# Words that you've heard, but never used in your writing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youve-heard-but-never-used-in-your-writing/996584>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 24, 2024, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youve-heard-but-never-used-in-your-writing/996584 "2024-01-24T07:44:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2024, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youve-heard-but-never-used-in-your-writing/996584/1 "2024-01-24T07:44:38Z")

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Doing (yet another) word puzzle today, I came across the word SQUAWK. And I had no idea how to spell it, because I’ve never used the word before except in speech! It flummoxed me for a git, but thank you google for enlightening me. 😛

Any similar?

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**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\
**Post date:** [January 24, 2024, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-youve-heard-but-never-used-in-your-writing/996584/2 "2024-01-24T15:56:20Z")

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Nearly always the other way around: I’m speaking out loud, a word I’ve read (and written) before is part of the next sentence I’m constructing in my head and when I get to it I realize I don’t know how it’s pronounced.

(Yeesh, do I say guest-cherr or jest-cherr?? Goddammit I hate to sound ignorant…)