# Install hspell with Homebrew, apt, dnf, Nix, pacman Free Hebrew linguistic project. Version 1.4 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-19. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:hspell ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install hspell ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install hspell ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: hspell from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - dnf (92%): ```sh sudo dnf install hspell ``` Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: hspell from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#hspell ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/hs/hspell/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S hspell ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: hspell from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:hspell - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 1.4 - **Source summary:** Free Hebrew linguistic project - **Homepage:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** AGPL-3.0-only - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-06-19T12:31:20-07:00 - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - hspell (cli) - hspell-i (cli) - multispell (cli) - hspell (alias) - hspell-i (alias) - multispell (alias) ## Build dependencies - autoconf ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 1.4 - Package-manager updated: 2026-06-19 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://hspell.sourceforge.net/ - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage Hspell is a free Hebrew linguistic project whose main deliverable is a Hebrew spell checker, with a morphological analyzer and generated dictionaries for other spell-checking systems. ### Project history The project was written by Nadav Har'El and Dan Kenigsberg. Its site describes the goal as creating a free Hebrew spell checker and making the algorithms and dictionaries available for research and applications that need Hebrew word lists or morphology. The public release series started with 0.1 in December 2002. Early releases grew the dictionary, added front-end improvements, and exposed data in formats useful to other spelling engines. Version 0.7 added a complete morphological analyzer, and version 1.0 in 2006 marked a mature vocabulary of more than 22,500 base words. A major licensing change arrived with version 1.2 in 2012, when the project switched from GPL to AGPL. Version 1.4 in 2017 was released after the Academy of the Hebrew Language announced a new niqqud-less spelling standard, with the project stating that 1.4 would be the last version to follow the older standard. ### Adoption history Hspell's adoption story is unusually visible for a linguistic package. The project news records integration work with Aspell, MySpell, OpenOffice, Mozilla, KDE, LyX, Vim, Emacs, AbiWord, and Mac OS X workflows. The download page also lists Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu, FreeBSD, Gentoo, OpenOffice, Firefox, Gmail, and Google Docs as distributors or consumers of Hspell-derived Hebrew spell-checking data. By 2004 the project described Hspell as gaining acceptance as the free-software Hebrew spell checker, and by 2006 it noted Fedora Extras packaging. The input metadata records continued package-manager presence in Homebrew, Debian, Fedora, Nix, Arch, and Ubuntu. ### How it is used The command-line tools include hspell, hspell-i, and multispell. The HOWTO documents editor and desktop integration, including LyX preferences, KDE spelling configuration, OpenOffice modules, Vim, Emacs, Mozilla, and mixed Hebrew-English checking. For downstream projects, the important usage pattern is generated dictionaries and word lists: Hspell can feed Aspell, Hunspell/MySpell-style dictionaries, and applications that need Hebrew morphology rather than only command-line spell checking. ### Why package nerds care Hspell matters to package nerds because it is not merely a CLI wrapper around a dictionary. It is a source of linguistic data, generated word lists, and morphology that downstream distributions split into hspell, aspell-he, myspell-he, hunspell-he, development libraries, and GUI packages. It is also a useful case study in packaging language resources: encoding issues, niqqud handling, personal dictionaries, generated dictionary formats, licensing of both programs and generated data, and distribution-specific integration all show up in the project's release history. ### Timeline - 2002: Release 0.1 published. - 2003: Release 0.7 added a complete morphological analyzer. - 2004: Hspell data was integrated into Aspell and MySpell/OpenOffice-style workflows. - 2005: Release 0.9 improved personal dictionary support and Aspell/MySpell generation. - 2006: Release 1.0 declared the vocabulary mature enough for most users. - 2012: Release 1.2 switched the project license to AGPL. - 2017: Release 1.4 followed the older niqqud-less spelling standard after a new Academy standard was announced. ### Related projects - Related projects include Aspell, Hunspell, MySpell, OpenOffice Hebrew spell-checking, Firefox Hebrew dictionaries, HSpell GUI, Proxpeller, Java wrappers, Hebstem, and Hebmorph. ### Sources - - - - - ## Security Notes narrow executable package without higher-risk signals. - **Geiger risk:** green / low - narrow executable package without higher-risk signals ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** hspell - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Other Package-Manager Records - Debian apt - hspell - 1.4-3.1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: hspell from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Hebrew spell checker and morphological analyzer | http://hspell.ivrix.org.il/ - Debian apt - myspell-he - 1.4-3.1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: myspell-he from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Hebrew dictionary for myspell | http://hspell.ivrix.org.il/ - Nix - hspell: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/hs/hspell/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - hspell - 1.4-3.1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: hspell from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Hebrew spell checker and morphological analyzer | http://hspell.ivrix.org.il/ - Ubuntu apt - myspell-he - 1.4-3.1build1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: myspell-he from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Hebrew dictionary for myspell | http://hspell.ivrix.org.il/ - dnf - hspell - 1.4-26.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: hspell from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | A Hebrew spell checker | http://hspell.ivrix.org.il/ - dnf - hspell-devel - 1.4-26.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: hspell-devel from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Library and include files for Hspell, the Hebrew spell checker | http://hspell.ivrix.org.il/ - dnf - hunspell-he - 1.4-26.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: hunspell-he from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Hebrew hunspell dictionaries | http://hspell.ivrix.org.il/ - pacman - hspell - 1.4-6: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: hspell from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Hebrew spell-checker | http://www.ivrix.org.il/projects/spell-checker/ ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Language runtime packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/language-runtime-packages/) - Matched language runtime, compiler, or interpreter metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Productivity CLI packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/productivity-cli-packages/) - Matched curated productivity category metadata from av.db. - [autoconf](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/autoconf/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [aspell](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aspell/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, dictionary, productivity, spell-checker, spell-checking. - [ispell](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/ispell/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, spell-checker, spell-checking. - [nuspell](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/nuspell/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, spell-checker, spell-checking. - [dict](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dict/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, dictionary, productivity. - [languagetool](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/languagetool/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, spell-checker. - [libvoikko](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/libvoikko/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, linguistics, productivity, spell-checking. - [sdcv](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/sdcv/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, dictionary, productivity. - [a2ps](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/a2ps/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/hspell.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/hspell.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - external package-manager database matches - cross-ecosystem install command graph