# Install ispell with Homebrew, apt, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper International Ispell. Version 3.4.06 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:ispell ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install ispell ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata - MacPorts (94%): ```sh sudo port install ispell ``` Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: textproc/ispell/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1 ### Linux - Debian apt (92%): ```sh sudo apt install iamerican ``` Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: iamerican from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz - Nix (92%): ```sh nix profile install nixpkgs#ispell ``` Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/is/ispell/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - pacman (92%): ```sh sudo pacman -S ispell ``` Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: ispell from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz - zypper (92%): ```sh sudo zypper install ispell ``` Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: ispell from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:ispell - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 3.4.06 - **Source summary:** International Ispell - **Homepage:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** LicenseRef-Homebrew-cannot-represent - **Source archive:** - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - buildhash (cli) - defmt-c (cli) - defmt-sh (cli) - findaffix (cli) - icombine (cli) - ijoin (cli) - ispell (cli) - munchlist (cli) - tryaffix (cli) - buildhash (alias) - defmt-c (alias) - defmt-sh (alias) - findaffix (alias) - icombine (alias) - ijoin (alias) - ispell (alias) - munchlist (alias) - tryaffix (alias) ## Uses from macOS - ncurses ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_monterey, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, arm64_ventura, monterey, sonoma, ventura, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 3.4.06 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - info: No package-manager update timestamp was available. - info: Release/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories. ## Project history and usage International Ispell is a classic Unix spell checker and dictionary toolchain. The official homepage describes a very old program whose lineage runs from PDP-10 assembly through a C/Unix implementation and Geoff Kuenning's internationalized release. ### Project history The official Ispell homepage says the original was written in PDP-10 assembly in 1971 by R. E. Gorin, the C version was written by Pace Willisson of MIT, Walt Buehring added the Emacs interface and posted it to the network, and Geoff Kuenning added international support and created the release line used by modern packages. The Contributors file in the official source distribution gives a more detailed lineage: the program was first called SPELL, Bill Ackerman's ITS version introduced the name ISPELL, Pace Willisson wrote the C/Unix version in 1983, Walt Buehring enhanced and posted it with a dictionary in 1987, and Kuenning rewrote major portions in 1988 for a table-driven multi-lingual design. The 3.4.06 source distribution's version header identifies International Ispell Version 3.4.06 dated 2023-10-30 and preserves copyright notices from Pace Willisson and Geoff Kuenning across the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. ### Adoption history Ispell became embedded in Unix text workflows because it was screen-oriented, faster and easier to use than traditional Unix `spell`, and integrated with editors such as Emacs. Its dictionaries, affix flags, and auxiliary tools made it more than a single binary: it was a spell-checking system for text files, TeX/nroff-era documents, and editor-driven writing. The input metadata shows continuing package-manager presence in Homebrew, Debian and Ubuntu dictionary packages, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, and openSUSE. That persistence matters because Ispell's format and tools remain part of the ancestry of later spell-checking systems. ### How it is used Users run `ispell` interactively over text, while related commands such as `buildhash`, `munchlist`, `findaffix`, `icombine`, and `ijoin` help build and manipulate dictionaries and affix data. The manual documents the interactive checker, personal dictionaries, affix handling, and input deformatting. The package is especially associated with local dictionaries and editor integration rather than network services or credentials, so the Homebrew curation correctly has no credentials file. ### Why package nerds care Ispell is historically important because it carries early spell-checker lineage, Unix porting history, Emacs integration, language dictionaries, and affix-table design in one package. It is a living fossil in the best package-manager sense: old code with real users, preserved docs, unusual licensing text, and many small helper binaries. For maintainers, Ispell is also a reminder that data files and dictionary formats can be as important as executables. Packaging it means preserving dictionaries, hash builders, man pages, and historical compatibility with editor tooling. ### Timeline - 1971: Ralph E. Gorin writes SPELL in PDP-10 assembly. - 1978: Bill Ackerman's ITS version introduces the ISPELL name. - 1983: Pace Willisson writes a C/Unix version from scratch. - 1987: Walt Buehring posts an enhanced version with dictionary and Emacs interface. - 1988: Geoff Kuenning rewrites major portions for table-driven multi-lingual support. - 2023: Official source distribution identifies International Ispell 3.4.06. ### Related projects - Ispell is related to Unix `spell`, Emacs ispell.el, Kspell, Aspell, MySpell, Hunspell, TeX and nroff deformatting workflows, and distribution dictionary packages such as iamerican. ### Sources - Homebrew metadata documents package-manager distribution and installed executables. - The official homepage and manual document the program lineage, authors, usage, and related interfaces. - The official source tarball's Contributors file and version header provide detailed historical chronology and release identity. ## 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:** ispell - **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 - iamerican - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: iamerican from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | American English dictionary for ispell (standard version) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Debian apt - iamerican-huge - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: iamerican-huge from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | American English dictionary for ispell (huge) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Debian apt - iamerican-insane - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: iamerican-insane from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | American English dictionary for ispell (insane version) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Debian apt - iamerican-large - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: iamerican-large from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | American English dictionary for ispell (large) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Debian apt - iamerican-small - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: iamerican-small from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | American English dictionary for ispell (small) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Debian apt - ibritish - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: ibritish from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | British English dictionary for ispell (standard version) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Debian apt - ibritish-huge - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: ibritish-huge from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | British English dictionary for ispell (huge) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Debian apt - ibritish-insane - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: ibritish-insane from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | British English dictionary for ispell (insane version) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Debian apt - ibritish-large - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: ibritish-large from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | British English dictionary for ispell (large) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Debian apt - ibritish-small - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: ibritish-small from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | British English dictionary for ispell (small) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Debian apt - ienglish-common - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: ienglish-common from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Common files for British and American ispell dictionaries | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Debian apt - ispell - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: ispell from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | International Ispell (an interactive spelling corrector) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Nix - ispell: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/is/ispell/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1 - Ubuntu apt - iamerican - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: iamerican from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | American English dictionary for ispell (standard version) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Ubuntu apt - iamerican-huge - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: iamerican-huge from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | American English dictionary for ispell (huge) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html - Ubuntu apt - iamerican-insane - 3.4.06-1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: iamerican-insane from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | American English dictionary for ispell (insane version) | https://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/ispell.html ## Related links - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Networking and protocol packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/networking-protocol-tools/) - Matched network, protocol, or remote-service metadata. - [Web development packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/web-dev-tools/) - Matched web development metadata. - [aspell](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/aspell/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, spell-checker, spell-checking, text-processing. - [hspell](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/hspell/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, spell-checker, spell-checking. - [languagetool](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/languagetool/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, spell-checker, writing. - [nuspell](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/nuspell/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, spell-checker, spell-checking. - [wordplay](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/wordplay/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, text-processing, writing. - [alexjs](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/alexjs/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, writing. - [diction](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diction/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, writing. - [hayagriva](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/hayagriva/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, productivity, writing. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/ispell.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/ispell.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