# Words that always seem spelled wrong **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 19, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572 "2011-07-19T13:06:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/1 "2011-07-19T13:06:25Z")
As in, you spell it right and yet you still have to check because you can’t quite believe it’s really spelled that way. -vacuum ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/2 "2011-07-19T13:13:51Z")
cantaloupe restaurant ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/3 "2011-07-19T13:17:42Z")
Collectible ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/4 "2011-07-19T13:22:52Z")
Just thought of another one, separate. ---
**Author:** ![Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Speak\_to\_me\_Maddie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speak_to_me_Maddie)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/5 "2011-07-19T13:34:15Z")
applause - always read like applesauce to me on first glance. lose/loose - because of the constant misuse of these two whenever I see either used correctly I still automatically think it is wrong ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/6 "2011-07-19T13:39:59Z")
Rhythm. Odyssey. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/7 "2011-07-19T13:43:21Z")
“wrong”. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/8 "2011-07-19T13:43:42Z")
proselytize versitile ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/9 "2011-07-19T14:07:07Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > proselytize > versitile Versatile, you mean? ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/10 "2011-07-19T14:09:14Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > Versatile, you mean? Still doesn’t look right to me. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/11 "2011-07-19T14:12:24Z")
Bureaucracy. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/12 "2011-07-19T14:30:22Z")
canceled ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/13 "2011-07-19T14:38:50Z")
peculiar ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/14 "2011-07-19T14:45:45Z")
All of the “-ceive” words: conceive, deceive, perceive, receive, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Staggerlee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/staggerlee/32/3134_2.png) [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/15 "2011-07-19T14:56:33Z")
> [@whitetho](#): > > canceled It’s spelt ‘cancelled’ in my (British) dictionary. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/16 "2011-07-19T15:03:07Z")
After just posting in the NCLB thread, “privatize.” That just don’t look right. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/17 "2011-07-19T15:33:14Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > “wrong”. You spelled that wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/18 "2011-07-19T18:32:58Z")
acquaintance (hate the “cq” combo) refrigerator (why isn’t it refridgerator??) dachschund? fuck me, I’m not even sure if that’s right ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/19 "2011-07-19T18:34:53Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > You spelled that wrong. So did you. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572/20 "2011-07-19T18:56:03Z")
Hawaii - too many vowels at the end. lieutenant - I can rarely get that one close enough for spell check to have a chance at it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-always-seem-spelled-wrong/589572.md?page=2)