BBEdit: the Text menu doesn't suck.
This is a pulldown menu.  Say hello to the pulldown menu What you need to know:

Zap "Gremlins"
Check Spelling

Zap "Gremlins"...: this is one of the cooler features of BBEdit. For every non-ASCII character the program finds, a black dot gets put in its place. This is essential when you're taking files originally formatted by another program and decide to put it up on the web.
These aren't the same cute and cuddly gremlins from the movies

Check Spelling...: this is your spell-checking utility.
Elvis was a hero to most....

For a more complete walk-through of BBEdit's features, read the pdf-formatted user manual.
Warning: your milage may vary.