# Hard-to-spell words **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 3, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703 "2008-08-03T14:56:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![uncle\_squeegee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b5e925/32.png) [@uncle\_squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uncle_squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/41 "2008-08-04T19:11:46Z")
Available (at least until someone pointed out the simple trick that it’s avail + able) Field (even when I chant “I before E” as I type, and most other _ie_ words I am fine with) Guarantee Potaotoe… sorry, I was channelling Dan Quayle for a second. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/42 "2008-08-04T19:16:50Z")
Prairie Armageddon Millennium (I always think it’s only one “n”) Infinitely Congratulations (a lot of people I think should know better, still substitute the “t” with a “d”) Dimension (I still have to pause, and remember it’s _-sion_, not _-tion_) Jamb Balloon Pseudonym Grandiose Amateur Warranty ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/43 "2008-08-04T22:36:09Z")
Privilege (needs a d) I’ll third millennium ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/44 "2008-08-04T22:52:50Z")
[QUOTE=ultrafilter] victuals [/QUOTE] The :eek: moment for me about victuals wasn’t how it was spelled, but how it was pronounced. There was no correlation in my mind between “vittles” that Grannie used to make on the Beverly Hillbillies, and victuals in the sense of provisions as it showed up in writing. ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/45 "2008-08-04T23:16:27Z")
Equilateral Miscellaneous Potpourri Meringue Trepidatious I often see the following misspelled: Definite Separate Ridiculous ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/46 "2008-08-04T23:32:49Z")
I always could spell by visualizing the word and just reading it off, so most of the words listed here are no problem for me. The ones I have trouble with are a few of the double-letter ones (like \*okazhun) and the i-before-e rule-followers and exceptions. I do like the speller’s crossword idea, though. Go for it, **twickster**! ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/47 "2008-08-05T00:03:02Z")
geoduck (how do they get “gooeyduck” as a pronunciation there?) niece nephew (I always want to type these as “neice” and “newphew”) ---
**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:** [August 5, 2008, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/48 "2008-08-05T00:12:39Z")
And my all-time favorite: misspell, which I often misspell as mispell. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/49 "2008-08-05T00:22:20Z")
I’m a baker, and one word I often see misspelled is _croissant_ Folks want to move that i and place it after the a ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/50 "2008-08-05T05:16:43Z")
**mischievous** (So many people want to add an extra syllable) **paraphernalia** ---
**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:** [August 5, 2008, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/51 "2008-08-05T09:31:14Z")
tempurature. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/52 "2008-08-05T10:41:41Z")
[QUOTE=pseudotriton ruber ruber] tempurature. [/QUOTE] :dubious: ---
**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:** [August 5, 2008, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/53 "2008-08-05T11:53:27Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] :dubious: [/QUOTE] Huh. I was so careful to stick that “a” in there that no one pronounces, I messed up the second “e.” It really should be spelled “tempacher.” ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/54 "2008-08-05T12:04:57Z")
Y’all are doing a fabulous job with these – how about a few more geographical ones? We’ve got Tuscon, Philippines, Pyrenees – I’d throw in Cincinnati and Albuqueque – any others? And are there any names you find particularly tricky? ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/55 "2008-08-05T12:07:44Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] Y’all are doing a fabulous job with these – how about a few more geographical ones? We’ve got Tuscon, Philippines, Pyrenees – I’d throw in Cincinnati and Albuqueque – any others? [/QUOTE] Cincinnati ain’t that hard. Schenectady, though, that’s a doozy. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/56 "2008-08-05T12:10:15Z")
My Boss has “i before e” so stamped on her brain that she always spells it “cieling.” She has been a real estate broker for 25 years and cannot spell it right. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/57 "2008-08-05T12:12:22Z")
[QUOTE=Bayard] Cincinnati ain’t that hard. Schenectady, though, that’s a doozy. [/QUOTE] Heh. Sissy stuff – I live in Philadelphia, about a half mile from the Schuylkill River. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/58 "2008-08-05T13:12:57Z")
I’ve used “work out” rather than wrestle with the spelling of exercise. For some reason, I think it should be excersize. When that looks crazy I retype: exsercise. THAT looks nuts so I substitute “work out”. Councilor, counciler, counsiler councillor, counciller - um… therapist. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/59 "2008-08-05T14:43:35Z")
Graffiti. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703/60 "2008-08-05T14:50:14Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] Heh. Sissy stuff – I live in Philadelphia, about a half mile from the Schuylkill River. [/QUOTE] Plus you also need to be able to say “Conshohocken” without bursting into laughter. …brb to add to wiki list of “inherently funny place names”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hard-to-spell-words/458703.md?page=4)