# I give up: the battle for proper spelling has been "loost" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 19, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857 "2004-07-19T18:45:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Opus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/858c86/32.png) [@Opus1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opus1)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/1 "2004-07-19T18:45:27Z")
From a Reuters article, posted on CNN: [http://www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/07/17/bt.dvt.uk.courts.reut/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/07/17/bt.dvt.uk.courts.reut/index.html) If they loose, airlines may have to pay out huge sums in damages as courts around the world are likely to use the English decision as guidance. Aarrgh! I expect ignorant fuckknuckles on the Internet to misspell “lose.” After all, they’re ignorant fuckknuckles. But Reuters? CNN? These are professional journalists (allegedly)! If people with college degrees and the ability to write otherwise coherent prose can’t figure out how to spell “lose,” the Apocalypse is surely upon us. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/2 "2004-07-19T18:50:22Z")
Aaahhh. The problem with using software spellcheckers, they only check spelling and not context. There is no excuse for that error getting past one editor, never mind making it to print, but it is probably a common problem. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/3 "2004-07-19T18:54:41Z")
One typo in one article, and the battle is lost? ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/4 "2004-07-19T19:51:27Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > One typo in one article, and the battle is lost? I see your point, but if the aforementioned fuckknuckles see this spelling in a professional article, it perpetuates the thinking that this spelling is correct. I give up, too. ---
**Author:** ![Tyrrell\_McAllister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tyrrell_mcallister/32/16772_2.png) [@Tyrrell\_McAllister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyrrell_McAllister)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/5 "2004-07-19T21:42:52Z")
I see spelling mistakes and grammatical errors on [nytimes.com](http://nytimes.com) all the time. I think it’s just a case of internet content not being so carefully edited. It’s nothing to get worked up about. In the case of [nytimes.com](http://nytimes.com), I get the sense that many of the articles are in some sense rough drafts. Frequently you can watch the articles evolve paragraph by paragraph as some ongoing event develops. Typing an extra _o_ in _lose_ is a very easy typo to make and among the harder to catch, so I wouldn’t draw inferences on the spelling knowledge of the writer or editor. Even being upset about it spreading ignorance is silly, because you are in effect demanding nothing less than absolutely perfect editing. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/6 "2004-07-19T21:51:49Z")
I REALLY don’t like seeing lose spelled “loose”. I know it’s a simple mistake for the most part, but for some reason, I just really get that fingernails-on-chalkboard feeling when I see it. Yeah, I know, get over it, blah, blah… ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/7 "2004-07-19T22:20:30Z")
Don’t despair, it’s in [books](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=266131) too. ---
**Author:** ![Legolamb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@Legolamb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legolamb)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2004, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/8 "2004-07-19T23:50:27Z")
> [@An Arky](#): > > I REALLY don’t like seeing lose spelled “loose”. I know it’s a simple mistake for the most part, but for some reason, I just really get that fingernails-on-chalkboard feeling when I see it. Yeah, I know, get over it, blah, blah… I feel exactly the same way. Most other typos and misspellings I can let go, but seeing “loose” instead of “lose” just really sets my teeth on edge. It’s a good job there isn’t much flex on this keyboard or on certain occasions, particularly when I used to moderate a forum, it may have ended up halfway through the monitor. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/9 "2004-07-20T00:10:32Z")
A friend and I wrote and published an 1,100 page dictionary of idioms a couple of years ago in South Korea. We proofed the galleys many times (how many I don’t recall right now, but at least six or seven times), and we were exactingly careful… you see, while some of the people at the publishing house spoke English, we obviously could not count on them to catch spelling errors, homophone errors, etc. in a language that was not their native tongue. Finally a day arrived that we were finished, and a case of our published books arrived at our office! Cigars were lit, an old bottle of scotch was opened, and backs were slapped all 'round! Hooray! I picked up a book, and began flipping through it randomly… and in seconds I found that in the index, the word “play” was spelled “paly”. :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: :smack: Proofreading be hard! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/10 "2004-07-20T00:23:17Z")
> [@An Arky](#): > > I REALLY don’t like seeing lose spelled “loose”. I know it’s a simple mistake for the most part, but for some reason, I just really get that fingernails-on-chalkboard feeling when I see it. Yeah, I know, get over it, blah, blah… That drives me nuts too, because it seems so **obviously** wrong to my eyes. I know I occasionally make errors too, though, and no doubt they are as obvious to others as lose/loose is to me. For example, I sometimes confuse its/it’s. That drives people as nuts, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/11 "2004-07-20T00:26:46Z")
> [@](#): > > The problem with using software spellcheckers, they only check spelling and not context. . . . Which is why we recently had a candidate advise us in a letter that he was interested in working in the area of pubic interest. He did not get an interview. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/12 "2004-07-20T00:38:26Z")
Guess what song I seriously was listening to when I read this thread? “I can’t stand loosing you.” ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/13 "2004-07-20T05:35:19Z")
If it makes anyone feel better, the typo has been [corrected](http://www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/07/17/bt.dvt.uk.courts.reut/index.html) . ---
**Author:** ![Baraqiyal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@Baraqiyal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baraqiyal)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/14 "2004-07-20T05:57:22Z")
When I see an [obvious](http://www.archos.com/jbmm.html) spelling or grammatical error on a professional web site, I’ll often email the Webmaster. The overwhelming response is no response at all. Sometimes I’ll get a “Thank you for your interest” form letter, or a “You don’t know what you’re talking about” email. Overwhelmingly, the most common error I see is “it’s” being used as a possessive of “it”. Re-reading my post, I’m wondering if I need to get out more. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2004, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/15 "2004-07-20T07:03:00Z")
> [@Baraqiyal](#): > > When I see an [obvious](http://www.archos.com/jbmm.html) spelling or grammatical error on a professional web site, I’ll often email the Webmaster. The overwhelming response is no response at all. Sometimes I’ll get a “Thank you for your interest” form letter, or a “You don’t know what you’re talking about” email. > > Overwhelmingly, the most common error I see is “it’s” being used as a possessive of “it”. > > Re-reading my post, I’m wondering if I need to get out more. I’ve emailed the NYTimes several times; I’ve developed a running dialog with the editor in charge of such things. We disagree on the serial comma, and on some hyphenation (he’s for “well-liked,” I’m dead set against it), but he’s been pretty responsive. I catch a lot of _adverb-hyphen-verb_, which is just WRONG WRONG WRONG. ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/16 "2004-07-20T07:10:26Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > We disagree on the serial comma… Maybe I’m dumb, but what’s a serial comma? ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/17 "2004-07-20T08:28:58Z")
> [@MidnightRadio](#): > > Maybe I’m dumb, but what’s a serial comma? An Oxford comma??? ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/18 "2004-07-20T09:41:54Z")
I think the real Atrocity is the article itself. People are suing the Airlines because, they [the airlines] have known for years about the conditions in the planes. However, these fuckwits continued to fly on them? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/19 "2004-07-20T09:49:03Z")
> [@Baraqiyal](#): > > When I see an [obvious](http://www.archos.com/jbmm.html) spelling or grammatical error on a professional web site, I’ll often email the Webmaster. I bet your-for-you’re is the most common spelling fuckup on the web. Makes me nuts. Why did I go to the trouble of learning how to spell properly to communicate with people who can’t be bothered? Actually, I suppose that’s more of an internet complaint. Everyone makes spelling mistakes, but people who make unpunctuated posts in all caps or no caps with tons of errors and then say “I don’t have time to spell check/write in understandable English even when it gives you a headache or hampers your understanding of my post” _will_ be first against the damn wall when the time comes. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2004, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857/20 "2004-07-20T10:12:49Z")
Based on personal experience, I agree that your-you’re and they’re-their-there are easy to make, especially when one types fast. I’ve noticed I do it myself occasionally and attribute this to the sound of the word I want registering in my brain, and then the wrong signal gets sent to my fingers. But I don’t see how that could happen with lose-loose; they’re different sounds. Instead, I think what happens is that, as is usually the case, the “ooh” sound in “lose” is long, because it comes before a voiced vowel; while the same sound in “loose” is short because it precedes an unvoiced vowel. But people assume that “lose” should be spelled “loose”, because having two "o"s instead of one makes it seem like it should be pronounced longer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-give-up-the-battle-for-proper-spelling-has-been-loost/255857.md?page=2)