# Spelling question involving the letter "d" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 5, 2025, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432 "2025-12-05T17:44:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2025, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/21 "2025-12-06T04:41:01Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Also, I think BBC is initials for something you probably don’t want to go googling for. Is something wrong with the British Broadcasting Corporation now? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2025, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/22 "2025-12-06T05:53:16Z")
Why is ‘long’ a short word? Why is ‘abbreviation’ a long word? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2025, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/23 "2025-12-06T06:51:11Z")
Because those words are [heterological](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grelling%E2%80%93Nelson_paradox). ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2025, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/24 "2025-12-06T08:55:10Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Because those words are [heterological](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grelling%E2%80%93Nelson_paradox) A quality response. 😉 As we’ve slightly side-tracked, here’s some more use of language: A contradictory oxymoron is a tautology. 🧐 ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2025, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/25 "2025-12-06T15:15:28Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Is something wrong with the British Broadcasting Corporation now? Yeah! Speaking of odd spellings, they constantly transpose or add extra, unnecessary letters: theatre, colour, aluminium, cheque, etc. And don’t get me started on the incorrect word usage! Cookies are biscuits, fries are chips, chips are crisps. It’s madness, I tell you! 😀 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2025, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/26 "2025-12-06T20:02:38Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Is something wrong with the British Broadcasting Corporation now? > [@solost](#): > > Yeah! Speaking of odd spellings, they constantly transpose or add extra, unnecessary letters: theatre, colour, aluminium, cheque, etc. And don’t get me started on the incorrect word usage! Cookies are biscuits, fries are chips, chips are crisps. I say! 🧐 We Brits spoke English first - so you Americans changed the spelling - not us! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2025, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/27 "2025-12-06T20:25:26Z")
Bad teachers, bad students. Just sayin’ 😆 ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2025, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/28 "2025-12-06T20:34:52Z")
> [@glee](#): > > I say! 🧐 > We Brits spoke English first - so you Americans changed the spelling - not us! 😉 Yeah, we fixed English! Kidding-- as the son of a mother who emigrated here with my grandparents from London, I grew up with British English, and I’m well aware we Americans dumbed English down. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2025, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/29 "2025-12-06T20:39:10Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Kidding-- as the son of a mother who emigrated here with my grandparents from London, I grew up with British English, and I’m well aware we Americans dumbed English down. To be fair, I sometimes wish our English spellings were like the American simplified versions… ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2025, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/30 "2025-12-07T03:08:41Z")
> [@glee](#): > > We Brits spoke English first - so you Americans changed the spelling Phonetic alphabet? The English, of course, changed the spelling before the Americans did. By intention, to change away from phonetic, towards etymology (sometimes with no valid rime or reason) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2025, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/31 "2025-12-07T03:55:13Z")
> [@glee](#): > > A contradictory oxymoron is a tautology. 🧐 I’m going to steal this. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2025, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/32 "2025-12-07T04:47:04Z")
> [@glee](#): > > A contradictory oxymoron is a tautology. 🧐 > [@Atamasama](#): > > I’m going to steal this. I offer it to you freely! 😍 ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2025, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/33 "2025-12-07T14:25:33Z")
One I hate is on crime/medical shows they often refer to GSWs - which has more syllables than gunshot wound. Can imagine writing GSW, but not speaking it. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/34 "2025-12-08T05:12:07Z")
[I asked that same exact question.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-fridge-pick-up-the-d/949461) I was going to say last year but I see it’s been since '21. Time flies… ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2025, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/35 "2025-12-08T09:43:52Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Is something wrong with the British Broadcasting Corporation now? I believe, rather than “wrong”, you’ll find them rather satisfied. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/36 "2025-12-09T01:13:04Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > and (rarely) the US spell it _barbeque_. Rarely? Oh no. All too frequent a spelling. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/37 "2025-12-09T01:36:15Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Rarely? Oh no. All too frequent a spelling. Maybe in parts of the south; but it’s overwhelmingly spelled with a “C” in most of the US. And often when you see it spelled with a “Q” it’s for marketing reasons. It’s rare enough in my experience that “barbeque” just looks extremely weird and wrong. It’s also not considered proper in any formal communication. It’s the written equivalent to the word “ain’t”; it exists and in some areas it might even be common, but it’s always “wrong” (from a prescriptivist perspective at least). ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/38 "2025-12-09T01:38:51Z")
If you Google both spellings, which one gets more hits? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2025, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/39 "2025-12-09T02:17:42Z")
Here’s a Google Ngram of both spellings: > **[Google Books Ngram Viewer](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=barbecue%2C%2Bbarbeque&year_start=1800&year_end=2022&corpus=en&smoothing=3&case_insensitive=false)** > > Google Ngrams: barbecue, barbeque, 1800-2022 [![](https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-853hJen_IE3Y8EgiSSvyXoqjB288pGW02iOVOopvW3qB8BVAdL_VAUjM_Gs-palU5cYdfB3jRoL_VZILaXEufg?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1765246582) ](https://uniim1.shutterfly.com/render/00-853hJen_IE3Y8EgiSSvyXoqjB288pGW02iOVOopvW3qB8BVAdL_VAUjM_Gs-palU5cYdfB3jRoL_VZILaXEufg?cn=THISLIFE&res=medium&ts=1765246582) In case that’s hard to read, the blue line is “barbecue” while the red line is “barbeque”. ---
**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:** [December 9, 2025, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432/40 "2025-12-09T12:10:32Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > It’s rare enough in my experience that “barbeque” just looks extremely weird and wrong. I’ve seen it fairly often, but it looks weird to me too. I can’t decide whether to pronounce it “bar-beck” or “bar-be-quee.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-question-involving-the-letter-d/1025432.md?page=3)