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The most misspelled English words!
2

The most misspelled English words!

The most misspelled English words!

(OP)
I have reproduced an interesting article. However I am in doubt about the title if it is misspelt?


http://www.ibnlive.com/news/jlos-first-performance-in-india/9196-13.html

Some of the most words that are misspelled - with the correct and then incorrect versions - are:


1. Strait-laced; straight-laced


2. Fount of knowledge; font of knowledge


3. Just deserts; just desserts


4. Buck naked; butt naked


5. Chaise longue; chaise lounge


6. Free rein; free reign


7. Bated breath; baited breath


8. A shoo-in; a shoe-in


9. To home in on; to hone in on


10. Fazed by; phased by


11. Sleight of hand; slight of hand

RE: The most misspelled English words!

hte - the
fo  - of


By the way, what is wrong with "butt naked"? Doesn't that mean exposed deriere?

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: The most misspelled English words!

A couple of the top-ten seem to be mis-understood phrases more than spelling errors. ie:Buck naked.
Although #9 seems wrong. Honing in on a target won't get you there.

I'll offer:
...for all intensive purposes / ...for all intents and purposes.

...if so, fact so / ... ipso facto

*Without data, you're just another person with an opinion.*

Hydroformer

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Quote:

I am in doubt about the title if it is misspelt?
misspelled or misspelt ... both are correct.

cheers
Helpful SW websites  FAQ559-520
How to get answers to your SW questions  FAQ559-1091

RE: The most misspelled English words!

misspelled is also mispelled alot.

Chris
Systems Analyst, I.S.
SolidWorks Pro 06/PDMWorks 06
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home site (updated 06-21-05)
FAQ559-1100
FAQ559-716

RE: The most misspelled English words!

If you write further when you should have written farther is that mis?pelling or misuse?
yours

RE: The most misspelled English words!


If I interpret my Webster's Collegiate Dictionary correctly I'd say chaise longue and chaise lounge are not only homophonic but are both acceptable and have the same meaning.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

I always thought the first example:Strait-laced, was a wicked play on words from the Victorian era regarding Ladies corsets. as being tied in like a strait i.e. " The straits of Dover." A confining geographical feature.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

loose - lose

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Jimbo votes for "seperate, which should be separate".

Buy a dictionary, keep it nearby and USE it. Webster's New World Dictionary of American English is recommended, and Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

chaise longue is pronounced (roughly) scherz long, rhyming with Hong Kong, chaise lounge is pronounced scherz lownj, rhyming with cow

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

That's a new one on me Greg, I'm gonna have to look up your first example.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

But don't forget, chaise means lounge chair in the first place!  At least it used to, foolish living language.

How about moot point v. mute point?  

I take an American stand however, for Thru.  Through (does NOT rhyme with rough) should be abolished.  Same goes for donuts (conveniently enough rhymes with doughnuts, but not "enough nuts").

RE: The most misspelled English words!

And don't forget "with au-jus sauce".  Is there a special word for a triple redundancy?  

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Big Rio Grande River...

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376

RE: The most misspelled English words!

German panzer tank ...

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Quote:

Same goes for donuts (conveniently enough rhymes with doughnuts, but not "enough nuts").

"Doughnuts" are made from "dough".  What are "donuts" made from?

RE: The most misspelled English words!

do no [don't know]

RE: The most misspelled English words!

The point was to eliminate the spelling of 'dough' entirely.  

And panduru, what does "dew noh" have to do with "don't know"?

Foolish language, this...

RE: The most misspelled English words!

In that case the spelling should be "dohnuts", "doenuts" or even "downuts" so that eaters know they aren't eating "do" (doggy or other).

Ditto plough (US: plow).  How can plow not rhyme with snow in a sensible world?

RE: The most misspelled English words!

nite-lite... is that rite ?

realise - realize
organise - organize
specialise - specialize
etc, etc...

*Without data, you're just another person with an opinion.*

Hydroformer

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Hydroformer--those aren't misspellings.  Those are just UK & US versions.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376

RE: The most misspelled English words!

True, true...

I'm in Canada. I was going to make a point of that and of course that we spell with a Zed rather than a Zee. I have a Zed in my surname and always get questioned when asked by an American to spell my name.

I think the "nite" and "lite" are marketing shorts. Marketeers  probably do the most damage to people's perception of how things are spelled.

*Without data, you're just another person with an opinion.*

Hydroformer

RE: The most misspelled English words!

I was up watching late-night syndicated TV the other day, such high-quality fare as "Stargate: Atlantis".  They have American, Canadian, and Scots characters on the show, and they seem to make a big deal of the "zee" vs. "zed" distinction.

American:  We must find the teebeezee!
Canadian:  Yes!  The teebeezed is very important!  That's what this mission is all aboot!

That sorta thing.  I wonder if it's to meet "Canadian content" requirements for broadcasting the show more freely in Canada.

Hg

Eng-Tips policies:  FAQ731-376

RE: The most misspelled English words!

"fo" and "hte" is just your typing fingers getting ahead of one another - not really spelling mistakes.  Worst that I find is the mix-up of there and their - again, not a spelling mistake, but a grammatical one.  I get messed up many times with -ent vs -ant or -ence vs -ance.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Somting guy - I think "do no" in this context would be pronounced "dough no" (cousin of "dunno").

=====================================
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RE: The most misspelled English words!

German Panzer Tank. Triple Redundancy. That's classic, ashereng.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

@Jabberwocky:
cf: electricpete (4 May 06 21:28)
Hope members will desist from making personal remarks.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

HgTX

"We must find the teebeezee"

I assume you must mean the ZeePeeEmm (ZPM) or Zero Point Module which is an ancient power source (basically a battery).

How sad am I...

conehead

 

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Ussuri--sad indeed, but makes me that much less pathetic by comparison, so you do me a service.

It was sample hypothetical dialogue that I wrote, but that was probably what I meant.  The people with the bows and arrows took it.  Unsporting of them.

Hg

RE: The most misspelled English words!

"ough" must be an awful construction for someone trying to learn english.

Imagine going to bed with a chesty cow. (cough)

A few years back there were an amazing number of cases of people being unable to spell millennium. Even official project put sign up saying "millenium".

Interestingly (or not) I never type "het", always "teh".

"I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go past." Douglas Adams

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Hg

Its a tough life 'out there'.  But you would think the people with machine guns, who travel across solar systems, wouldn't be fazed by bows and arrows...

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Back to the "donuts" thing, if you really want to get into it, it was originally dough naughts, meaning zeros (naughts) made of dough. Nuts are only by request.

Eng-Tips: Help for your job, not for your homework  Read FAQ731-376

RE: The most misspelled English words!

What, the hexagonal ones? They've just been dropped on the floor six times...

----------------------------------
  I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy it...

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Quote (panduru):


@Jabberwocky:
cf: electricpete (4 May 06 21:28)
Hope members will desist from making personal remarks.

Huh?  I must have missed something.  Who made the personal remark? What does cf mean? What does this have to do with me (electricpete)?

On the subject dough naught... makes sense since "all for naught" means all for nothing (zero).

What about 4/0 cable pronounced "four ought"? Where did that "ought" come from?

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RE: The most misspelled English words!


@electricpete:

I was actually thanking you. That post was meant for Jabberwocky ( that's why it started with @Jabberwocky: )

By cf: I meant please refer to:  --  I was drawing his attention to your post of May 04, where you have correctly set out my intended pronunciation and meaning.

Regarding personal remark, I was referring to Foolish language, this... in his post, which I guess could have been avoided.

Thanks again, electricpete.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

"Foolish language, this"  Refered to modern, living English and its almost complete disregard for rules, not to anything particular posted by anybody.  

RE: The most misspelled English words!

==> living English and its almost complete disregard for rules

English doesn't disregard rules.  It's the people who disregard the rules.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

RE: The most misspelled English words!

"i" before "e", except after "c".

It is not a rule if there is/are exection(s).

The english language is full of rules with exceptions. Hence, "disregard" for the rules?

hammer

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: The most misspelled English words!

If English follows rules then what's the pronunciation of "ough"?

Tough (oh)
Though (uff)
Slough (uff or oo)
Bough (ow)
Cough (off)
Through (oo)
Ought (aw)

I can't imagine how hard it would be to learn to spell English.

--------------------
How much do YOU owe?
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
--------------------

RE: The most misspelled English words!

==> If English follows rules then what's the pronunciation of "ough"?
English is not a phonetic language, but that doesn't mean there are no rules.

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

RE: The most misspelled English words!

I still think that if there are exceptions to it, then it is not a rule.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: The most misspelled English words!

==> I still think that if there are exceptions to it, then it is not a rule.

Interesting perspective.  How many rules do you know, about anything, not just English, that do not have exception?

Good Luck
--------------
As a circle of light increases so does the circumference of darkness around it. - Albert Einstein

RE: The most misspelled English words!

My mom: Do as I say or you are getting a "whuppin".

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."   
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

RE: The most misspelled English words!

If a rule is without exceptions, the rule is probably trivial and useless. Rules are there to simplify the complex reality to make it fit in our heads. Because of the complexity, there will always be exceptions. And as long as people are able and free to adopt, modify and invent words and expressions, language will remain an extremely complex and endlessly interesting thing.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

An excellent book of English fun and word play is Dr. Seuss's _The Tough Coughs as He Ploughs the Dough_ (edited by Richard Marshall)

It's a collection of the good doctor's early essays, articles, and cartoons.  Good stuff.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Laws (of physics etc) do not have exceptions.  Rules are man-made and at best, currently agreed guidelines.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

I've added this one with details in "Redneck Engineering Terminology" forum due to it's southern origins, but thought you folks might appreciate

metalergical

"If A equals success, then the formula is: A = X + Y + Z, X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut."
-- by Albert Einstein

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Quote:

And don't forget "with au-jus sauce".  Is there a special word for a triple redundancy?

That has always bugged me!  I've tried to question, but I'm not allowed in the presence of my husband or father-in-law.  (Their family has been in the restaurant for generations and obviously know what they're talking about.

RE: The most misspelled English words!

Wow...I can't type.  I biffed "restaurant business" and I missed the end parenthesis.

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