Speaking of Favorite Misspellings

solfeggio

Posts: 7,689

If you remember that 'definite' and 'definitely' start out with 'finite,' you'll be OK.

Here in NZ, we pronounce 'almond' as 'ah -mond.' We understand that the 'l' is silent in this word. After all, when talking about salmon, nobody pronounces the 'l' in that word.

Also, we will say 'herb' instead of 'erb' as the Americans do.

Also, sometimes we will hear somebody on TV pronounce the word 'homage' as 'oh-mage' which I think is wrong. We always understood it as having the 'h' silent.

The word 'penchant' is another one that people get wrong.

Here's an interesting website:

www.yourdictionary.com/library/mispron.h...

appy20

Posts: 10,165

Solfeggio,

I don't need to remember anything because I never get it wrong. Nor does anyone else on this thread. I know how to spell and pronounce it. That is why I put quotes around the misspelling. If you spell it correctly, you don't need quotes. I should have been more correct and used [SIC].

Even with my brain farts, I get this one right.

Cesmom

Posts: 3,878

I have to admit that I am frequently having to double check and second guess myself when it comes to words with 'double letters' (like embarrass or accommodate), and the whole 'i' before 'e' thing gets me sometimes, too!

Our need to learn should always outweigh our need to be right

Useless Knowledge: Allodoxaphobia - Fear of opinions

appy20

Posts: 10,165

The problem with double letters is that, on top of everything else, I am becoming too light fingered on the keyboard and I leave out letters. I strike the key, but they don't take. I type very fast and sometimes words don't make it either. LOL Often, I will catch it and edit the mistake. Once in a while, I won't. On those words, it is rather a rare error of mine and I do know how to spell them. I actually won a spelling bee in 5th grade on the word accommodate.

I am horrible at editing my own work. I can edit someone else's very well. I can see the mistakes later. The errors are always glaringly obvious LATER. That annoys me.

Even when I used to make few mistakes, those kind of errors on the part of others never bothered me. My mistakes bother me more. It doesn't bother me if other people catch them. It bothers me when I cannot understand WHY I do them. Why homonyms? I did those well in second grade. I have never had that problem before. Why only online or in emails? Why never in a report? Or a memo? Or a letter? It does frustrate me. It baffles me. I can't do a dang thing about it.

CharikIeia

Posts: 8,303

Aug 17, 2010 -- 1:46PM, appy20 wrote:

One of the reasons that I am worried that I may be in the early stages of Alzheimer's is that I screw up homonyms. Now, I know the correct word and will catch it later. I will use it correctly and incorrectly in the same thread. I don't know why I do this. I know what is correct. I tend to catch it later and not immediately after doing it. It bothered me so much that I did mention it to my doctor who says that it is a common thing he sees online and he wasn't worried about it.

I have wondered about exactly the same thing. Words that are miles apart, that you never would confuse, only for the sound they make when spoken - I confuse them when quickly typing texts.

I guess it is harmless and not an early stage of Alzheimer thing - my own explanation is more in the lines of, I've automatised so much of my writing that it now happens under low-cognitive-monitoring. The alternative would be to write at half the speed, as I did before when these errors did not yet happen.

Aug 17, 2010 -- 9:30PM, Cesmom wrote:

I have to admit that I am frequently having to double check and second guess myself when it comes to words with 'double letters' (like embarrass or accommodate)...

Most irritating is "Mississippi", or the guy who posts under the name "aarroottoonn".

And why is "address" in English written with a double-d, when in every other language it is written with a single d?

tl;dr

farragut

Posts: 2,867

An interesting word misuse that I see often here on the edge of Dixie is "ideal" in place of "idea." I have not been able to decipher the thought processes of the miscreants, but chalk it up to ignorance.

Stardove

Posts: 12,763

Thread started by catboxer the other day and replies.

Aug 16, 2010 -- 8:01PM, catboxer wrote:

Around here, "definately" and "athiest" are just annoying. However, I did happen to see a few misspellings lately that rang my happy bell:

*Bob felt guilty eaves dropping on Jim.

*Charlie decided to take his lunch pale.

*It was all I could do to eek out a living.

Aug 16, 2010 -- 8:04PM, Ebon wrote:

I keep tripping over the American spellings of many things. What's with replacing all teh S's with Z's?

Aug 16, 2010 -- 8:26PM, Hatman wrote:
CB- Mom was an English teacher, and misspellings grate on me no end---so nope, no "favorites." The one that occurs to me immediately, however, that i REALLY hate, is "loose" instead of "lose." i honestly have a hard time squelching my desire to go all schoolmarmish on people, and just let 'em be themselves. And just as honestly, there are days when i simply cannot resist. Warmest regards- Hatman

Aug 16, 2010 -- 8:50PM, catboxer wrote:

i resist that temptation too, Hat. I've even been told that only loosers worry about spelling errors.

I don't worry about them too much, and in fact I feel good when I see things like the graffoetus (this was real) that said "If its to loud your to old."

I'd rather be to old than to illiterate.

My favourites are always homonyms (I think they should be called homophones) errors.

King Charles I sat upon the thrown.

I could here her sighs all the way across the room.

...--or--...

I could hear her size all the way across the room.

Three of a kind beats two pears.

My doctor said my vanes were to close together. She said I had very close vains.

Beliefnet Community Wide Moderator ~ Peace Love Stardove
Problems? Send a message to Beliefnet_community

Nothing but your own thoughts can hamper your progress.

Ken

Posts: 33,795

Aug 18, 2010 -- 2:20AM, CharikIeia wrote:
And why is "address" in English written with a double-d, when in every other language it is written with a single d?

To keep those who learned English as a second language on their toes.

Girlchristian

Posts: 9,463

Aug 18, 2010 -- 5:31PM, farragut wrote:

An interesting word misuse that I see often here on the edge of Dixie is "ideal" in place of "idea." I have not been able to decipher the thought processes of the miscreants, but chalk it up to ignorance.

Ooh, that one drives me nuts! Something that also drives me nuts isn't necessarily grammar or an usage error, it's when people say "warsh" instead of "wash." My mom does it and some other people I know that came from Michigan (and Colorado) say it, but it seriously makes my skin crawl much like nails on a chalkboard.

"No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible." George Chakiris

“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible.” Stuart Chase

appy20

Posts: 10,165

There is one thing that drives me up a wall and that is "liberry" for library. It bothers me the most for staff to do that. Where I work now, we don't have anyone who does that. In my last library, we had a manager who did that and whenever she answered the phone I cringed.

One of our former library assistants became a teacher. She always mutilated the English language and was voted Teacher of the Year. This bothered me to no end because she teaches second graders whose brains are still changing and developing on a linguistic level. I think good English is most important in the early grades. That is when language is acquired for life.

Beliefnet On Facebook

What's Hot