# Consistently misspelled, non-complex words. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 18, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083 "2012-10-18T00:20:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/1 "2012-10-18T00:20:47Z")
I’m no spelling/grammar nazi but some words just stick out to me for their seemingly consistent inability to be spelled correctly by those who use them. Now this is just for starters, and can (and should) be added to, but the one I notice more than others is “discreet”. Every-damn-time I see a poster (on any forum or board) use this word, it is spelled “discrete”. Arghh! Why?? It’s not a particularly difficult word to wrap one’s brain around; so why the chronic misspelling? Anyway, that’s all I’ve got for now. ETA: Actually, both spellings are correct but mean different things. I should have made the point that people seem to use “discrete” when they really mean “discreet”. Thread fail. :smack: My bad people. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/2 "2012-10-18T00:26:51Z")
Probably the champion in terms of frequency is “it’s” where the possessive is intended. I’m starting to see a good deal of a new contender: “where” for “were”: “We where nearly home when the car ran out of gas.” ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/3 "2012-10-18T00:32:21Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Probably the champion in terms of frequency is “it’s” where the possessive is intended. Oh yeah, I’m not even talking about the whole ‘apostrophe debacle’. That is a monster unto itself. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/4 "2012-10-18T00:41:04Z")
Confusing _to_ and _too._ There are to many people that applies too. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/5 "2012-10-18T00:41:34Z")
I love “wierd” myself. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/6 "2012-10-18T00:46:12Z")
refridgerator definately could of/should of/would of affect/effect are randomly confused for each other ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/7 "2012-10-18T00:46:47Z")
There are a few words I almost always misspell, and it annoys me. I always want to spell amendments as “ammendments” or hilariously as “hillariously”. There are a few others that always cause me troubles… errggh. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/8 "2012-10-18T01:11:25Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > I love “wierd” myself. I used to spell weird _wierd_ on purpose. I guess I thought w-e-i-r-d should spell “wired.” ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/9 "2012-10-18T01:11:57Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > definately This is definitely a common one. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/10 "2012-10-18T01:23:02Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > There are a few words I almost always misspell, and it annoys me. I always want to spell amendments as “ammendments” or hilariously as “hillariously”. There are a few others that always cause me troubles… errggh. It’s actually spelled _erggh._ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![KermitTheFrig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/47e85d/32.png) [@KermitTheFrig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KermitTheFrig)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/11 "2012-10-18T01:27:02Z")
My own problem is not spelling words incorrectly. Words I know I have trouble with I look up. Every. Single. Time. My problem is my brain “says it” right, but that is not what I end up typing. I reread my sentences sometimes and there are completely different words from the ones I thought I was typing. And even though I know the difference between its and it’s and to, two, too, the wrong one gets in there sometimes. I can’t blame spell-checking or auto-correct either, because I rarely use them. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/12 "2012-10-18T01:30:46Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > It’s actually spelled _erggh._ > > 😉 Quiet you! Haha 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/13 "2012-10-18T01:42:21Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > It’s actually spelled _erggh._ I’m gonna need a cite for that. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Student\_Driver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3da27b/32.png) [@Student\_Driver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Student_Driver)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/14 "2012-10-18T01:42:51Z")
Wierd is one of my pet peeves as well. Another is “hampster” for hamster. Of the main offenders I’ve seen, the majority seem to be hamster owners, oddly enough. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/15 "2012-10-18T01:47:12Z")
Supposabley. Supposively. _Ain’t what it’s supposed to be!_ Ok, so these are more mispronunciations than misspellings but it’s my damn thread so there. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/16 "2012-10-18T01:53:32Z")
Phase for faze. “I was not fazed when my kid went through a phase.” Two different words. And “faze” is cooler. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/17 "2012-10-18T01:57:09Z")
I always see the “faze/phase” thing too. And “flare” used when “flair” should be used. And “sneak peak” instad of “sneak peek.” ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/18 "2012-10-18T01:58:31Z")
seperately instead of separately. (Remember: separate has A RAT in it.) random interchangeable use of affect / effect there / their / thier interchangeable use of stanch / staunch (Dammit, these words aren’t even approximately equal!) ---
**Author:** ![minionkat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@minionkat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minionkat)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/19 "2012-10-18T02:04:37Z")
judgement/judgment, loose/lose, and the king of all annoyances, rediculous/ridiculous. I always want to ask, “when was it diculous the first time?” In addition to “definately”, I also see “defiantly”. Yeah, that’s a word, but not the one you are trying to use. Facebook is the worst for this. While we’re at it, I hate “ya” in place of “yeah”. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083/20 "2012-10-18T02:05:36Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Oh yeah, I’m not even talking about the whole ‘apostrophe debacle’. That is a monster unto itself. 😛 Grammar. Everyone spells it grammer, usually correcting someone’s grammar! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/consistently-misspelled-non-complex-words/638083.md?page=2)