Monday, March 15, 2010

Commonly misspelled words (that drive me nuts)

In college I majored in English. Don’t hold it against me, really. I love reading, and loved literary commentary but I was never really good at it. Don’t get me started on grammar. Thank goodness blogging is a more personal style of writing because following all of the ‘rules’ is really hard for me.

Be that as it is, I am a stickler for spelling. When I was in Junior High we had the “No Excuse Spelling List” and once it was given to us we were responsible for every word on the list in every class, not just Language Arts. These were primarily homophones and other regularly used, and misused, words.

Now that I’ve been writing on the internet for almost 3 years now I see a few spelling mistakes quite often....and quite frankly, they drive me nuts.

  • breath instead of breathe
  • allot or alot instead of a lot (notice, there is a space there)
  • improper use of your and you're
  • improper use of to, too, and two
  • sorted instead of sordid (major meaning difference!)
  • quite instead of quiet
This list is in no way complete, so feel free to add to it in the comments!Headless Mom

23 comments:

AmazingGreis said...

OMG, spelling errors drive me insane! Improper use of:
There, Their, They're

I can't find my blog said...

I can't believe I forgot that one!!!

dusty earth mother said...

My pet peeve is "old fashion" instead of "old-fashioned". But I guess that's more of a phrase mistake than a spelling mistake. Still drives me nuts.

I can't find my blog said...

Oh no...it totally fits!

Melene said...

defantley or some other crazy spelling instead of definitely

I have a relatively that types "will" instead of "well" every time she uses it an email.

The your and you're really get to me, too!
And just how do you spell y'all? or is it ya'll?

Susan said...

The "to"s and "your"s drive me head banging against a wall crazy, too.
(note the correct usage)

Stimey said...

I wish I could think of a good one to add, but you've covered a lot of them. I see a lot of Santa Clause in December, which cracks me up every time—and makes me want to pull my nails out.

I used to be a copy editor, so I notice these things all the time. But I liberally sprinkle extraneous commas in my prose all the time, so I can't really talk. And I start lots of sentences with conjunctions.

Mommy, I'm Home said...

As a professional editor, it takes all the restraint I have not to start editing every blog I read. There are some blogs I can't even visit anymore because they are so full of grammatical mistakes.

I can't find my blog said...

@Melene- It would be "y'all" since it's a contraction of You All.

@Stimey- I know my grammar is horrible but I think that blogging is more forgiving in that area. When I read most posts I read them more 'conversationally' and commas actually help me 'hear' the author's inflections like they would speak it in conversation. And, long live conjunction misuse! FTW!

drlori71 said...

How about principal/principle and stationary/stationery?

Erica M said...

What? No it's and its? Biggest grammar pet peeve ever, and I am the queen of grammar pet peeves.

anymommy said...

Yes! Oh. Many of these drive me insane. And yet I still catch myself typing too fast and making some of them. One I can not seem to get right myself? Lie, lay, laid, lying, laying, etc. I swear it's wrong every time I use it.

Keetha Broyles said...

toss salad (I wanna pick it up and THROW it across the room - - - that's what the menu is TELLING me to do)

mash potatoes - - - what in the WORLD is THAT all about????

two, to, and too - - - come on folks, this ISN'T rocket science.

Keetha Broyles said...

Oh, and I had one friend that always told me she had a great ideal instead of an idea!!!! What in this wide world?????

Cap'n Sam said...

How about "Putt" & "Put" ???

Heather said...

Oooooh, ALL of the above and MORE!!!!
I HATE it when people tack on an apostrophe when they decide to make something plural, i.e. mommy's instead of mommies - completely different meaning, folks!

I also cringe when people write "_____ of" instead of "_______'ve" or "__________ have."

Heather said...

one more, "pacificly" instead of "specifically"

Liz@thisfullhouse said...

What Anonymous said...no, really...wth did he/she say!?!?

Steph said...

HM - Just wanted you to know even though I've not commented lately, I've been reading. I actually spent an evening after going to bed, laying there catching up...LOL

Between you and your commenters, I think you have hit them all that bother me...one in particular is the quite instead of quiet. *sigh*

I'm famous for alot instead of a lot. I know it's wrong but I get to a point typing that I want to just finish so I leave it. LOL - I'll remember that now when typing to you! :)

xoxox

Sugar Jones said...

Those misspellings make me nuts, too. But they REALLY drive me nuts when I make them. Sometimes, I catch myself and promise myself to never blog when I'm tired or hungry or drunk or whatever. Oh well.

kyooty said...

My pet peeve is "fell" I don't "fell" well? really how does one "fell well?" Maybe over on your ankle? or ass over teakettle?? just saying...

Kari said...

I agree...I love that blogging is a more casual style of writing, but the misspellings get to me too. My personal pet peeve is the misuse or non-use of the apostrophe.

Chelsea said...

I used to teach high school English, and it killed me how many kids wrote "should OF" instead of "should HAVE."