I use Microsoft Word 2002 with Windows XP, SP1 and SP2. As I live in the UK I prefer to use the English (UK) dictionary for spell-checking. I have tried to make this the default dictionary numerous times, but it seems that after a while it slips back to English (US), throwing up various spelling errors, simply because I use words like "honour" instead of the American spelling "honor". Can anyone please tell me how to make English (UK) the default and for it to stay that way?

   Have you tried running install for Word (you can get there through the Control Panel - Add or Remove Programs) and marking the Proofing Tools for US under Office Tools as Not Available?

Thanks for your help, Ray. Unfortunately I was a little out of my depth when I tried your suggestion. This is what I did:
Control Panel - Add or Remove Programs - Microft Word 2002 - Change - Select "Add or Remove Features" - Next - Open "Office Tools" - Open "Office Shared Features" - Open "Proofing Tools" - Open "English" - Open "Spelling and Grammar Checkers"
At this point I was presented with this list:
Run from My Computer, Run all from My Computer, Installed on First Use, X Not Available
Not knowing what to do next, I backed off. Did I follow the route you intended? If not, please could you elaborate a little, otherwise, which of the options I found should I have chosen?

   Yes, that sounds all correct.  I don't remember if I have ever done that before, but I would choose "X Not Available" for the ones that you do not want.  Then click on the Update Now button.  You will probably have to insert the CD when it asks for it.
   Do they have both British English and American English (or whatever they call them)?  If not, maybe this is not the way to disable US English.
   If this does not work, you can always come back and select "Run from My Computer" (or whatever it was before) for the ones you removed, to get them back.

Try Start/Control Panel/Date,Time, Language and Regional Options/Regional and Language Options/Languages/Details/check the default input language window to see if English [United Kingdom is listed there, if so select that and Apply and OK your way out.

If English [UK] is not there click Add and install it, Apply and then OK out.

Restart your computer.

Open Word/Tools/Language/Set Language, select English [UK] and make it the default language.

Close Word and reopen. It should be the default then, if not reboot again.

My thanks to both Ray and Jogor for your suggestions. Ray, when I tried X Not Available, all that happened was that it made the spelling and grammar checker not available, so I put them back with Run from my Computer. Jogor, when I tried your suggestions, it seems that English (UK) is already selected (as I thought I had already set it that way!) but Word sometimes chooses to ignore that fact and does spell checking from the US dictionary (I never use the grammar checker anyway, as I don't find its suggestions helpful). I guess I'll just have to put up with what I take to be a bug in the Word software. Odd, isn't it, that it sometimes does what I want but at other times gets in a sulk and refuses to co-operate! Thanks again.

   From what you say, Alan, I would think that there is a UK version of Word.  I know in Russia they had Russian versions of Word.

You may be right, Ray. I bought Word 2002 as part of the package when I bought my PC, which is an HP Pavilion, from a well-known UK shop, so I would expect it to be a UK version if such a thing exists. However, on checking Word Help "About", I looked under System Info, then Office 10 Applications, then Microsoft Word 2002 and finally Summary, where I found this:

Application name     Microsoft Word
Version     10.0
Build     4030
Product ID     xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Application path     C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10
Language     English (United States)
System language designation     English (U.K.)
Active printer     hp deskjet 920c on LPT1:
     
Documents open     1
Document name     Document1
Document path     Document1
Document size     10.7 KB
Document create date     25/07/2006 23:03:00
     
Templates     1
Template name     Normal.dot
Template path     C:\Documents and Settings\HP_Owner\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates
Template type     Normal
     
Add-Ins     0

(I deleted the Product ID number above)

I don't know if that tells you anything that it doesn't tell me, but I couldn't help wondering about these lines:

Language     English (United States)
System language designation     English (U.K.)

I don't see any obvious way to change English (United States) to English (U.K.) in the first of those two lines. I feel ready now to accept that sometimes I need to specify the UK dictionary when I get unexpected spelling errors.

Thanks again for your interest.