# That's DEFINITELY not how it's spelled. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 10, 2001, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576 "2001-10-10T14:32:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Syzygy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Syzygy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syzygy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/1 "2001-10-10T14:32:23Z")
This isn’t going to be a long rant, because it’s a simple and (to be honest) inconsequential subject. Probably a stupid waste of time. But I have to comment. The spelling of the word which means “absolutely, certainly, positively, unquestionably” is “defin **i** tely”. It derives from “definitus”, the past participle of the Latin root “definire”, to define. How in the hell did this trend get started? I did a search and found hundreds of incidences of this mistake. Does the word sound like “definately” when these people say it? “deh-fin-eight-lee”? Now, I realize that spelling errors are made frequently on this board, and I have no problem with the occasional misspelling (it’s not like my spelling’s perfect). But to see instance after instance in which this particular word is misspelled is maddening. Maybe I’m being unreasonable, but it’s the only word I see consistently misspelled, not only on this board, but now in e-mails as well. I’d hate for this to become correct through popular usage. That’s all. I told you it was going to be stupid. It’s not even worth any swear words. Here, I’ll start the :rolleyes:'s for you. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/2 "2001-10-10T14:39:05Z")
I think you misspelled " 😉 ". ---
**Author:** ![Friday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dec6dc/32.png) [@Friday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Friday)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/3 "2001-10-10T14:39:32Z")
Your right! ---
**Author:** ![moggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@moggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moggy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/4 "2001-10-10T14:40:22Z")
Thank you! I’m never quite sure how it’s spelled, and now I know! I was never sure if it was “-ely” or “-ley”. Misspellings are one of my pet peeves too. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/5 "2001-10-10T14:43:49Z")
> [@](#): > > Does the word sound like “definately” when these people say it? “deh-fin-eight-lee”? No, but in parts of the South, it is pronounced “deh’-fuh-nuht-lee”. ---
**Author:** ![Kayeby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de0a6/32.png) [@Kayeby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kayeby)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/6 "2001-10-10T15:02:36Z")
Don’t be rediculous. ---
**Author:** ![super\_head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d6d6ee/32.png) [@super\_head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/super_head)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/7 "2001-10-10T15:06:23Z")
Calm down, man, don’t loose your cool. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/8 "2001-10-10T15:22:52Z")
You deffinitely have a point! ---
**Author:** ![Deej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/53a042/32.png) [@Deej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deej)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/9 "2001-10-10T15:46:54Z")
One that gets me is Congradulations! I’m guessing that people got a cutesy card for their jr. high graduation ceremony, and it somehow stuck in their heads. Cutsey cards should be burned. All of them. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/10 "2001-10-10T15:50:15Z")
Yes, its a pisser. 😉 I always think “de-finite-ly” to remember how to spell it, “finite” being the key word. (I also remember Connect-i-cut to spell that right, too.) Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Hibbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ce73a5/32.png) [@Hibbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hibbins)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/11 "2001-10-10T15:54:27Z")
I went to the _ **libary** _ to sees if you were right. You were. I hate fragments. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/12 "2001-10-10T15:57:07Z")
Their are far to many people who do stupid things like that. ---
**Author:** ![Operator6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/c57346/32.png) [@Operator6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operator6)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/13 "2001-10-10T16:10:10Z")
Sight, Please! ---
**Author:** ![k.os](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@k.os](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k.os)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/14 "2001-10-10T16:13:24Z")
My first languadge is French, but even I know spelling bedder den dat. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/15 "2001-10-10T16:17:47Z")
thanq god four spel chek, im the werst speler i nowe. ---
**Author:** ![Deej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/53a042/32.png) [@Deej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deej)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/16 "2001-10-10T16:19:39Z")
There’s been some really good imput to this thread. I’ve got to go fix the spicket for the garden hose now. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/17 "2001-10-10T16:22:07Z")
I could of told you that ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/18 "2001-10-10T16:22:14Z")
And some folk’s need to learn the appropriate use for apostrophe’s. (Okay, I haven’t seen it on this board, but I see it constantly on store signs near where I live. People think you need an apostrophe before _any_ terminal “s”.) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/19 "2001-10-10T16:32:04Z")
if yopu take a look at teh [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=79905) I posted in IMHO abuot this, your’ll see that allot of loosers ony do this for affect. ---
**Author:** ![Salix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3e96dc/32.png) [@Salix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salix)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576/20 "2001-10-10T17:41:30Z")
That is such and annoying misspelling! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thats-definitely-not-how-its-spelled/86576.md?page=2)