# You shouldn't be starting posts on these topics if you can't spell them correctly! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 22, 2010, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296 "2010-03-22T02:45:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/41 "2010-03-23T14:22:14Z")
And just so we don’t have any back-sliding: The President of the United States is Bara **c** k Obama. It’s Liza with a Z, and Barack with a C. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/42 "2010-03-23T16:17:37Z")
Given how often people get accused of hypocrisy on these boards, you’d think folks would be able to spell it. It’s not: hypocracy hypocrasy hippocrasy hipocracy or any of the half-dozen or so other spellings that i’ve seen at various times around here. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/43 "2010-03-23T18:40:23Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Of course. What does that have to do with spelling? It has to do with spelling because you have NEVER SEEN THE WORD “DIEING”. Because it ISN’T A WORD. Generally speaking, one learns to write by reading what other people write. Decent books don’t have fake words in them if it isn’t on purpose. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/44 "2010-03-23T21:13:47Z")
For your enjoyment: [10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling) [How to Use and Apostrophe](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe) [How to Use a Semicolon](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/semicolon) [The Twitter Spelling Test Quiz](http://theoatmeal.com/quiz/twitter_spell) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/45 "2010-03-23T21:17:59Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > [How to Use and Apostrophe](http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe) \ I love how Gaudere always hides in the bushes to jump out and grab you. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/46 "2010-03-23T21:24:10Z")
For some reason, the Firefox spell-check doesn’t check spelling in the title field. I copy and paste my titles in the post field to make sure. (And yes, I know a spellchecker isn’t the be-all and end-all for the problem, but at least I try.) ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/47 "2010-03-23T23:02:21Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > \ I love how Gaudere always hides in the bushes to jump out and grab you. What a bitch! Though I don’t generally get too annoyed at typos and in general, my spelling and grammar suck, so I do tend to be pretty easy-going on things like messageboards, Facebook and chat. When something is official or published, though, then I get annoyed! ---
**Author:** ![JR\_Brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JR\_Brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JR_Brown)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/48 "2010-03-24T22:18:37Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > The drug is **heroin** , not heroine. What freaks me out is the Germans with imperfect English who use “heroin” for “heroine”. Makes for some really _interesting_ plot summaries. ---
**Author:** ![JR\_Brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JR\_Brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JR_Brown)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/49 "2010-03-24T22:20:10Z")
> [@bup](#): > > Not this message board, but **Torte Reform**. I dunno, I’ve definitely had some tortes that required reform… ---
**Author:** ![Cheez\_Whia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@Cheez\_Whia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheez_Whia)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/50 "2010-03-25T04:53:14Z")
Cemetery, not cematary. ---
**Author:** ![\_Undecided\_Adrian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/eada6e/32.png) [@\_Undecided\_Adrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Undecided_Adrian)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/51 "2010-03-25T10:57:07Z")
I tought of another biggie: **ie** and **ei** in words with German roots. It’s W **ie** n and W **ie** ner, as in Vienna. On the other hand, it’s W **ei** mar where Goethe lived. It’s not that difficult, really, since they’re different sounds: V **ee** n and V **ee** ner as opposed to V **y** mar. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/52 "2010-03-25T11:25:36Z")
Hmmph. Let’s see YOU spread yourself out on the floor groveling without the benefit of a special gland! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/53 "2010-03-25T12:31:35Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > Do NOT talk about health care reform if you don’t know how to spell “dying”. DYING. NOT **DIEING.** Jesus Christ, have you never read a book before? Sorry, but the spelling you protest has been enshrined in a classic pop song, [“Mr. Dieingly Sad”](http://www.musesmuse.com/art-terriann-manyseasons.html), by The Critters, which compounds the horror by making “dieing” into an adverb. Or a compound adjective. Or whatever the hell it is. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/54 "2010-03-25T13:48:28Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > It’s **alcohol** , _not_ alchohol or alcholhol. I know that, but I always _want_ to spell it ‘alchohol’ or something like that. Why is that? Also, I don’t have spell check here, and so every time I have to spell ‘necessary’, I have to go to freakin’ research it. ---
**Author:** ![BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BellRungBookShut-CandleSnuffed)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/55 "2010-03-26T05:05:55Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Should be: Anyone else have his or her own favorites? Or just “favorites.” Meh, if it was good enough for The Bard… ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/56 "2010-03-26T15:28:03Z")
Is it really that hard to run your title through Google’s built in spell check? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296/57 "2010-03-29T16:06:06Z")
> [@A Monkey With a Gun](#): > > **Qadgop** , I’d agree with you except that you violated Gaudere’s Law in your OP. No he didn’t. You don’t violate Gaudere’s law any more than you violate the Ideal Gas Law. I may be a grammar nazi with slight prescriptivist tendencies, but I disagree with the OP’s premise here. It’s certainly possible to be an expert in some subject, who deserves to be listened to, but not have a 100% half-Nelson grip on the orthography of English. How about foreign astronomers and physicists, for example? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-shouldnt-be-starting-posts-on-these-topics-if-you-cant-spell-them-correctly/533296.md?page=2)