# What is it about "definitely" that makes so many people spell it wrong? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113 "2003-01-17T00:38:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/1 "2003-01-17T00:38:26Z")
Why does the word “definitely” get so constantly misspelled as defin **a** tely? I remember being shocked to learn somewhat recently that I had spelled it wrong all my life - so it could be that I notice it more often than other misspelled words, but that doesn’t explain the frequency with which it is misspelled: An SDMB search reveals that the word “definately” appears in 3704 posts on this message board, as of this post. (For hamspter’s sake, I will not post the link to that search). Since I consider the SDMB a better than average representation of good spellers in the world, I can only conclude that there must be something about this word that causes people to misspell it more than other words. Maybe it was spelled wrong in some popular Grade School Spelling book? Maybe the word-ending “ately” is such a common spelling that we all just assume it should be spelled definately? It’s not like any of these misspellings are typos - the “i” and “a” are way too far apart on the QWERTY keyboard for that. Now, before Manhattan swears at me \ I’m truly hoping some sort of linguistic expert can point me to a definitive explanation here, hence GQ. [sub]I have poured over this post on Preview, so if anything has been misspelled, Gaudere’s Law has been proven.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/2 "2003-01-17T00:47:31Z")
What did you pour over it? Maple syrup? ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/3 "2003-01-17T00:52:21Z")
It’s commonly misspelled because it’s pronounced more as “definately” than “definitley”. There are many other words which are commonly misspelled, such as “disastrous” and “government”, for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/4 "2003-01-17T01:02:53Z")
I also think it has to do with pronunciation: I have the bad habit of saying it: “deff-in-uht-ly,” and of course, a good deal of spelling mistakes are because people sometimes spell phonetically. Spelling often gives lignuists an idea of how languages used to sound. Before spelling was standardised, people spelled the way they spoke. 1600s Engish, for example, sounded a lot like Appalacians trying to fake an English accent. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/5 "2003-01-17T01:13:27Z")
> [@](#): > > I also think it has to do with pronunciation: I have the bad habit of saying it: “deff-in-uht-ly,” and of course, a good deal of spelling mistakes are because people sometimes spell phonetically. I take it you posted that before you saw my post, Lissa? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/6 "2003-01-17T01:16:55Z")
Just spotted this: > [@](#): > > Originally posted by Dooku (bolding mine) > (For **hamspter’s** sake… Gaudere’s rule is proven! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/7 "2003-01-17T01:29:15Z")
But **samarm** , if you look up the common ways in which people misspell “disastrous” and “government” on the SDMB, you will find a much smaller number than 3704. Example: “disasterous” - 207. “goverment” - 600. I maintain this particular word is misspelled more than any other. And I was inferring that there was one hampster. 😃 **Lissa** - point taken, but in my case I pronounce it “de-fin-IT-ly” and I misspelled it for a couple of decades… ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/8 "2003-01-17T01:34:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dooku \*For hamspter’s sake, I will not post the link to that search > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dooku \* > And I was inferring that there was one hampster Um, is the singular of “hampster” spelled H-A-M-S-P-T-E-R ? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/9 "2003-01-17T01:55:50Z")
:smack: ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/10 "2003-01-17T01:56:48Z")
**HAMSTER**! ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/11 "2003-01-17T01:58:33Z")
: tap, tap, tap : Is this thing on? Or am I on everyone’s Ignore list? :dubious: Methinks a trip to the dictionary is in order: hamster imply/infer pore/pour ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/12 "2003-01-17T02:02:32Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Dooku_ > But samarm, if you look up the common ways in which people misspell “disastrous” and “government” on the SDMB, you will find a much smaller number than 3704… I’d wager that it’s because _definitely_ is used more often than _disastrous_ and _government_. You can use _definitely_ in any sentence on any subject; the latter two are more limited in their usage. I agree with the pronunciation theory. But I also think that at some point, years of not being corrected or not realizing one’s misspelling kick in, and the habit forms. And if a lot of people are misspelling the same word, it’ll be a while before they get corrected or even see their mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/13 "2003-01-17T02:03:14Z")
> [@](#): > > I take it you posted that before you saw my post, Lissa? _hangs head in shame_ Sorry, \*\* samarm. \*\* For some odd reason, I’ve been having a 'puter problem: there’s an inordinately long pause after I post, sometimes up to ten minutes before it moves on to the “Thank You” screen. Forgive me? ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/14 "2003-01-17T02:04:57Z")
Oldie but a goodie: Hukt on foniks wurkt fur me. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/15 "2003-01-17T02:15:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scarlett67 \* > \*\*: tap, tap, tap : Is this thing on? Or am I on everyone’s Ignore list? :dubious: > > Methinks a trip to the dictionary is in order: > > hamster > imply/infer > pore/pour \*\* The only previous instance of “imply” I found in this thread is in your post. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/16 "2003-01-17T02:28:13Z")
That would be because “imply”, like “pore” and “hamster” are the _correct_ usages. Unlike, say “infer”, to take a random example inserted one (1) intentional mipsledding as sacrifice to Gaudere ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/17 "2003-01-17T02:44:39Z")
Man oh man, when I saw this thread I thought it was definitely about me. That word is the bane of my existance. It never ever looks right, and I tremble in fear every time I press submit on a post that contains it. Damn you! Damn you to hell, word! ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/18 "2003-01-17T03:36:08Z")
Hey, my favorite gets 3586 posts… ‘seperate’ In the 4th grade, Mrs. Tubbs taught me that there is always ‘a rat’ in ‘sepARATe’… It haunts me to this day… (almost as bad as never being able to buy a car that is named ‘U R a Bus’ backwards…) ---
**Author:** ![BadBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@BadBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BadBaby)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/19 "2003-01-17T04:15:34Z")
I pronounce it defin-it-ley but am always spelling it definately. Maybe I’m an exception, but I also suspect I’ve internalized some spelling rule or sumpin’. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-it-about-definitely-that-makes-so-many-people-spell-it-wrong/149113/20 "2003-01-17T05:16:49Z")
The one that bugs me is _Ghandi_. Ghandi: 475 Gandhi: 558 Almost fifty-fifty!