# You spelled a word wrong! Allow me to point that out to all. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 30, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503 "2003-05-30T12:49:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![StupidSmartAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@StupidSmartAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StupidSmartAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/61 "2003-05-31T01:55:46Z")
I’m very sorry Zette. So very sorry that you suck! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/62 "2003-05-31T02:02:21Z")
and that’s a bad thing because…? ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/63 "2003-05-31T02:09:45Z")
The only time I went out of my way to correct someone’s spelling was IRL, actually. I found a bunch of “erotic” letters that my bf at the time had written to his X girlfriend while we were together. His grammer was really atrocious. So I busted out my trusty red pen, made a bunch of corrections and left them on his windshield. Ah, good times. But I would never dream of doing it on this board. That’s just tacky. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![xcheopis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bc8723/32.png) [@xcheopis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xcheopis)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/64 "2003-05-31T02:10:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by StupidSmartAgain \* > **So very sorry that you suck!** And this is bad… why? ---
**Author:** ![ManDuh003](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@ManDuh003](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ManDuh003)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/65 "2003-05-31T03:07:21Z")
I can’t stand the spelling police who point out which to two too you need in a certain situation. I had a rant which i posted while still in a horrible mood and someone went through and corrected EVERYTHING! That was enough to make my already bad mood into a worse mood! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/66 "2003-05-31T03:11:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\*As another high-ranking official in the Grammar Nazi Party, I still have to agree with the OP. I enjoy the BBQ Pit threads of the type: “I hate it when people do [insert common grammar or spelling error]”, and I have started a few threads myself; but nitpicking people’s posts over minor spelling errors is another matter. It’s rude because you have singled out a _particular person_ for ridicule. Ahem - **Early Out** cough, cough… > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=186690](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=186690) > > Certainly not as rude as the OPs example, but still - was it really necessary? Was there any confusion as to what I meant? And then there’s that exclamation point, as if to say “Gosh, that blowero sure is a dummy - look how he spelled it”.:rolleyes: It really ruins the tone of what was otherwise a very gracious post. \*\* I think what got me in that case, **blowero** , was that the word was spelled correctly _in the thread title_. We are, after all, committed to combatting ignorance, though I agree that there’s certainly no reason to beat it to death with a blunt instrument. (Insert obligatory sly remark about my intellect being a blunt instrument here.) ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/67 "2003-05-31T06:05:32Z")
I remember a few years ago (yes, I go back that far) an esteemed doper (who is a honestly a real sweetie pie so I won’t give his/her name) corrected my spelling in a post. This person said, "Uh, yosemitebabe, you misspelled that word. It’s not “subtle”, it’s “suttle”. (And they were _serious_.) I thought that was funny. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/68 "2003-05-31T06:38:21Z")
Except for the sweetie pie bit and the “suttle, not subtle” bit, **yosemite babe** , I was thinking “okay, now she’s gonna talk about me”😉 [sub]On account of I used to be that person who’d go into a thread and be all like “OH! YOU MISSPELLED A WORD! I’M GONNA TELLLLLL!”[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/69 "2003-05-31T08:20:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > I think what got me in that case, **blowero** , was that the word was spelled correctly _in the thread title_. Is saying that supposed to help? Because the only feeling I get from it is “Gee, blowero is doubly stupid because the word was right there in the thread title”. An apology would have been nice, but I guess all you can muster is more insults.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Kegg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Kegg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kegg)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/70 "2003-05-31T11:12:31Z")
Am I the only one here that admits I can’t spell worth a damm!!! ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/71 "2003-05-31T12:38:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\*Is saying that supposed to help? Because the only feeling I get from it is “Gee, blowero is doubly stupid because the word was right there in the thread title”. An apology would have been nice, but I guess all you can muster is more insults.:rolleyes: \*\* I’m sorry, **blowero** ; I had no idea you were actually insulted by my correction. In fact, in that very thread, we had a little fun with it, several posts down (I particularly liked your last response: “And everybody quite makeing fun of my speling.” Very classy! :D). Actually, poor spelling usually _isn’t_ a sign of stupidity. I’ve known any number of very intelligent people who could look at a word correctly spelled dozens of times, then turn right around and spell it wrong (it happens in threads here all the time). I’ve always found that puzzling. I’m not a great speller, but I usually know when something just looks wrong, and I’ll check it. Somewhere out there, there’s an obscure research paper that explains why, for some folks, the correct spelling never lodges in their neural net, even after repeated exposures. Again, **blowero** , I certainly meant no offense, nor to imply that you were somehow stupid. Come home! All is forgiven! ---
**Author:** ![Kwyjibo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/59ef9b/32.png) [@Kwyjibo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kwyjibo)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/72 "2003-05-31T13:05:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CanvasShoes \* > **…but you don’t appear to be the type that consistantly spells simple words wrong, or constantly makes the same grammatical errors over and over. And that’s not the type of person she/he meant (I think), when she/he said that it’s helpful if you politely point out consistant errors.** Honestly? Ask anyone here who knows me. I am known for screwing up my words… It’s worse when I am in chat. It is very embarrassing. You type what you want to say, and your fingers get it all mucked up. (Being dyslexic doesn’t help either.) ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/73 "2003-05-31T14:08:57Z")
Yeah, the entire point of my thread is: If you know the meaning of the word, assume that the person made a simple mistake. Lack of caffeine, fingers too fast- whatever. Don’t take the time to post NOTHING ELSE to the thread and just point out their spelling error. That’s fucking obnoxious. In fact, I can think of few cases where it ISN’T obnoxious. We’re here to fight ignorance, not grade papers. Get real. A few months ago a posted said something like “When I read these posts I just love to get out my red Sharpie and start correcting.” to which I replied that he should shove his Sharpie up his ass. It’s insulting to have a simple mistake pointed out and corrected in front of a huge group of people. If you don’t think that’s true, you’re probably the kind of person who would do just that. Don’t. It’s rude and condescending. Particularly when you don’t even post about the original thread topic and **just do a drive-by spelling correction** (this time complete with dictionary definition, as if the spelling error were so egregious that they couldn’t make out what the meaning was). That’s just being a fucking prick, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/74 "2003-05-31T14:10:31Z")
oops- I’d better fix that. I meant to write “a poster” and accidently typed “a posted”. Thank God I caught it or the whole meaning would have been different and no one would have known what I meant. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/75 "2003-05-31T14:41:30Z")
The Grammar Police (TGP), just a bunch of whiny bitches. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/76 "2003-06-01T07:50:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Early Out \* > I’m sorry, **blowero** ; I had no idea you were actually insulted by my correction. Actually, I was kind of annoyed. I was just trying not to be too uptight about it in the thread. > [@](#): > > I’m not a great speller, but I usually know when something just looks wrong, and I’ll check it. I actually check spelling all the time, but I stop short of copying the post into another program to spell check it, because it’s a little taxing for the primitive computer I’m using. So once in awhile, something gets by me. That’s why it bugged me when you corrected the spelling of the one word; it’s not like my post was _riddled_ with errors or anything. > [@](#): > > Again, **blowero** , I certainly meant no offense, nor to imply that you were somehow stupid. Come home! All is forgiven! Very gracious of you. I accept your apology. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/77 "2003-06-01T14:57:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by StupidSmartAgain \* > … Hopefully Zenster will pull his head out of his ass for a second and read this thread. > Here’s hoping. Mr. Pot, meet Mr. Kettle. And this jerkoff asshole has the nerve to wonder why he’s so miserable here. ---
**Author:** ![7\_up\_yours](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/7/919ad9/32.png) [@7\_up\_yours](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/7_up_yours)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/78 "2003-06-01T17:47:07Z")
Butt dont u haet it wen poeple spel tings rong? ---
**Author:** ![StupidSmartAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@StupidSmartAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StupidSmartAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/79 "2003-06-01T19:15:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > \*\*Mr. Pot, meet Mr. Kettle. > > And this jerkoff asshole has the nerve to wonder why he’s so miserable here. \*\* Still waiting for a response to my posting of you acting like the grand jackass over a mistake. Tick tock, motherfucker… ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503/80 "2003-06-01T20:26:48Z")
Hey, **SSA** , you miserable little asswipe, you have yet to show where I have ever posted such an egregious (do you even know the definition of that word?) example of something that even remotely resembles **Buck** ’s dictionary based spelling correction. This was requisite for any apology of mine to be issued. Until you do so, _you_ are the one who is in arrears in the apology department. PS: Have you noticed the complete lack of defenders in your MPSIMS thread, you pathetic moderator-leg-humping whiner? Now be a good little needle dicked fucknugget and go pound hot sand up your ass. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-spelled-a-word-wrong-allow-me-to-point-that-out-to-all/178503.md?page=5)