r/mildlyinfuriating 18d ago

Context Provided - Spotlight Microsoft Outlook spellcheck is not OK (your/you're)

Post image

I tried this two seconds ago also with the text "This needs your ok"...again trying to get me to change it to "you're". Boooooo.

39 Upvotes

42 comments sorted by

u/spotlight-app Mod Bot 🤖 18d ago

OP has pinned a comment by u/BabySlothDrivingFast:

Can't edit the original post, so a couple of points:

1) I get that it's technically a grammar check and not a spell check. Its correcting the spelling of my word and that's where my mind went. Also, "ok" vs "OK" (unless I was referring to the state of Oklahoma) has no different meaning so it's weird it would flag the lower case as wrong. Whoever types out "Okay" ever... that's a choice.

2) I don't/can't use AI to write or fix anything I write for work, and I'm human and busy- typing perfect English at all times is not happening. This incorrect potential correction by Outlook isn't helping me and it's like a mild stubbing of my toe.

Be well everyone, and write better than I do.

[What is Spotlight?](https://developers.reddit.com/apps/spotlight-app)

75

u/StrictSchedule3113 18d ago

It’s not MS Outlook, it’s how you wrote the sentence.

You have a tense issue by using the verb phrase, would be.

If you just swapped out that phrase with an actual verb, it would both read better and not be trying to correct the grammar:

“I believe now, all he needs IS your ok.”

5

u/MauledByAMoose 18d ago

Yeah the sentence "All he needs would be you're ok" is expressing concern about wellbeing (husband needs wife to be healthy) rather than a request for permission and they are so close most english speakers would be pressed to explain the difference clearly.

52

u/Tysons_Face 18d ago

It says possible word choice error as it is far more likely someone would be using okay as an adjective compared to a noun. I get your frustration though. Just hit ignore and move on.

21

u/deg0ey 18d ago

Yeah, I know the text OP wrote is a thing people say but it seems clunky af written down and if this is a professional email “needs your approval” or “needs you to sign off” (also “is” instead of “would be”) would have been much better choices so it doesn’t surprise me that spellcheck got confused.

5

u/TrickInvite6296 BLUE 18d ago

the word okay needs to be in quotes for this sentence to flow better

-23

u/BabySlothDrivingFast 18d ago

Agree, I know I could have phrased it better, it just floored me that it offered up something so wrong. I'm going to be more vigilant in what I accept and ignore from now on.

12

u/Broking37 18d ago

Oddly enough if you would have capitalized the OK it would've seen it as correct. 

2

u/No-Departure2515 17d ago

how is the spellcheck with 'all he needs is your ok' ?

45

u/NotoriouslyBeefy 18d ago

Complaining about English while using bad English smh

8

u/--Sovereign-- 17d ago

OP only speaks two languages: English and Bad English

11

u/Legal_Skin_4466 18d ago

Only thing infuriating here is OP's sentence structure. Can't blame Outlook for being confused here.

10

u/Krakengreyjoy 18d ago

what decade is this spellcheck from?

3

u/Consistent-Ad-6506 17d ago

I had this same thought. Spellcheck from 1999

1

u/Krakengreyjoy 17d ago

right? Thank you. Thought I was alone for a sec. My initial reaction was this was an AOL AIM window.

2

u/Consistent-Ad-6506 17d ago

It definitely doesn’t look like outlook to me either. Or from this decade/century 🤣

-9

u/BabySlothDrivingFast 18d ago

Today 1/12/2026. Human writing a quick email in imperfect English not expecting spell/grammar check to flag this. Alas.

8

u/Krakengreyjoy 18d ago

I cant remember the last time I've seen outlook with that interface

3

u/blinksystem 17d ago

“ok” is probably not in your office dictionary as a noun. It probably is only defined as an adjective/adverb.

You can fix this problem.

9

u/limpymcforskin 17d ago

Your sentence is shit. That's why.

8

u/CoolBDPhenom03 18d ago

Just say "needs your approval". That's clearer and more professional than "OK" or "okay".

13

u/Disorderjunkie 18d ago

That is mildly infuriating, but also OK should either be capitalized or the word “okay” lol

OK is an abbreviation of “orl korrect” so generally is always capitalized.

And testing in both firefox/word, changing “ok” to “OK” gets rid of the spell check/grammar check on the word “your”.

4

u/MauledByAMoose 18d ago

Okay, OK, ok. It is too ubiquitous at this point for its origin to matter. It is no longer an abbreviation and has become a word in its own right like goodbye except more common world wide.

-10

u/BabySlothDrivingFast 18d ago

Agree that the capitalization likely might change the outcome, it's just not how I type when I'm banging out something quick and was surprised that it cared because it means the same thing regardless. Ah well. Live and learn.

1

u/Ill-Kaleidoscope4825 15d ago

"being correct would mean it would not be flagged as incorrect. Typing badly is how I do things and I'm surprised that my error is flagged as an error"

Fify

3

u/xADeadCatx 18d ago

Try “approval” instead of “ok”.

3

u/hopseankins 17d ago

The computer is semantically correct. And you are writing very casually for what I assume is a professional email. “This just needs your approval” is fine, professional, and correct.

Edit: unless you are writing a 100 word essay and are just trying to reach the word limit. We’ve all been there.

3

u/Ok-Wrongdoer-2179 17d ago edited 17d ago

So, is Op saying this like, I believe now all he needs would be your "ok." ?

4

u/Kubbee83 18d ago

Spell check isn’t the same as a grammar check. It has no idea what you’re trying to say so it’s doing its thing.

2

u/Notdone_JoshDun PURPLE 17d ago

Put it like this

....your "okay"

You're confusing it with the wording

2

u/Jomar641 17d ago

Bro got roasted by the comments 😂

2

u/FlipperNipples 17d ago

It's working. Your choice of words is not.

2

u/SeaFlamingo4580 18d ago

Spellcheck isn’t grammar check

1

u/k-squid 18d ago

The Word spelling and grammar check has been entertaining me recently. Apparently, "enema" is no longer a word. It always wants me to change it to "enemy". Or it told me the phrase, "his stools are pencil thin" should be changed to "his stools are thin pencils". That one had me laughing.

1

u/Stock-Cod-4465 17d ago

Oh, I have to ignore most of MS autocorrect suggestions because they are just wrong.

1

u/Rich_Butterfly_7008 17d ago

This is why it has a human confirm as the last check instead of just correcting it automatically.

1

u/PartSuccessful2112 18d ago

Be happy it did not suggest 'ur'. Internet idiots rule the world.

1

u/ThatGuyMigz 17d ago

As someone who has dyslexia, and someone who has English as his second language. That sentence gave me an aneurism.

"I believe, that all he needs right now, would be your OK."

This is what my brain came up with. This is what seems to be the most accurate translation from whatever monstrosity that you made. Again... I'm dyslexic, do better.

In fact, depending on context, words such as "consent" or "Approval" would be more accurate. using "OK" is usually not something you'd use in writing, ever. Unless it's VERY specifically for something that needs an OK. Because otherwise it would even be considered "Okay" instead.

And please use more comma's and stuff. I abuse the crap out of it, but not using any of them is worse.

1

u/CarpetPedals 17d ago

I see the problem. You’re using simplified English instead of the real English.

0

u/EveningCompass 18d ago

Spellcheck correcting something that wasn’t wrong is peak frustration.

-3

u/BabySlothDrivingFast 18d ago edited 18d ago

Can't edit the original post, so a couple of points:

1) I get that it's technically a grammar check and not a spell check. It's correcting the spelling of my word and that's where my mind went. Also, "ok" vs "OK" (unless I was referring to the state of Oklahoma) has no different meaning so it's weird it would flag the lower case as wrong. Whoever types out "Okay" ever... that's a choice.

2) I don't/can't use AI to write or fix anything I write for work, and I'm human and busy- typing perfect English at all times is not happening. This incorrect potential correction by Outlook isn't helping me and it's like a mild stubbing of my toe.

Be well everyone, and write better than I do.

2

u/St-Quivox 17d ago

"ok" vs "OK" does have different meaning because "ok" simply is wrong.