# Words that need a spelling change **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 4, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432 "2006-01-04T18:39:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/21 "2006-01-04T22:50:43Z")
The whole damn French language. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/22 "2006-01-04T22:53:48Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > All words under that damned “i before e” bullshit. So _“I before E, except after C, when the sound is long E”_ becomes _“I before E, except after C, when the sound is long E, is now written double-E”_? Wonderful improvement 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/23 "2006-01-04T22:57:33Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Skwirl, please! I prefer the spelling “tree rat”, myself. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/24 "2006-01-04T23:05:24Z")
How about “Pasgetti”? ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2006, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/25 "2006-01-04T23:43:49Z")
Awkward. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/26 "2006-01-05T00:49:02Z")
Banana is a tough word. I never know when to stop. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/27 "2006-01-05T00:50:29Z")
I would like to change the spelling of “sub” to “bus”. Failing that, I would like to have a dollar for every time I type End Bus in a Visual Basic program. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Blonde\_Bomber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@The\_Blonde\_Bomber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Blonde_Bomber)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/28 "2006-01-05T01:03:46Z")
niggardly BAD WORD! GO TO YOUR ROOM! I’ll leave now. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/29 "2006-01-05T01:08:53Z")
> [@Bippy the Beardless](#): > > I thought quay was pronounced kway. If you’re in in Torquay, England, it’s not. It is if you’re in Torquay, Saskatchewan (pronounced Tor-kway). Of course, the town of Ceylon is pronounced CEE-lon here rather than Say-LON. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/30 "2006-01-05T02:47:06Z")
Listen Whenever I spell it say “list-en” in my head. I’ve done this for as long as I can remember. Damnit, it would be “lisen.” Lisen. So much better. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/31 "2006-01-05T02:51:38Z")
Werd. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/32 "2006-01-05T03:08:21Z")
offen ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/33 "2006-01-05T03:25:19Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > So > > _“I before E, except after C, when the sound is long E”_ > > becomes > > _“I before E, except after C, when the sound is long E, is now written double-E”_? > Wonderful improvement 😛 You aren’t helping. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![silk1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@silk1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silk1976)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/34 "2006-01-05T14:59:29Z")
oh oh! I have a few. Names of towns/cities in Massachusetts - Worcester. I can’t even think of a funetik way to spell is because the english language doesn’t have the O with the two dots over it. The closest I can come is ‘woster’ (just imagine the o having two dots over it, sounding kinda like a mix between a long and short ‘u’ sound). It’s always funny to hear someone from out of state say ‘then we go to… warchester?’. Leicester. Pronounced like ‘Lester’, not ‘lie-chester’. Gloucester. Pronounced ‘glosster’ - but my dad still pronounces it ‘gl-owster’ ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/35 "2006-01-05T15:51:20Z")
[qwuote]oh oh! I have a few. Names of towns/cities in Massachusetts - Worcester. I can’t even think of a funetik way to spell is because the english language doesn’t have the O with the two dots over it. The closest I can come is ‘woster’ (just imagine the o having two dots over it, sounding kinda like a mix between a long and short ‘u’ sound). It’s always funny to hear someone from out of state say ‘then we go to… warchester?’. Leicester. Pronounced like ‘Lester’, not ‘lie-chester’. Gloucester. Pronounced ‘glosster’ - but my dad still pronounces it ‘gl-owster’ [/quote] You clearly haven’t been here long enough. _True_ Bay Staters will use the Principle of the Disappearing final ‘R’" and pronounce these as “Woostah”, “Less-tah” and “Gloss-tah”\* And don’t forget “Pee’b-dee” for “Peabody”, “Chahlston” for “Charlestown” and “Meffah” for “Medford”. A lot of states probably have these. New York has “Nun-Day” for “Nunda” and “Chy-Lie” for “Chili”. utah has “Spanish Fark” for “Spanish Fork”. - The R’s thus saved are then applied to the ends of words deficient in R’s, like “Pizza” (“Pete-zer”) and “saw” (“Sawr”) ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/36 "2006-01-05T16:06:41Z")
Riddem. I’m a musician who’s obsessed with rhyhtihthym (sp?) and am given to writing long rants about how important it is to my kind of music and I always have to either look it up or get it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/37 "2006-01-05T16:30:03Z")
Why does a U have to follow the Q? Can’t the letter Q stand on its own? I don’t see anything wrong with writing words such as qick, qiet, qality, etc. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/38 "2006-01-05T17:09:43Z")
> [@dwc1970](#): > > Why does a U have to follow the Q? Can’t the letter Q stand on its own? I don’t see anything wrong with writing words such as qick, qiet, qality, etc. That was all explained in the Letter People stories. Miss U helps keep Mr Q from quivering, or something like that. Or maybe she causes it. I don’t remember too well. I do remember that he wasn’t the only consonant she was seeing. I would like \*\*Separate \*\* to be spelled **Seperate** as a verb, and **Seprate** as an adjective. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/39 "2006-01-05T17:24:43Z")
Tho, altho, and thru. You can have nite, alright (why not alrite?), thoro, brot, etc. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2006, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432/40 "2006-01-05T17:58:03Z")
Vacuum–make it vacum and be done. Recommend–why two m’s? Same with accomodate–oh, wait a sec… All that British nonsense–oesophagus, oedema–lose the o, folks! We did and look who’s the remaining super-power! wrench-why not rench? lose that unspoken w. refridgerator–lose the d. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-need-a-spelling-change/338432.md?page=3)