# Word Spellings You Hate **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 20, 2009, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-spellings-you-hate/493775 "2009-04-20T20:50:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-spellings-you-hate/493775/101 "2009-04-25T02:41:42Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > its, in the sense of ‘belonging to it’. Why doesn’t it have a possessive apostrophe? The same reason that yours, hers, his, ours, and theirs don’t have apostrophes. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-spellings-you-hate/493775/102 "2009-04-25T04:50:48Z")
> [@palindromemordnilap](#): > > I really hate the whole affect/effect thing. If something affects something else, it has an effect on it, but the words are pronounced the same. So people say, if it’s a verb it’s affect. Except that’s not always true–to effect change, for instance. Here the word has a different meaning, but not that much different. Even people who understand the rules have to really stop and think about it each time and that’s jus tstupid. > > Principal and principle – same rant. Likewise, capitol and capital. The Capitol is located in nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. The dome of Georgia’s capitol, located in the capital, Atlanta, is gilded. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-spellings-you-hate/493775/103 "2009-04-25T10:59:55Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > The same reason that yours, hers, his, ours, and theirs don’t have apostrophes. and the reason is …? ---
**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 25, 2009, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-spellings-you-hate/493775/104 "2009-04-25T13:38:08Z")
> [@](#): > > and the reason is …? Because words like its, yours, his, hers, ours, and mine are all the basic word in question. An apostrophe is used to turn some word that isn’t inherently a possessive into one: Peter’s, Nemo’s, life’s, the universe’s, everything’s, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-spellings-you-hate/493775/105 "2009-04-25T19:53:11Z")
“Bye-laws.” I know it’s British spelling but it just looks _stupid._ “Paedophile.” This isn’t 1850; drop the snooty “ae”. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-spellings-you-hate/493775/106 "2009-04-25T23:44:56Z")
> [@Auntbeast](#): > > Heighth makes me pathological. You’ll find interesting facts about that word in [post=7942272]this post[/post] and others in the thread, including that it’s a common pronunciation in Ireland and “highth” shows up in _Paradise Lost._ ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-spellings-you-hate/493775/107 "2009-04-26T00:03:14Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > and the reason is …? You’re using the word “Reason” referring to the English Language? You might as well be using the word “Logic”. There is none and there ain’t no such relationship. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-spellings-you-hate/493775.md?page=5)