paid app. Here we will of course take a look at the freeware version.

TinySpell sits in the system tray and waits for you to commit a spelling mistake. It watches over your data in two ways.

Checking on the fly

It keeps tabs on your typing and then alerts you to any spelling errors. When it detects a misspelled word, an alarm beeps and shows a spelling tip and the TinySpell icon in the system tray changes colour from white to yellow.

Checking the clipboard

TinySpell also monitors the clipboard for any spell checks on the text you copy there. Again, the program notifies the user with a beep and a yellow icon. If the icon remains white it means that there’s no spelling errors in the text copied to the clipboard.

Correct your mistakes with a click

To correct the spelling mistakes click the TinySpell icon or press the assigned hot-key. A pop up gives a list of probable replacement words to select from the list. The selected word is inserted into your document, or is copied to the clipboard so you can paste it in your document.

The Dictionary

Of course, TinySpell is not the cure-all for poor English but it offers a lot of help with its 110,000 word rich American-English dictionary. Alas, the free version does not allow the adding of additional dictionaries; a facility provided in the paid TinySpell+ version. But as a consolation you can add (and remove) individual words to the dictionary in the way we do in Microsoft Word. There is also a tiny spelling window where you can search for the correct spelling of a misspelt word.

The End Opinion

For a 1.3 MB sized application, don’t expect an automated Webster clone and you won’t be disappointed. The program does live up to its name as a small utilitarian tool. It hogs very little of system resources and does indeed check for spelling errors in any application.

I tried it out within the text entry fields of web pages, Notepad, Paint and a few more and it does a fairly good job of alerting the user through beeps and visual cues. If the beeps jangle your nerves, they can be replaced easily with a more pleasing .wav sound file from the settings.

For the sake of criticism let’s say that the user needs to pause and correct the misspelt word immediately as there are no red underlines akin to MS Word. Accessibility would have got a boost with a right click context add-in.

All in all though, it’s worth every bit of its 561KB download.

TinySpell v1.7 is available from here and supports Windows 2000/XP/Vista.

Let us know what you think of it or perhaps you know of a better program?

For those of us who do not know excrement from a brand of shoe polish, especially students studying for the ACT, SAT, or GRE, VerbaLearn makes for an invaluable tool to practice your vocabulary.

Before you sign up, you may indicate which test you are studying for, if any, and then challenge yourself with a quick quiz on the meanings of certain words. VerbaLearn automatically starts building up your first word list based on incorrect answers or answers which you indicate were just guesses. Once you get about ten words in, you’re ready to sign up (it’s free) and continue your first course. The initial course is made up of 50 words however you will be dealing with 10-20 words at a time, depending on an account option you choose.

Once you have built a list, you can take vocabulary quiz with fill-in-the-blank questions as well as definitions. Many of these questions will be repeated until the system is sure that you have a particular word down correctly. Once you have mastered some words, you will be encouraged to build another study list. Whether or not you get a quiz question correct, you may review the correct answer anytime.

If you prefer to learn by listening, you may download a generated MP3 file with the study list on which you need to work. This can be a direct download or, for folks on the go, via a podcast feed.

As I’m sure you can see from the screenshot below, I still have plenty of words to work on. The basic VerbaLearn service is free for all. If I was a student, my parents or another sponsor could add money to my VerbaLearn2Earn account, giving me a “cash card” which could be loaded with a small amount for each word I successfully learn. There’s no better incentive than cash; I think I just may try this on my own son.

What are your favorite sites for free learning? What kind of incentives work for the kids in your life? Please let us know in the comments.