Is using spell check okay at all now?
In writing groups I'm in it's grammar and spell check is for newbies and those wanting a crutch or a cheat code.
I'm going to be frank with you, anon. Those writing groups sound toxic as fuck and I'd recommend finding a better place to spend your time.
Grammar check and spell check are embedded in most word processing software and have been since the 1990s. People don't have to use them if they don't want to, of course, but there's nothing wrong with using them.
English spelling is famously a bastardization of French multiplied by German divided by Latin with fifty other languages thrown in for fun. And don't even get me started on the Great Vowel Shift.
All that to say, being bad at spelling is not a moral failing nor is it a sign of weak character. It's a fact of life for an overwhelming majority of people writing in English.
Or, to put it another way, would you tell a near-sighted person such as myself that wearing glasses is a cheat code and that I should just "see better"? I really hope not.
Spell check - yes, literally every time. Spell checking was, like, the third thing people wanted personal computers to do, after calculating mortgage payments and balancing their checkbook. (Maybe fourth, playing blackjack is on that list somewhere.) If you were a serious writer, your typewriter had a rudimentary spell checker in it by the late 1970s!
People who refuse to use a spell checker are the same kind of pretentious assholes that think you shouldn't use a calculator ever. Absolutely there are steps you can take to improve your spelling, and being able to spell most words easily will make the writing process easier and more fluent. (Although you'll get a lot more mileage out of improving your touch typing.) But use the spell checker. Also use a calculator when you want to know the answer to a long division problem.
Grammar check - iffy, and it depends on the software. I don't use it because I think a lot of what it calls "grammar" is actually a point of style that I disagree with. However, if you find that when you're typing quickly you often omit or double words, grammar check is a really efficient way to type that.
Stuff like Grammarly's "reword this"? This is questionable. Now you're getting into something that is no longer your writing. If you're trying to build your voice, don't do it, because the voice you'll build is someone else's.
Asking ChatGPT to reword something for you? Now that is a crutch for people who don't want to learn to write.
Spelling and grammar checkers are no substitute for proofreading, but they are useful tools to help you conform to the conventions of standard English. Don't take their word as gospel, make sure to look up words if you're not 100% sure which option from the spell checker you want, and take every recommendation of the grammar checker with a grain of salt. And find better writers groups.
