# a handi guide two commenly mispelled words **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 28, 2001, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691 "2001-11-28T13:45:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qwisp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qwisp/32/397_2.png) [@Qwisp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwisp)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/21 "2001-11-28T16:25:01Z")
A lot. All right? ---
**Author:** ![abuse\_angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d07c76/32.png) [@abuse\_angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abuse_angel)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/22 "2001-11-28T16:25:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sirjamesp \* > \*\*I’m not so sure about the spelling list, but I reckon that a tool that is just as useful as the dictionary is the SHIFT key. \*\* but, but if i use the shift key, i won’t look all l33t and 5hi+! errr… yeah. anyway, MY laziness is not at issue, here! this is about OTHER PEOPLE’S laziness (and ignorance)! and here’s another: **unfortunately**. not unfortuneately. not unfortunetly. **un-fortunate-ly. unfortunately.** ---
**Author:** ![Syzygy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Syzygy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syzygy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/23 "2001-11-28T16:30:50Z")
I’ve said it before: “definitely”, not “definately” or “definitly” or “definatly” or “deffinatelly” or… You see where I’m going with this. Don’t even get me started on the hair-pulling frequency of “milenium” or “milennium” a few months back. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/24 "2001-11-28T16:34:31Z")
Um…It’s mis_ **S** _pelled. ---
**Author:** ![RaCha\_ar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@RaCha\_ar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaCha_ar)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/25 "2001-11-28T16:39:14Z")
I’m embarrassed to admit that it took this former English major and spelling bee champ twenty years of her over-vocabulated life to figure out how to spell… well… **embarrassed**. Oh, how I hate that word. Every time I write it, I have to check to make sure I put in the proper number of r’s. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/26 "2001-11-28T16:44:01Z")
“Brakes” are the devices that slow a vehicle down, not “breaks”, for fuck’s sake. God, that one drives me potty. Also, is this??? more of a question than this? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/27 "2001-11-28T16:58:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qwisp \* > \*\*A lot. All right? \*\* Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/28 "2001-11-28T17:01:33Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Superdude \* > Um…It’s mis_ **S** \*pelled. Yeah! And it should be “guide _to_”, not “guide _two_”! What with the mistakes **spooje** and **bare** mentioned, that makes four spelling errors in the title alone! In a spelling rant! What are the chances of that? **abuse angel** oughta be embarased! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/29 "2001-11-28T17:25:41Z")
I dont know what all the fuss’ i’s about mis’spelling. There are lot’s of issue’s more important for us’ to addres’s. Like the painful underus’age of apostrophe’s. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/30 "2001-11-28T17:54:02Z")
In re the OP and subsequent contributions, may I just say: Hear, hear! [sub]NOT “Here, here!”, if you please[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/31 "2001-11-28T22:53:27Z")
In common usage, “effect” is a noun and “affect” is a verb. (Yes, yes, I know they both have alternate definitions; that’s why I said “common usage”). I never used to see the confusion between “loose” and “lose” - when did that start? “Alot,” on the other hand, has been with us since the dawn of time. And if I may broaden the scope of this complaint beyond spelling for a moment, I recently had to sit an Oxford graduate down and go over the difference between the comma and the semicolon. I also had to explain how to use parallel structures correctly. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/32 "2001-11-28T23:31:23Z")
**ENugent** , the semicolon is the most underappreciated punctuation mark in the entire English language. You know teachers (not _all_ but _many_ I’ve met) frown upon semicolon use? It has to be my favorite punctuation mark ever. They frown upon it, I think, because they don’t understand it. At best you’ll get the “[phrase];[conjunction],[phrase]” construction out of them. I’ve had teachers tell me to _not use_ semicolons, like the fucking punctuation mark was a sure sign of the clap or something. What kills me about the “their/they’re/there” continuum is that I always make that stupid mistake (well, not _always_) and I wonder: what the hell was I thinking? It isn’t even a legitimate typographical error where one accidentally hits one key instead of another. I think I need more self-abuse training. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/33 "2001-11-28T23:40:45Z")
teh ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2001, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/34 "2001-11-28T23:49:03Z")
ATHEIST ATHEIST ATHEIST ATHEIST ATHEIST ATHEIST ATHEIST ATHEIST ATHEIST :: Scarlett delicately dabs at her brow :: Thank you, I feel much better now. ---
**Author:** ![SylverOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SylverOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SylverOne)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/35 "2001-11-29T00:48:14Z")
N-E-S … Oh no, wait, let me try that again. N-E-C-C … Drat! Don’t tell me… No, wait… how about? N-E-S-C … That doesn’t look right either. N-E-C-S-I-S … Oh Hell. I give up. I know what you mean though. Drives me up a wall when people don’t seem to think that spell check is necessary. 😃 Sylver"Yeah, I know silver is spelled wrong"One ---
**Author:** ![warmgun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecccb3/32.png) [@warmgun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/warmgun)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/36 "2001-11-29T02:50:11Z")
First to the OP: I hold in my hand the Websters (sic) _dictionary_ (sic)/ Upper Class which contains about 1 out of 20 words I try to find. What the fuck good is a dictionary that does not have the words I need? I know “go” and “do”! Second, really, why not end a sentence with a preposition? This is some left over random Queen’s English bullshit. Can anyone give me a reason other than because ‘that’s the rule’? Sure some times it 's clunky, but not always - so why the ‘rule’? Finally, if I see one more person spelling it, “adrenalectomise”, I’m gonna scream. And by the way, it’s ‘smegma’ NOT ‘schmegma’ - You know who you are! See [here](http://blueeyes.topcities.com/xmas2.html). ---
**Author:** ![CRorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CRorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRorex)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/37 "2001-11-29T02:52:21Z")
I’m lazy. I never learned phonics. I’m lazy. If it actually matters, I’ll do what ever selfrespecting biologist does. Clone an english major and don’t feed him until he proofs the paper. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/38 "2001-11-29T03:13:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by warmgun \* > \*\* > Second, really, why not end a sentence with a preposition? This is some left over random Queen’s English bullshit. Can anyone give me a reason other than because ‘that’s the rule’? Sure some times it 's clunky, but not always - so why the ‘rule’? > \*\* AFAIK, this and the “split infinitive” (to boldly go, etc…) must be the result of some scholars who, trying set forth a formal English grammar(\*), decided they would base it on the rules of _Latin_, disregarding that English is a _germanic_ language. (\*) Another one! It’s “grammAr”, not “grammer” ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/39 "2001-11-29T03:39:19Z")
Hmm… I thought the German language construction ended sentences with the verbs. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691/40 "2001-11-29T03:43:44Z")
Some people are too iggorunt to spell corectaly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-handi-guide-two-commenly-mispelled-words/95691.md?page=3)