A new app for Android devices has been launched offering the first automatic spell check for the Luxembourgish language.

The Spellcheck app was developed by software engineer Michel Weimerskirch to help people write Luxembourgish quickly and correctly when composing texts or using social networks from Android devices.

People who download the free app and write in Luxembourgish, will find that spelling mistakes are automatically corrected.

“I'm not a linguist but I've a big interest in linguistics, especially in Luxembourg because there is not much software available,” Michel told wort.lu, adding that his creation was inspired by the potential offered by open source software. “It inspired me to create something that works with this software with my mother tongue.”

The Luxembourg national has been creating a range of digital tools to support the Luxembourgish language since he launched spellchecker.lu in 2006. The website allows people to enter words in Luxembourgish online and find the correct spelling. Since then, he has created a number of tools and apps around the Luxembourgish language.

Work in progress

Writing the Luxembourgish language correctly has been problematic in recent years given that it was not recognised as an official language until 1984. Since then a group has been created by the government to agree on a standardised way of writing the language.

“I'm following their progress and adapting my work to their current status,” Michel said.

While the new app, which launched on March 10, will help spot spelling mistakes, Michel cautions that it is not programmed to pick up on syntax or grammar errors.

And, sadly, he has no plans to begin develop a Luxembourgish translation tool.

“That's a completely different piece of technology. I would have to translate the entire list of words and add additional features like syntax and analysis and translated expressions," he said, adding: "I don't have the resources. It would be really cool to do it but currently it's not possible."

To download the spellchecker app, users must download "AnySoftKeyboard". For more installation instructions, please visit spellchecker.lu

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