# Spelling tricks your teachers taught you **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 21, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278 "2011-04-21T20:11:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/1 "2011-04-21T20:11:03Z")
The parallel parking thread spurred this memory. A teacher once told us that “parallel” has two Ls in the middle, because they are parallel to each other. The guy who runs the school is the “princi **pal** ”, because he’s your pal. I before E in “friend”, because the last part of the word is the end. Did your teachers give you any of these tricks? ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/2 "2011-04-21T20:19:19Z")
A PIEce of Pie ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/3 "2011-04-21T20:19:58Z")
“i” before “e” except after “c” ? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/4 "2011-04-21T20:30:27Z")
> [@madrabbitwoman](#): > > A PIEce of Pie Wow, cool! I once asked my dad how to spell banana. He said it was B-A-N-A-N-A-N-A-N-A-N-A. I asked him how to know when to stop. He just gave me an odd look. I’ve never had a problem with it since. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/5 "2011-04-21T20:30:52Z")
> [@Damfino](#): > > “i” before “e” except after “c” ? …or when sounded like “ay”, as in “neighbor” or “weigh”… …except for eight exceptions. Weird height, foreign leisure, neither seize nor forfeit, either. Yeah. That one. ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/6 "2011-04-21T22:16:22Z")
Sep-a-rate it out for separate; I’m weird not wired ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/7 "2011-04-21T22:22:46Z")
“A friend is a friend 'till the END.” ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/8 "2011-04-21T22:28:48Z")
Fluorine is NOT made from flour. Phosphorus- Who’s the phos phor? US!! (I used these teaching physical science. Anybody got ones for sulfur or nickel?) ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/9 "2011-04-21T23:17:03Z")
station **a** ry c **a** r station **e** ry **e** nvelope ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/10 "2011-04-21T23:53:35Z")
A desert is barren and empty - not enough s’s A dessert makes you full - full of s’s ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/11 "2011-04-22T00:30:28Z")
There is “a rat” in the middle of separate. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/12 "2011-04-22T00:33:26Z")
I don’t have anything to contribute, but I really could use one for ‘necessary.’ ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/13 "2011-04-22T00:49:56Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Fluorine is NOT made from flour. Nice. This would work well for fluorescent, too. > [@](#): > > Phosphorus- Who’s the phos phor? US!! Phosforus? This makes no sense. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/14 "2011-04-22T00:53:19Z")
When two vowels go a-walking, the first one does the talking. I before E except after post number 3. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/15 "2011-04-22T01:02:52Z")
I always break tomorrow down into three words - tom or row - so I don’t misspell it as tommorow or tomorow. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/16 "2011-04-22T01:05:58Z")
We’re going to-get-her. Really, that’s how I pronounce that word in my head even to this day. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/17 "2011-04-22T01:25:28Z")
Francis with an I for Him Frances with an E for Her ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/18 "2011-04-22T02:07:26Z")
It’s busi-ness because you’re busy, not buis-ness. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/19 "2011-04-22T02:31:59Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > A desert is barren and empty - not enough s’s > > A dessert makes you full - full of s’s Good one. To add to that, punishing someone is to give them their “just deserts.” It’s pronounced “desserts” but is spelled “deserts.” Think of promissing somone an ice cream sundae but delivering dry sand. With a tasty scorpion in it. And no cherry on top. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278/20 "2011-04-22T02:37:55Z")
> [@Damfino](#): > > “i” before “e” except after “c” ? weird. mmm [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spelling-tricks-your-teachers-taught-you/579278.md?page=2)