# Mundane and pointless, but correctly spelled **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 14, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916 "2009-07-14T00:21:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/1 "2009-07-14T00:21:05Z")
I write a lot of posts on the internet. I have, if I may say so myself, a fairly prodigious vocabulary. Unfortunately, my spelling skills are not quite as developed. So when I feel the need to use a long word like “floccinaucinihilipilification”, I open a Word document and type my best guess at the spelling. If there’s no squiggly red line, I’ve gotten it right; squiggles, I try again. I use the thesaurus when I’m not sure I’ve used the right word, or when I’m looking for a good synonym. Right now, I’ve got about a week or two’s worth of five dollar words in one huge block paragraph. I think it’s kinda cool to look at: > [@](#): > > Proportion Ferrari circumcise precedent proboscises welder apologizing extramarital diadem arachnophobia remedial courageous immigrant expatriate colloquialism phenomena commentator conniving barbell addendum scandalous incident hypocrisy monogamy marriage demur connotation psychoanalyze martyr colonoscopy Delirium prodigious thesaurus synonym Diminishment Opponent So what do you do for spelling issues? Word, Google, dictionary, or just closing your eyes and praying to St. Gaudere that “martyr” really does have an E? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/2 "2009-07-14T00:45:14Z")
I access the SDMB using Firefox, and it has a Word-style spelling checker built right in, so I have no need to switch over to another application. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/3 "2009-07-14T01:56:43Z")
Same thing here. Firefox with built-in spell checker. ---
**Author:** ![Arachne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Arachne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arachne)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/4 "2009-07-14T02:59:18Z")
Google Chrome, same thing. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/5 "2009-07-14T04:53:26Z")
I don’t use any of them, because I never make any misteaks. (You were unsure about how to spell “welder”?) ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/6 "2009-07-14T15:38:43Z")
Well… it could have been “wielder”. Or “wellder”. It’s not like I have a chance to use that word a lot in real life- I wasn’t even sure how it was pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/7 "2009-07-14T15:42:22Z")
Safari on a Mac, inbuilt spellchecker with the OS. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/8 "2009-07-14T18:26:24Z")
I don’t need a spellchecker. I’m using an error correcting modem. But when it’s not available, I just use Google and see what it’s suggestions are if I miss. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/9 "2009-07-14T19:16:40Z")
[www.m-w.com](http://www.m-w.com) for English, www.rae.es for Spanish. I also own several paper dictionaries, but lugging around some 20kg worth of books when you live out of a suitcase doesn’t make economical sense - plus, if I ever did that, I better get stock in a chiropractic clinic! ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/10 "2009-07-14T19:27:16Z")
Pretty good speller as long as I check for typos before hitting ‘send.’ When a word looks like it’s spelled right, it is; if no obvious spelling looks right, I look it up on [www.merriam-webster.com](http://www.merriam-webster.com), which is also useful for other purposes. Also, I don’t obsess about spelling everything exactly right when posting. I’m satisfied if the content is accurate, and that is not always the case either, as SDMB-ers are quick to point out. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/11 "2009-07-14T20:34:54Z")
At home, I use Chrome, which has an in-line spellcheck. At work, I usually use some combination of Google and M-W. ETA: Wow. I just looked over your word list, and your spelling really must blow if you had to look those up. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![KlondikeGeoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3e96dc/32.png) [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/12 "2009-07-14T20:36:25Z")
Besides the nifty spell checker in Firefox, I use a great little free [program](http://www.download3k.com/Install-WordWeb.html) called wordweb. Once installed, you can click on any word and get a definition if you don’t know it. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/13 "2009-07-14T20:41:24Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > I don’t need a spellchecker. I’m using an error correcting modem. I want one of those (unless you’re just talking about old-fashioned boring parity and CRC-type error correction). > [@Projammer](#): > > But when it’s not available, I just use Google and see what it’s suggestions are if I miss. The problem is that Google isn’t authoritative (it’s happy to show misspellings), and that it doesn’t help you with things like it’s/its. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/14 "2009-07-14T21:09:06Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > The problem is that Google isn’t authoritative (it’s happy to show misspellings), and that it doesn’t help you with things like it’s/its. Google is much more intuitive at guessing what you’re trying to spell, though. And it’s/its is a punctuation/grammar issue, not a spelling one. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mundane-and-pointless-but-correctly-spelled/502916/15 "2009-07-14T21:24:57Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > And it’s/its is a punctuation/grammar issue, not a spelling one. I just found it amusing that a post beginning with “I don’t need a spelling checker” contained such an error. And you can always argue weather an error like the one in the 6th word of this sentence is a misspelling or a grammatical error (use of the wrong word). It’s/its is no different.