macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install hunspelllocal Homebrew formula metadata
MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install hunspellMacPorts ports tree · textproc/hunspell/Portfile · source: api.github.com
brew
Install hunspell with Homebrew, apk, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, winget, zypper
Spell checker and morphological analyzer. Version 1.7.3 via Homebrew; verified 2026-05-08.
install
Additional install commands
Linux
Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%
sudo apk add hunspellAlpine Linux edge package indexes · hunspell · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org
Debian aptverified · 92%
sudo apt install hunspellDebian stable package indexes · hunspell · source: deb.debian.org
Fedora dnfverified · 92%
sudo dnf install hunspellFedora Rawhide package metadata · hunspell · source: dl.fedoraproject.org
Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#hunspellnixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/hu/hunspell/package.nix · source: api.github.com
Arch Linux pacmanverified · 92%
sudo pacman -S hunspellArch Linux sync databases · hunspell · source: geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com
openSUSE zypperverified · 92%
sudo zypper install hunspellopenSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · hunspell · source: download.opensuse.org
Windows
Windows Package Managerverified · 92%
winget install --id FSFhu.Hunspell -eWindows Package Manager source index · FSFhu.Hunspell · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com
overview
Package summary
Spell checker and morphological analyzer
Project links
Commands and aliases
- affixcompress
- analyze
- chmorph
- hunspell
- hunzip
- hzip
- ispellaff2myspell
- makealias
- munch
- unmunch
- wordforms
- wordlist2hunspell
history
Project history and usage
Hunspell is a spell checker, morphological analyzer, library, and command-line tool. Its official materials describe support for Unicode, compounding, complex morphology, stemming, morphological generation, custom dictionaries, an Ispell-like terminal interface, pipe mode, and C/C++ APIs.
Project history
Hunspell's code base descends from OpenOffice.org's MySpell library by Kevin Hendricks, which the Hunspell README describes as a C++ reimplementation of Geoff Kuenning's International Ispell spell checking and affixation work. László Németh developed Hunspell's main library and command-line features, extending the MySpell lineage with richer morphology, compounding, affix handling, suggestion logic, and language-specific behavior.
The official site records project sponsorship history, including Budapest Technical University Media Research Centre support in 2003-2005 and FSF.hu Foundation sponsorship, and the AUTHORS file names László Németh as author, Kevin Hendricks as MySpell author, and Caolán McNamara as maintainer and distinguished contributor.
Adoption history
Hunspell became infrastructure rather than just a standalone command. The official site says it is used by LibreOffice, OpenOffice.org, Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird, Google Chrome, macOS, InDesign, memoQ, Opera, SDL Trados, Linux distributions, and other tools. The batch metadata also shows broad package-manager coverage across Homebrew, Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, openSUSE, MacPorts, Nix, Alpine, winget, and related ecosystems.
How it is used
Command-line users run `hunspell` interactively, in pipe mode, or against files with dictionaries made of `.aff` and `.dic` files. Developers use libhunspell through C/C++ APIs and language bindings, while dictionary maintainers use companion tools such as affixcompress, unmunch, wordforms, wordlist2hunspell, analyze, and related utilities.
Why package nerds care
For package nerds, Hunspell is a deep dependency hiding in plain sight: a spell-checking engine packaged as both CLI and library, with dictionaries often shipped separately and consumed by office suites, browsers, editors, NLP tools, and operating systems. It is also a reminder that language support packages often matter as much as the executable package itself.
Timeline
- 2003-2005: Official site records BME MOKK sponsorship of Hunspell development.
- 2015: hunspell/hunspell GitHub repository created.
- 2016: v1.4.0 release published in GitHub Releases metadata.
- 2018: v1.7.0 release published with suggestion, SPELLML, morphology, and compounding improvements.
- 2026: v1.7.3 release notes record security, fuzzing, Unicode, build, and correctness fixes.
Related projects
- Related projects include MySpell, International Ispell, OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, Chrome, macOS spelling services, Enchant, Weblate translations, and Hunspell/MySpell dictionary repositories.
Sources
- Official Hunspell site, repository README, AUTHORS, NEWS, GitHub repository and release metadata, and Homebrew package metadata supplied in the batch input.
security posture
No protected-tool coverage found yet
No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for hunspell. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Installs with 2 runtime dependencies.
- Build metadata lists 2 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
affixcompress | cli | global executable | |
analyze | cli | global executable | |
chmorph | cli | global executable | |
hunspell | cli | global executable | |
hunzip | cli | global executable | |
hzip | cli | global executable | |
ispellaff2myspell | cli | global executable | |
makealias | cli | global executable | |
munch | cli | global executable | |
unmunch | cli | global executable | |
wordforms | cli | global executable | |
wordlist2hunspell | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version1.7.3
manager updated2026-05-08
local dataok
upstreamnot checked
latest detectednot detected
https://github.com/hunspell/hunspell
- infoNo cached GitHub release or tag data was available.https://github.com/hunspell/hunspellnone confidence
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:hunspell |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.7.3 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/hunspell |
| Homepage | https://hunspell.github.io |
| Repository | https://github.com/hunspell/hunspell |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/hunspell/hunspell |
| License | MPL-1.1 OR GPL-2.0-or-later OR LGPL-2.1-or-later |
| Source archive | https://github.com/hunspell/hunspell/releases/download/v1.7.3/hunspell-1.7.3.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-05-08T19:07:41Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Dependencies | gettext, readline |
| Build dependencies | coreutils, gettext |
| Uses from macOS | ncurses |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
| Caveats | Dictionary files (*.aff and *.dic) should be placed in ~/Library/Spelling/ or /Library/Spelling/. Homebrew itself provides no dictionaries for Hunspell, but you can download compatible dictionaries from other sources, such as https://cgit.freedesktop.org/libreoffice/dictionaries/tree/ . |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | hunspell |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Conflicts With |
|
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source database matches
Other package-manager records
Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.
Debian apt95%
hunspell 1.7.2+really1.7.2-10+b4
spell checker and morphological analyzer (program)
sudo apt install hunspell- Section: text
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: hunspell
- 10 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
Debian apt95%
hunspell-tools 1.7.2+really1.7.2-10+b4
tools for hunspell
sudo apt install hunspell-tools- Section: text
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: hunspell
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
Debian apt95%
libhunspell-1.7-0 1.7.2+really1.7.2-10+b4
spell checker and morphological analyzer (shared library)
sudo apt install libhunspell-1.7-0- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: hunspell
- 3 dependencies
- 3 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
Debian apt95%
libhunspell-dev 1.7.2+really1.7.2-10+b4
spell checker and morphological analyzer (development)
sudo apt install libhunspell-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: hunspell
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
Debian apt95%
libhunspell-private-dev 1.7.2+really1.7.2-10
spell checker and morphological analyzer (private headers)
sudo apt install libhunspell-private-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: hunspell
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
Nix95%
hunspell
nix profile install nixpkgs#hunspell- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
Ubuntu apt95%
hunspell 1.7.2+really1.7.2-10build3
spell checker and morphological analyzer (program)
sudo apt install hunspell- Section: universe/text
- Architecture: amd64
- 10 dependencies
- 1 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
Ubuntu apt95%
hunspell-tools 1.7.2+really1.7.2-10build3
tools for hunspell
sudo apt install hunspell-tools- Section: text
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: hunspell
- 4 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
Ubuntu apt95%
libhunspell-1.7-0 1.7.2+really1.7.2-10build3
spell checker and morphological analyzer (shared library)
sudo apt install libhunspell-1.7-0- Section: libs
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: hunspell
- 3 dependencies
- 3 optional deps
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
Ubuntu apt95%
libhunspell-dev 1.7.2+really1.7.2-10build3
spell checker and morphological analyzer (development)
sudo apt install libhunspell-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: amd64
- Source Package: hunspell
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
Ubuntu apt95%
libhunspell-private-dev 1.7.2+really1.7.2-10build3
spell checker and morphological analyzer (private headers)
sudo apt install libhunspell-private-dev- Section: libdevel
- Architecture: all
- Source Package: hunspell
- 1 dependencies
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
apk95%
hunspell 1.7.3-r0
Spell checker and morphological analyzer library and program
sudo apk add hunspell- License: GPL-2.0-or-later OR LGPL-2.1-or-later OR MPL-1.1
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: hunspell
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
apk95%
hunspell-dev 1.7.3-r0
Spell checker and morphological analyzer library and program (development files)
sudo apk add hunspell-dev- License: GPL-2.0-or-later OR LGPL-2.1-or-later OR MPL-1.1
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: hunspell
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
apk95%
hunspell-doc 1.7.3-r0
Spell checker and morphological analyzer library and program (documentation)
sudo apk add hunspell-doc- License: GPL-2.0-or-later OR LGPL-2.1-or-later OR MPL-1.1
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: hunspell
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
apk95%
hunspell-lang 1.7.3-r0
Languages for package hunspell
sudo apk add hunspell-lang- License: GPL-2.0-or-later OR LGPL-2.1-or-later OR MPL-1.1
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: hunspell
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
apk95%
libhunspell 1.7.3-r0
Spell checker and morphological analyzer library and program (libraries)
sudo apk add libhunspell- License: GPL-2.0-or-later OR LGPL-2.1-or-later OR MPL-1.1
- Architecture: x86_64
- Source Package: hunspell
- 1 dependencies
- 1 provides
- normalized package name match
- Matched by: Hunspell
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- external package-manager database matches
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment