Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!mhuxl!ulysses!unc!mcnc!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!hplabs!sri-unix!pazzani@AEROSPACE From: pazzani%AEROSPACE@sri-unix.UUCP Newsgroups: net.ai Subject: Spelling Correctors Message-ID: <951@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Fri, 15-Jun-84 11:58:54 EDT Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.951 Posted: Fri Jun 15 11:58:54 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 09:18:51 EDT Lines: 16 From: Michael PazzaniI disagree with the statement that spelling correctors are knowledge-based programs capable of outperforming even intelligent humans. There are two basic parts to spelling correction: detection and correction. In the case where there is more than one possible correction for a misspelled word, people can of course use the context to find the correct spelling. Selecting the proper choice is in many ways like selecting the intended sense of a word. Computers, of course, can be much better at detection of spelling errors except when the misspelling is another word in the vocabulary. I would not call checking a word against a prestored vocabulary knowledge based even with a complex root stripping capability.