diff --git a/nw/core/project.py b/nw/core/project.py
index c00d6a18..f8bfbecd 100644
--- a/nw/core/project.py
+++ b/nw/core/project.py
@@ -1234,6 +1234,8 @@ class NWProject():
         theLang = self.projLang
         if theLang is None:
             theLang = self.mainConf.spellLanguage
+        if theLang is None:
+            theLang = "en"
 
         lngShort = theLang.split("_")[0]
         loadFile = os.path.join(self.mainConf.nwLangPath, "project_en.json")