10 Words You Need To Stop Misspelling.

[PlannedSickDays]

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling

I struggle with affect and effect..I also notice people on message boards use alot a lot. It drives me nuts.

[TH1974]

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5884/itst.jpg

This.

[MickerHawk]

Moby Moby Moby

[MikeyJoe]

Sports message board version:

Dominate is a verb. Dominant is an adjective. A dominant team will dominate their opponents. I can't tell you how many times I've seen some version of "Norm Parker's defense is dominate" over the years.

Also, bias is a noun. Biased is an adjective. ESPN is not "bias" against your favorite team. They are biased.

[TH1974]

Sports message board version:

Dominate is a verb. Dominant is an adjective. A dominant team will dominate their opponents. I can't tell you how many times I've seen some version of "Norm Parker's defense is dominate" over the years.

Also, bias is a noun. Biased is an adjective. ESPN is not "bias" against your favorite team. They are biased.

My favorite was years ago at HROT when everyone started calling people douches or douchebags, but didn't know how to spell 'douche'. There were some good ones.

[bearbull24.5]

your and you're are really starting to bug me. Might be un friending some facebook friends in the near future for repeated screwing this up.

[Lime]

It's not a spelling issue, but I'm going to set ablaze the next person to use the phrase "could care less".

[MickerHawk]

An & And

Newspapers, websites from news agencies, political parties, white papers from Fortune 500 companies....

Thing is, this particular part of English language grammar is not nearly as difficult as Moby's apostrophes.

[hawkchick79]

It's spelled "rIdiculous."

[PipeDaddy]

It's spelled "rIdiculous."

This

[Match34]

That link makes me sad.

[MickerHawk]

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/5884/itst.jpg

This.

BTW, though. When did apostrophes cease to be used for possession?

Mick's motorcycle is still correct, unless something has drastically changed.

I get that possessive pronouns can never use it like the above, but many people take that to mean that apostrophes are never used for possession period, which isn't at all the case.

[Bovert]

Some misspellings are funny, like when people spell "ludicrous" as "ludacris" like the rapper. Younger people do that the most and it makes me chuckle everytime. I'm sure Wendy has seen it plenty too.

[Klink]

Their are no grammer errors in math.

[PlannedSickDays]

Their are no grammer errors in math.

you're a science guy, how do you know?

[hawkchick79]

Some misspellings are funny, like when people spell "ludicrous" as "ludacris" like the rapper. Younger people do that the most and it makes me chuckle everytime. I'm sure Wendy has seen it plenty too.

It's become more of a hysterical chuckle for me.

Clearly kids of today need to watch more Spaceballs.

[PdJohnson]

Some misspellings are funny, like when people spell "ludicrous" as "ludacris" like the rapper. Younger people do that the most and it makes me chuckle everytime. I'm sure Wendy has seen it plenty too.
SOB....

I used to always f up definitely too

[Match34]

Some misspellings are funny, like when people spell "ludicrous" as "ludacris" like the rapper. Younger people do that the most and it makes me chuckle everytime. I'm sure Wendy has seen it plenty too.

A few years ago at work someone asked me how to spell "fabulous." I responded, "f-a, b-o, l-o, u-s. Wait, that's not right." That's when I realized you shouldn't trust rappers when it comes to spelling.

[MikeyJoe]

It's spelled "rIdiculous."

This
When I see it with an e, in my head I pronounce it "reeeeediculous".

[MickerHawk]

Some misspellings are funny, like when people spell "ludicrous" as "ludacris" like the rapper. Younger people do that the most and it makes me chuckle everytime. I'm sure Wendy has seen it plenty too.

It's become more of a hysterical chuckle for me.

Clearly kids of today need to watch more Spaceballs.

http://www.twowheeltales.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/spaceballslarge026xd.jpg

[StinkyMcFadden]

It's not a spelling issue, but I'm going to set ablaze the next person to use the phrase "could care less".


This one gets me as well. It would seem that 99.9% of Americans say, "could care less".

Also, "irregardless" really pisses me off for some reason.

[jayers1016]

Definitely is another one...it's not definately...

[HoundedHawk]

It's not a spelling issue, but I'm going to set ablaze the next person to use the phrase "could care less".


This one gets me as well. It would seem that 99.9% of Americans say, "could care less".
This is something I've noticed. In your sentence the period is outside the quotation mark. In America it should be inside. Correct? It doesn't seem logical, but here's an explanation of that.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/marks/quotation.htm#footnote

[HoundedHawk]

Definitely is another one...it's not definately...
I think it should be:
"Definitely" is another one. It's not "definately."

[Lime]

It's not a spelling issue, but I'm going to set ablaze the next person to use the phrase "could care less".


This one gets me as well. It would seem that 99.9% of Americans say, "could care less".
This is something I've noticed. In your sentence the period is outside the quotation mark. In America it should be inside. Correct? It doesn't seem logical, but here's an explanation of that.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/marks/quotation.htm#footnote

The American convention (illogically) applies only to statements of dialogue. American convention properly places the punctuation outside the quotation marks when quoting.

[ChipHilton]

'For free' really bugs me, largely because it is used so much in advertisements.

The Rivals boys also need a tutorial on the difference between of and have.

[Klink]

http://www.city-data.com/forum/attachments/politics-other-controversies/48741d1252565616-patients-united-now-grammar-nazi2.jpg

[Gushawk]

I struggle with the double "s" in misspelled itself. Particularly given that there is no double "h" in threshold.

[TH1974]

I struggle with the double "s" in misspelled itself. Particularly given that there is no double "h" in threshold.

Apples and oranges.

[Gushawk]

I struggle with the double "s" in misspelled itself. Particularly given that there is no double "h" in threshold.

Apples and oranges.

Perhaps, but I'm not sure that there is a logical basis for the distinction. However, English isn't necessarily a logic driven language.

[SondyRules]

I get irritated by the wrong usage of there, they're, and their

[TH1974]

I struggle with the double "s" in misspelled itself. Particularly given that there is no double "h" in threshold.

Apples and oranges.

Perhaps, but I'm not sure that there is a logical basis for the distinction. However, English isn't necessarily a logic driven language.

mis- is a prefix added to 'spelled'. Thresh- isn't a prefix added to 'hold'.

[Gushawk]

I get that...what I don't understand is why the rule for compound words would be different that the rule for words with prefixes in cases (or in some subset of cases) where the last letter of the prefix/first word is the same as the first letter for the following word.

[Gushawk]

Nevermind - It appears that my confusion over the etymology of threshold is the source of my problem.

threshold
O.E. þrescold, þærscwold, þerxold "doorsill, point of entering," first element related to O.E. þrescan (see thresh), with its original sense of "tread, trample." Second element of unknown origin and much transformed in all the Gmc. languages; in Eng. it probably has been altered to conform to hold, but the oft-repeated story that the threshold was a barrier placed at the doorway to hold the chaff flooring in the room is mere folk etymology. Cognates include O.N. þreskjoldr, Swed. tröskel, O.H.G. driscufli, Ger. dial. drischaufel.

In short, it is not analogous to a word like "barroom".

[TH1974]

Another common one from messageboard retards:

"could of/would of"

[hawkchick79]

Another common one from messageboard retards:

"could of/would of"

Anybody with an IQ over 80 who types or writes one of those should be immediately sterilized and/or given a strong electric shock.

[HoundedHawk]

This one gets me as well. It would seem that 99.9% of Americans say, "could care less".
This is something I've noticed. In your sentence the period is outside the quotation mark. In America it should be inside. Correct? It doesn't seem logical, but here's an explanation of that.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/marks/quotation.htm#footnote

The American convention (illogically) applies only to statements of dialogue. American convention properly places the punctuation outside the quotation marks when quoting.

Here's a quote from the link above.

In the United States, periods and commas go inside quotation marks regardless of logic. Click HERE (http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/marks/quotation.htm#footnote) for an explanation (sort of).In the United Kingdom, Canada, and islands under the influence of British education, punctuation around quotation marks is more apt to follow logic. In American style, then, you would write: My favorite poem is Robert Frost's "Design." But in England you would write: My favorite poem is Robert Frost's "Design".

[FrodoTBaggin]

then/than

[JD720]

I also notice people on message boards use alot a lot. It drives me nuts.

It must have driven my HS English teacher nuts too. One day she had all stand up, say "A," take a step to the left, and then say "lot." I haven't made that mistake since.

[r4hawks]

then/than


This one gets me. I have a customer service person that uses these backwards every time.

[LakeBull]

There are about two hundred thousand words I need to work on not misspelling. ;)

[Perham1]

Iceberg, not iceburg.

[RobertIngersoll]

Some comments:

Most of those do not relate to spelling -- they deal with using the correct word.

Then/than - who the hell ever gets those two confused? Seriously.

"Weird" is yet another example of why the old saying "I before E except after C" is pointless.

[MickerHawk]

S

Then/than - who the hell ever gets those two confused? Seriously.


One would think, but it seems the an/and is just as prevalent. I've seen it on DMR, ESPN, Newsweak, etc.

[Mrs. G]

Not a pet peeve, but I enjoy it when people use except instead of accept since the two have opposite meanings.

[TH1974]

People who use the word "less" when they should use "fewer" bug me, too.

[Serenity]

Grammar not spelling, but I'm constantly annoyed by people who don't use I and me correctly. Example: "Between you and I" is incorrect. "Between you and me" is correct.

[Klink]

favourite

[Mrs. G]

favourite

Depends on your global location.

[Serenity]

favourite

Depends on your global location.

My college honours society had a large argument over whether or not to spell honors with or without the U. Gotta love british spelling :)

[TH1974]

favourite

Depends on your global location.

My college honours society had a large argument over whether or not to spell honors with or without the U. Gotta love british spelling :)

I hope you went to school in the UK.