# Most annoying misspellings **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 3, 2010, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123 "2010-03-03T14:56:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/101 "2010-03-05T17:15:11Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > I used to work for a wonderful guy, who was sharp, but not great with grammar. He wrote up a flyer promoting a particular payment plan that would save video renters about 20%. At the end of the page, he wanted to emphasize the customers’ savings - “NOW that’s a deal!” > > Pisses me off when I see [this music series](http://www.amazon.com/NOW-Thats-What-Call-Music/dp/B001PXYHD2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1267806123&sr=8-1)… > > Joe Please tell me what I’m missing here. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/102 "2010-03-05T17:21:41Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > I don’t know. How many other countries do you think of as part of “the west”? Only three that are primarily English-speaking. ETA: If your point is that Indian food is commonplace in the UK, that’s true, but IME Britons can generally spell Gandhi correctly. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/103 "2010-03-05T17:39:28Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Please tell me what I’m missing here. I’m missing it too. ---
**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:** [March 5, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/104 "2010-03-05T17:53:31Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I’m missing it too. Why emphasize the word “now”? It didn’t use to be a deal?? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/105 "2010-03-05T18:02:51Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Why emphasize the word “now”? It didn’t use to be a deal?? But NOW isn’t being used to mean “at this point in time.” It’s being used as an exclamation, of sorts. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/106 "2010-03-05T18:05:19Z")
> [@ragerdude](#): > > I think that “alright” is still nonstandard, and “all right” is the standard spelling for all usages. Agreed. At least here in the UK, ‘alright’ is never correct. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/107 "2010-03-05T18:05:26Z")
Sure, but the emphasis would still be on _that_. Say it out loud with the stress on _now_. You’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/108 "2010-03-05T18:10:39Z")
> [@ragerdude](#): > > I pronounce “could’ve” and “could of” identically. What dialects pronounce them distinctly? Most British ones, that I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/109 "2010-03-05T18:23:46Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Sure, but the emphasis would still be on _that_. Say it out loud with the stress on _now_. You’ll see. This. “It’s not ‘top of the morning TO YOU!’” ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/110 "2010-03-05T18:52:46Z")
I was just reminded of this all-too-common misspelling because it appears in today’s newspaper, under the movie listings: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief ---
**Author:** ![Alpha834](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Alpha834](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha834)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/111 "2010-03-05T19:04:57Z")
rogue\rouge As a WOW gamer, I expect to see this at least once whenever I am logged in to the game or browsing the WOW forums. ---
**Author:** ![Dancer\_Flight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dancer_flight/32/7601_2.png) [@Dancer\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dancer_Flight)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/112 "2010-03-05T21:36:56Z")
> [@ragerdude](#): > > I think that “alright” is still nonstandard, and “all right” is the standard spelling for all usages. “Alright” is informal and is often used in written dialogue, per [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com). In formal writing “all right” is always used. So I guess I’m still a little fuzzy on it. I double check things with Strunk & White for any of my more formal writing anyways. -DF ---
**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:** [March 5, 2010, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/113 "2010-03-05T22:33:33Z")
Spell checkers deserve some blame. You right click and take the correction. Sometimes that means you get a word that is close, but wrong. Since I’m focused on composing my writing, the spell checker often plays tricks. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/114 "2010-03-06T01:48:28Z")
People who confuse the verbs _ **lie** _ and _ **lay** _. They’re different verbs, with different meanings (I lie down / I lay the book down). I suspect that they’re particularly confusing because the past tense of _lie_ actually is _lay_. In any case, this sort of construction always infuriates me: _He saw her laying on the floor_. Unless she was producing eggs, she was _lying_ on the floor. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/115 "2010-03-06T02:39:26Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Baseball, the great American past time. Damn you, I actually panicked for a minute - “shit, have I been spelling ‘baseball’ incorrectly? How else could it be spelled?” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![figure9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@figure9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/figure9)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/116 "2010-03-06T14:50:42Z")
If knot four fire fox spell check pea pole wood think imam a idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/117 "2010-03-06T14:53:25Z")
> [@figure9](#): > > If knot four fire fox spell check pea pole wood think imam a idiot. Too shay! ---
**Author:** ![freakstasy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@freakstasy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freakstasy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/118 "2010-03-06T15:05:29Z")
\*quite \*for _quiet_ You’re guaranteed to see some variation of this sentence when reading apartment reviews: “[The place is quite and [peaceful/the neighbors keep to themselves/etc]…](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=%22the+place+is+quite+and+*%22&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&emsg=NCSR&ei=8W6SS_XQCcuKlQelydXSDQ)” ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/119 "2010-03-06T21:32:16Z")
> [@RoniaBorkason](#): > > Since other people have mentioned French loanwords, Spanish is ok, too, right? > [Cojones](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cojones) are not [cajones](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caj%C3%B3n). > > My least favorite common misspelling is discrete/discreet. That one’s honest, as the noun form of the latter adjective is “discretion.” ---
**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123/120 "2010-03-06T22:14:39Z")
This isn’t my most annoying misspelling, but it is probably the most egregious example of word confusion I’ve come across. On a handwritten sign I saw posted on a cabinet door: \*\*Private! You must have permission to axis this cabinet. \*\* I wish I had taken a picture of it. Oh, and it was in the Distance Learning office of a university. \*As I previewed my post, I found three misspelled words: **probably** , **most** , and **Distance**. God only knows what I missed. And **access** doesn’t count! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-annoying-misspellings/531123.md?page=7)