diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 1fa79c50..db3837b3 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 ## main (unreleased)
 
+* Add a configurable `Vale` pre-commit hook to check spelling and style in text and source files (#758).
+
 * Honor Git commit-message cleanup settings when handling comment-prefixed titles (#736).
 
 * Add configurable line parsing for command hooks (#750).
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8105b070..8f1b91b9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -602,6 +602,7 @@ issue](https://github.com/sds/overcommit/issues/238) for more details.
 * [TrailingWhitespace](lib/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/trailing_whitespace.rb)
 * [TravisLint](lib/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/travis_lint.rb)
 * [TsLint](lib/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/ts_lint.rb)
+* [Vale](#vale)
 * [Vint](lib/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/vint.rb)
 * [W3cCss](lib/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/w3c_css.rb)
 * [W3cHtml](lib/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/w3c_html.rb)
@@ -612,6 +613,32 @@ issue](https://github.com/sds/overcommit/issues/238) for more details.
 * [YardCoverage](lib/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/yard_coverage.rb)
 * [YarnCheck](lib/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/yarn_check.rb)
 
+#### Vale
+
+[Vale](https://vale.sh/) checks spelling and style in text, markup, and source
+files. Install Vale using its [installation instructions](https://vale.sh/docs/install),
+then add a `.vale.ini` and any styles your project needs. Enable the hook in
+`.overcommit.yml`:
+
+```yaml
+PreCommit:
+  Vale:
+    enabled: true
+```
+
+Vale uses a [line-aware command hook](#adding-existing-line-aware-commands)
+configured in [config/default.yml](config/default.yml), so no Ruby plugin is
+needed. It receives matching staged files and runs `vale --output=line`.
+Use `include` and `exclude` to customize the file types and paths checked;
+some formats require additional tools or Vale configuration.
+
+The default line output does not include severity, so all diagnostics from a
+failed Vale command are treated as errors. `problem_on_unmodified_line` controls
+how diagnostics on unchanged lines are handled. To distinguish warnings, use a
+[custom Vale output template](https://github.com/vale-cli/vale/issues/350)
+and configure `flags`, `message_pattern`, and `warning_message_type_pattern`
+as described in the line-aware command documentation.
+
 ### PrePush
 
 `pre-push` hooks are run during `git push`, after remote refs have been updated
diff --git a/config/default.yml b/config/default.yml
index 8eda0b68..f78c9ffb 100644
--- a/config/default.yml
+++ b/config/default.yml
@@ -949,6 +949,57 @@ PreCommit:
     install_command: 'gem install travis'
     include: '.travis.yml'
 
+  Vale:
+    enabled: false
+    description: 'Check spelling and style with Vale'
+    required_executable: 'vale'
+    install_command: 'brew install vale'
+    message_pattern: !ruby/regexp /^(?<file>(?:\w:)?[^:]+):(?<line>[0-9]+):/
+    flags: ['--output=line']
+    include:
+      # Text, markup, and source formats supported by Vale. Some formats require
+      # additional software/configuration; use 'exclude' to disable them.
+      - '**/*.adoc'
+      - '**/*.bsh'
+      - '**/*.c'
+      - '**/*.cc'
+      - '**/*.cpp'
+      - '**/*.cs'
+      - '**/*.css'
+      - '**/*.csx'
+      - '**/*.cxx'
+      - '**/*.dita'
+      - '**/*.java'
+      - '**/*.js'
+      - '**/*.go'
+      - '**/*.h'
+      - '**/*.hpp'
+      - '**/*.hs'
+      - '**/*.html'
+      - '**/*.less'
+      - '**/*.lua'
+      - '**/*.md'
+      - '**/*.php'
+      - '**/*.pl'
+      - '**/*.pm'
+      - '**/*.pod'
+      - '**/*.py'
+      - '**/*.py3'
+      - '**/*.pyi'
+      - '**/*.pyw'
+      - '**/*.R'
+      - '**/*.r'
+      - '**/*.rb'
+      - '**/*.rpy'
+      - '**/*.rst'
+      - '**/*.sass'
+      - '**/*.sbt'
+      - '**/*.scala'
+      - '**/*.swift'
+      - '**/*.txt'
+      - '**/*.xhtml'
+      - '**/*.xml'
+
   Vint:
     enabled: false
     description: 'Analyze with Vint'
diff --git a/lib/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/yaml_syntax.rb b/lib/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/yaml_syntax.rb
index 83ff6789..bdeda295 100644
--- a/lib/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/yaml_syntax.rb
+++ b/lib/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/yaml_syntax.rb
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ def run
       messages = []
 
       applicable_files.each do |file|
-        YAML.load_file(file, aliases: true)
+        YAML.load_file(file, permitted_classes: [Regexp, Symbol], aliases: true)
       rescue ArgumentError
         begin
           YAML.load_file(file)
diff --git a/spec/overcommit/default_configuration_spec.rb b/spec/overcommit/default_configuration_spec.rb
index 706af872..f505d140 100644
--- a/spec/overcommit/default_configuration_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/overcommit/default_configuration_spec.rb
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@
 describe 'default configuration' do
   default_config =
     begin
-      YAML.load_file(Overcommit::ConfigurationLoader::DEFAULT_CONFIG_PATH, aliases: true).to_hash
+      YAML.load_file(Overcommit::ConfigurationLoader::DEFAULT_CONFIG_PATH,
+                     permitted_classes: [Regexp, Symbol], aliases: true).to_hash
     rescue ArgumentError
       YAML.load_file(Overcommit::ConfigurationLoader::DEFAULT_CONFIG_PATH).to_hash
     end
diff --git a/spec/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/yaml_syntax_spec.rb b/spec/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/yaml_syntax_spec.rb
index a6f61f2c..a15b0c68 100644
--- a/spec/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/yaml_syntax_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/overcommit/hook/pre_commit/yaml_syntax_spec.rb
@@ -22,10 +22,26 @@
 
   context 'when YAML file has errors' do
     before do
-      YAML.stub(:load_file).with(staged_file, { aliases: true }).and_raise(ArgumentError)
+      YAML.stub(:load_file).
+        with(staged_file, { permitted_classes: [Regexp, Symbol], aliases: true }).
+        and_raise(ArgumentError)
       YAML.stub(:load_file).with(staged_file).and_raise(ArgumentError)
     end
 
     it { should fail_hook }
   end
+
+  it 'accepts the regular expressions used by line-aware command hooks' do
+    directory do
+      File.write(staged_file, { 'message_pattern' => /(?<file>.+):/ }.to_yaml)
+      expect(subject).to pass
+    end
+  end
+
+  it 'continues to reject arbitrary Ruby objects' do
+    directory do
+      File.write(staged_file, "--- !ruby/object:Object {}\n")
+      expect(subject).to fail_hook
+    end
+  end
 end
diff --git a/spec/overcommit/hook_loader/vale_spec.rb b/spec/overcommit/hook_loader/vale_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f4056b09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/overcommit/hook_loader/vale_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+# frozen_string_literal: true
+
+require 'spec_helper'
+
+describe 'Vale pre-commit command hook' do
+  subject(:hook) { loader.load_hooks.find { |loaded| loaded.name == 'Vale' } }
+
+  let(:loader) do
+    Overcommit::HookLoader::PluginHookLoader.new(config, context, Overcommit::Logger.silent)
+  end
+  let(:config) do
+    Overcommit::ConfigurationLoader.default_configuration.merge(
+      Overcommit::Configuration.new('PreCommit' => { 'Vale' => options })
+    )
+  end
+  let(:options) { { 'enabled' => true } }
+  let(:context) { Overcommit::HookContext.create('pre-commit', config, [], StringIO.new) }
+  let(:stdout) { "README.md:2:7:Test.Spelling:Use 'Overcommit'.\n" }
+  let(:result) { double(success?: false, stdout: stdout, stderr: '') }
+
+  around do |example|
+    repo { example.run }
+  end
+
+  after do
+    if Overcommit::Hook::PreCommit.const_defined?(:Vale, false)
+      Overcommit::Hook::PreCommit.send(:remove_const, :Vale)
+    end
+  end
+
+  it 'is disabled by default' do
+    default_config = Overcommit::ConfigurationLoader.default_configuration
+    default_loader = Overcommit::HookLoader::PluginHookLoader.new(
+      default_config, context, Overcommit::Logger.silent
+    )
+    expect(default_loader.load_hooks.map(&:name)).not_to include('Vale')
+  end
+
+  it 'can be enabled using only configuration' do
+    expect(config.enabled_ad_hoc_hooks(context)).to include('Vale')
+    expect(config.enabled_builtin_hooks(context)).not_to include('Vale')
+    expect(hook.command).to eq(%w[vale --output=line])
+    expect(hook.description).to eq('Check spelling and style with Vale')
+  end
+
+  it 'selects staged text, markup, and source files, respecting exclusions' do
+    options['exclude'] = 'vendor/**'
+    paths = %w[README.md docs/guide.adoc index.html notes.txt src/main.rb vendor/old.md image.png]
+    allow(context).to receive(:modified_files).
+      and_return(paths.map { |path| File.expand_path(path) })
+    expect(hook.applicable_files).to eq(
+      paths.first(5).map { |path| File.expand_path(path) }.sort
+    )
+  end
+
+  it 'allows projects to override the file selection' do
+    options['include'] = '**/*.custom'
+    allow(context).to receive(:modified_files).
+      and_return(%w[README.md prose.custom].map { |path| File.expand_path(path) })
+    expect(hook.applicable_files).to eq([File.expand_path('prose.custom')])
+  end
+
+  it 'skips when no staged files match' do
+    allow(context).to receive(:modified_files).and_return([File.expand_path('image.png')])
+    expect(hook.run?).to eq(false)
+  end
+
+  it 'reports how to install Vale when the executable is missing' do
+    allow(hook).to receive(:in_path?).with('vale').and_return(false)
+    expect(hook).not_to receive(:execute)
+    status, output = hook.run_and_transform
+    expect(status).to eq(:fail)
+    expect(output).to include("'vale' is not installed", 'brew install vale')
+  end
+
+  context 'when running Vale' do
+    before do
+      allow(context).to receive(:modified_files).and_return([File.expand_path('README.md')])
+      allow(context).to receive(:modified_lines_in_file).with('README.md').and_return([2])
+      allow(hook).to receive(:in_path?).with('vale').and_return(true)
+      allow(hook).to receive(:execute).
+        with(%w[vale --output=line], args: [File.expand_path('README.md')]).and_return(result)
+    end
+
+    it 'passes on a successful exit' do
+      allow(result).to receive_messages(success?: true, stdout: '')
+      expect(hook.run_and_transform.first).to eq(:pass)
+    end
+
+    it 'extracts file and line and preserves the complete Vale diagnostic' do
+      expect(hook.run).to eq([
+        Overcommit::Hook::Message.new(:error, 'README.md', 2, stdout.chomp)
+      ])
+    end
+
+    it 'fails on diagnostics on modified lines' do
+      status, output = hook.run_and_transform
+      expect(status).to eq(:fail)
+      expect(output).to include('Errors on modified lines:', stdout.chomp)
+    end
+
+    it 'preserves spaces, Windows drive letters, and backslashes in paths' do
+      path = 'C:\\project docs\\README.md'
+      allow(result).to receive(:stdout).and_return("#{path}:2:7:Test.Spelling:Fix this.\n")
+      expect(hook.run.first.file).to eq(path)
+      expect(hook.run.first.line).to eq(2)
+    end
+
+    it 'extracts all diagnostics, including messages containing colons' do
+      second = "docs/guide.md:8:1:Test.Style:Prefer this: example.\n"
+      allow(result).to receive(:stdout).and_return(stdout + second)
+      expect(hook.run.map { |message| [message.file, message.line, message.content] }).to eq([
+        ['README.md', 2, stdout.chomp], ['docs/guide.md', 8, second.chomp]
+      ])
+    end
+
+    it 'fails when Vale exits unsuccessfully without stdout, preserving stderr' do
+      allow(result).to receive_messages(stdout: '', stderr: 'E100: missing .vale.ini')
+      expect(hook.run_and_transform).to eq([:fail, 'E100: missing .vale.ini'])
+    end
+
+    it 'fails when Vale exits unsuccessfully without any output' do
+      allow(result).to receive(:stdout).and_return('')
+      expect(hook.run_and_transform.first).to eq(:fail)
+    end
+
+    it 'reports unexpected stdout instead of discarding it' do
+      allow(result).to receive(:stdout).and_return('unexpected Vale output')
+      expect { hook.run }.to raise_error(Overcommit::Exceptions::MessageProcessingError)
+    end
+
+    it 'treats diagnostics without severity as errors even if the message mentions a warning' do
+      allow(result).to receive(:stdout).
+        and_return("README.md:2:7:Test.Style:A warning: fix this.\n")
+      expect(hook.run.first.type).to eq(:error)
+    end
+
+    context 'with diagnostics on unmodified lines' do
+      let(:stdout) { "README.md:1:1:Test.Style:Old problem.\n" }
+
+      it 'fails by default' do
+        expect(hook.run_and_transform.first).to eq(:fail)
+      end
+
+      context 'when configured to ignore them' do
+        let(:options) { super().merge('problem_on_unmodified_line' => 'ignore') }
+
+        it 'passes and omits the diagnostic' do
+          expect(hook.run_and_transform).to eq([:pass, ''])
+        end
+      end
+
+      context 'when configured to warn' do
+        let(:options) { super().merge('problem_on_unmodified_line' => 'warn') }
+
+        it 'warns' do
+          expect(hook.run_and_transform.first).to eq(:warn)
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  it 'supports a custom output template that includes severity' do
+    options.merge!(
+      'flags' => ['--output=./vale.tmpl'],
+      'message_pattern' => /^(?<file>(?:\w:)?[^:]+):(?<line>\d+):\d+: \[(?<type>\w+)\]/,
+      'warning_message_type_pattern' => 'warning'
+    )
+    allow(hook).to receive(:execute).with(%w[vale --output=./vale.tmpl], args: []).
+      and_return(double(success?: false,
+                        stdout: "README.md:2:7: [warning] Test.Style:Fix this.\n"))
+    expect(hook.run.first.type).to eq(:warning)
+  end
+
+  it 'runs a real subprocess with the default flags and matching staged file paths' do
+    File.write('guide with spaces.md', "first line\nsecond line\n")
+    File.write('image.png', 'image')
+    Overcommit::Utils.execute(['git', 'add', 'guide with spaces.md', 'image.png'])
+    options['command'] = [RbConfig.ruby, '-e', <<~RUBY, '--']
+      abort 'wrong arguments' unless ARGV == ['--output=line', File.expand_path('guide with spaces.md')]
+      puts ARGV.last + ":2:1:Test.Style:Fix this."
+      exit 1
+    RUBY
+    allow(hook).to receive(:in_path?).with('vale').and_return(true)
+    status, output = hook.run_and_transform
+    expect(status).to eq(:fail)
+    expect(output).to include('Errors on modified lines:',
+                              'guide with spaces.md:2:1:Test.Style:Fix this.')
+  end
+end