# Ever find out years later that you've been misspelling a word your whole life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 7, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396 "2010-10-07T19:00:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/21 "2010-10-07T21:59:41Z")
> [@Infovore](#): > > Minuscule. My spelling is nearly perfect (really–once I learn to spell a word, I don’t mess it up again unless it’s a typo), but for years I was convinced that it was “miniscule,” which actually makes a lot of sense. Now that I know better, I don’t do that anymore. But I still prefer the misspelled version. > > ETA: I never knew that about “rigmarole!” I thought it was “rigamarole” too! See, now, I have learned something today! 🙂 Well, that’s two things I’ve learned! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/22 "2010-10-07T22:00:42Z")
> [@rostfrei](#): > > Just thought of one. For years, I thought Ophthalmology was spelled Opthalmology. \ Do I need new glasses, or…? ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Warrior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Electric\_Warrior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Warrior)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/23 "2010-10-07T22:23:56Z")
Around 2000, as a generally fastidious person, I was stunned my word processor dictionary didn’t have a very common word. In frustration at it constantly underlining it in red, I added it to the custom dictionary. I’d say it was at least two years later that I realized ‘desicion’ wasn’t such a common word after all. Man, even Chrome thinks it’s wrong! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![curious11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac91a4/32.png) [@curious11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curious11)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/24 "2010-10-07T22:33:21Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > > [@rostfrei](#): > > > > Just thought of one. For years, I thought Ophthalmology was spelled Opthalmology. > > \ > > Do I need new glasses, or…? Oh Pee Aich Tee Aich Aye verse Oh Pee Tee Aich Aye There is an extra H that is often overlooked, even when squinting. ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/25 "2010-10-07T22:42:48Z")
Pointsietta. Apparently, dictionary makers don’t like that first T and put the second I in a different place. (Poinsettia) ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/26 "2010-10-07T22:58:36Z")
> [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Also, for a long time I believed that “bagel” was OK to pronounce “baggle” (like boggle) instead of BAY-gle. I just thought it was an alternate pronounciation, like tomayto/tomahto. Unfortunately, I discovered otherwise when I was reading an announcement in front of my class in high school about a club doing a bagel fundraiser - and everyone laughed. ☹ That was VERY common when I lived in Minnesota for a couple years. The same folks would also pronounce “vague” as “vag” (rhymes with “bag”). ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/27 "2010-10-07T23:32:53Z")
Sometimes I find out that I’ve been pronouncing (in my head if not out loud) a word wrong for many years, usually because I’ve read it many times but not heard it used in conversation. When I was a kid I would read books about math, and they’d mention the mathematician Euler which I assumed was pronounced “yooler”. When I got to college and he actually came up in a course, it turned out his name is pronounced “oiler.” I still read it as Yooler in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/28 "2010-10-07T23:42:31Z")
> [@teletype](#): > > > [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > > > Also, for a long time I believed that “bagel” was OK to pronounce “baggle” (like boggle) instead of BAY-gle. I just thought it was an alternate pronounciation, like tomayto/tomahto. Unfortunately, I discovered otherwise when I was reading an announcement in front of my class in high school about a club doing a bagel fundraiser - and everyone laughed. ☹ > > That was VERY common when I lived in Minnesota for a couple years. The same folks would also pronounce “vague” as “vag” (rhymes with “bag”). HA! That explains it. My mom pronounces it that way too - and I’m willing to bet she learned it from her South Dakotan mother or Iowan father. ---
**Author:** ![ladeda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbe5ce/32.png) [@ladeda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladeda)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/29 "2010-10-08T00:10:50Z")
This is embarrassing but honest to god true. I spelled my very own middle name wrong for probably 25 years. I always spelled it “Lynn” but I finally saw my birth certificate about 10 or 15 years ago and noticed it was spelled “Lyn.” YUP. :smack::eek: ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/30 "2010-10-08T00:11:36Z")
Let’s just say my pronounciation of “Pequod” cost me on _Jeopardy_, having read it but not ever hearing it spoken. No, I don’t want to talk about it. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/31 "2010-10-08T00:16:36Z")
> [@palindromemordnilap](#): > > I used to write for a jewelry magazine You mean “jewellery”. Actually, you don’t, but many flag “jewellery” as incorrect spelling and pronunciation, when it’s actually a non-American variant. Just a bit of trivia I’d throw in, apropos of nothing. > [@Infovore](#): > > Minuscule. My spelling is nearly perfect (really–once I learn to spell a word, I don’t mess it up again unless it’s a typo), but for years I was convinced that it was “miniscule,” which actually makes a lot of sense. Now that I know better, I don’t do that anymore. But I still prefer the misspelled version. Me too. It was spellcheck that caused me to realise I had been wrong all this time. I think both look acceptable, though, and I expect most people don’t realise it’s wrong when they read it. ---
**Author:** ![Terra1041](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Terra1041](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terra1041)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/32 "2010-10-08T00:20:23Z")
For me, incongruous as “incogruous” and intrinsic as “intristic”. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/33 "2010-10-08T00:28:12Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > Let’s just say my pronounciation of “Pequod” cost me on _Jeopardy_, having read it but not ever hearing it spoken. > > No, I don’t want to talk about it. When I first read the OP, I thought of this story and took note that it asked for misspellings; I came back and forgot that it was spellings and not pronounciations being sought. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/34 "2010-10-08T00:39:36Z")
discrepancy. I’d been saying and spelling it disrepancy. ETA: I think your story is interesting enough that it’s okay that it’s not 100% on topic. And how do you pronounce it? I can’t find the answer. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/35 "2010-10-08T01:27:24Z")
As the owner of a print shop, I frequently see “Wheel Barrel” when people are getting raffle tickets printed for a “Wheel Barrow of Cheer” (wheel barrow filled with bottles of liquor). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/36 "2010-10-08T01:29:05Z")
**mischievous** I had one of my 7th graders come up to me after I assigned “ **mischievious** ” as a spelling word. This girl, who was brilliant in all areas, told me she thinks I misspelled it. I said…no, that’s how it is spelled. I googled it and found out she was right and I commended her to all my classes and told them they are lucky to learn something I didn’t learn until I was 30. Best kid I ever had. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/37 "2010-10-08T01:38:38Z")
I was reading a Worst of Craigslist site a while back. They had a tag for all the people selling “Chester drawers.” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/38 "2010-10-08T01:39:17Z")
I’ll give you a nickle for eveytime I mispell nickel. nickel just looks wrong. Unless corrected, I usually screw up and spell nickle. Spell checkers don’t flag it because it is a word. Just not a word for the change in your pocket. ---
**Author:** ![Jennmonkye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/278dde/32.png) [@Jennmonkye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennmonkye)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/39 "2010-10-08T02:34:33Z")
Background. I was in college—still have nightmares over that one! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396/40 "2010-10-08T03:17:19Z")
> [@rostfrei](#): > > Just thought of one. For years, I thought Ophthalmology was spelled Opthalmology. Most people don’t pronounce it correctly, either. IT really should be without a hard P - “off-tha-maw-la-jist.” Similarly, “diphthong” is really supposed to be “Diff-thong.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-find-out-years-later-that-youve-been-misspelling-a-word-your-whole-life/556396.md?page=3)