.EXC File Extension
Microsoft Office 2003 Exclusion Dictionary
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An EXC file may also be an exclusion dictionary used with Microsoft Word 2003 and earlier versions, as well as corresponding versions of other Microsoft Office programs. It contains a wordlist used to edit Windows' default spelling dictionary. The words saved in an EXC file are always marked as misspelled in Word and other Office programs.
More Information
By default, Windows uses one or more .LEX files to check a user's spelling in Microsoft Word 2003 and other Microsoft Office 2003 programs. LEX files contain a spelling dictionary that is organized as a wordlist. If a word's spelling does not match a word in the wordlist, Word marks the word as being misspelled.
While users cannot edit Windows' primary LEX files, they can create an exclusion dictionary that causes Word to mark correctly spelled words as being misspelled. For example, a user who consistently types "local" instead of "locale" may want to create an exclusion dictionary that causes Word to believe "local" is misspelled. That way, the user will be reminded to double-check each instance of "local" that they type.
How do I create an EXC file?
Users must manually create their own EXC files using Microsoft Notepad or another plain text editor. To create an EXC file, open Notepad and enter each word you want to add to your exclusion dictionary on a separate line. Do not use any capital letters. When you've finished creating your EXC file, save it with the filename msssp3en.exc (assuming you are using Windows in the American, Canadian, or UK English languages).
NOTE: Word 2007 and later versions use exclusion dictionaries saved in LEX files. You cannot use custom EXC files with Word 2007 and later versions. Windows 10 includes one default EXC file, named default.exc, which users can use as a system-wide exclusion dictionary. This file is located at C:/Users/YourUserName/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Spelling/en-US.
How to open an EXC file
EXC files are plain text files, so you can open and edit them in Microsoft Notepad (Windows) or any other text editor. Doing so allows you to add or remove words from the exclusion dictionary your EXC file represents.
When you're ready to use an EXC file as a Microsoft Office 2003 exclusion dictionary, name it mssp3en.exc and place it alongside mssp3en.lex, which is Windows' primary English spelling dictionary. (If you want to use an exclusion dictionary with another language's Windows spelling dictionary, refer to this page.) Mssp3en.lex is often but not always located in the C:/Program Files/Common Files/Microsoft Shared/Proof directory.