sphinxcontrib-spelling
Sphinx spelling extension
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. If you maintain Sphinx documentation and want automated spell-checking, this is the standard tool for the job. Low install friction, active maintenance, permissive license, no known vulnerabilities, and a clear single purpose. Install it if spelling validation is part of your documentation workflow.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later; pyenchant itself requires system spell-check libraries.
- Low friction: pure Python wheel with three straightforward runtime dependencies (pyenchant, requests, sphinx).
- Actively maintained as of 2025-11-28 with recent commits; repository not archived.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Permissive BSD-style license. No restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in proprietary or open-source projects.
last release 2025-11-28 (259 days) · last repo commit 2026-07-20 · 89 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 3,530,650 downloads/mo, #2,589 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install sphinxcontrib-spelling
# In conf.py, add to extensions:
extensions = ['sphinxcontrib.spelling']
# Run: sphinx-build -b spelling docs/ docs/_build/spelling- Whether pyenchant's system-level spell-check dependency requires separate setup on target systems.
- Configuration options and customization depth for dictionary selection, word lists, or language support.
- Performance characteristics on large documentation sets.
What it is and what it does
sphinxcontrib-spelling is a Sphinx documentation extension that integrates spell-checking into builds. It leverages pyenchant to scan documentation source and report misspelled words, helping catch typos before publication. The extension runs as part of a standard Sphinx build and produces a dedicated report of spelling issues.
It is designed for developers and technical writers maintaining Sphinx-based documentation who want automated quality checks. The package is production-stable, supports Python 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, and 3.13, and has low installation friction—just a pip install plus configuration in Sphinx.
Use it for
- Catch spelling errors in API documentation before merging pull requests.
- Integrate spell-checking into continuous integration pipelines for documentation builds.
- Maintain consistent spelling standards across large multi-file documentation projects.
- Generate a report of misspelled words to review and correct in bulk.
- Enforce documentation quality gates in team workflows.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
If you maintain Sphinx documentation and want automated spell-checking, this is the standard tool for the job. Low install friction, active maintenance, permissive license, no known vulnerabilities, and a clear single purpose. Install it if spelling validation is part of your documentation workflow.
Install
sphinxcontrib-spelling on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction: pure Python wheel with three straightforward runtime dependencies (pyenchant, requests, sphinx). Actively maintained as of 2025-11-28 with recent commits; repository not archived.
Requires Python 3.10 or later; pyenchant itself requires system spell-check libraries.
License in practice
Permissive BSD-style license. No restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in proprietary or open-source projects.
Quickstart
pip install sphinxcontrib-spelling
# In conf.py, add to extensions:
extensions = ['sphinxcontrib.spelling']
# Run: sphinx-build -b spelling docs/ docs/_build/spellingVerify before relying
- Whether pyenchant's system-level spell-check dependency requires separate setup on target systems.
- Configuration options and customization depth for dictionary selection, word lists, or language support.
- Performance characteristics on large documentation sets.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 3 packagespyenchantrequestssphinx |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 259 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 3,530,650 / month, #2,589 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleEnvironment :: Web EnvironmentFramework :: Sphinx :: ExtensionIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: BSD LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonTopic :: DocumentationTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: sphinxcontrib_spelling-8.0.2-py3-none-any.whl
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See also pyenchant · pyspelling · typos · sphinxcontrib-shellcheck · mkdocs-spellcheck · language_tool_python · pyspellchecker · pymupdfpro · sphinx-substitution-extensions · sphinxcontrib-confluencebuilder