Fix Your Spelling

June 5, 2006
By HR Whatnot Staff

Like it or not, poor spelling reflects poorly upon you. You may think it says you are a busy executive or a nonconformist or a creative individualist. What it says to your readers is that you are lazy, sloppy, stupid, or at minimum, disrespectful of your audience. The result is you lose credibility with your audience before you get to what you want to say. If that is your intent, then you can ignore this article. Spelling is like manners or hygiene. When it is done correctly, no one notices, but when it is done poorly, it is painfully obvious to everyone in the room - except maybe to the perpetrator.

The point of writing is to convey your thoughts to your audience. It is like a job interview. You want all the little things done right so the interviewer focuses on you and your suitability for the job, instead of focusing on your loud tie or mud-caked shoes.

You can improve your spelling with a little effort and a little practice by following these six simple steps.

1. Look It Up, Don't Guess

Get a dictionary and put it on your desk. Bookmark dictionary.com. Make these references easy to use by keeping them at your fingertips. Use them when you are not sure. Do not guess. Most spelling mistakes are from guessing. This also applies to words whose meanings you are not sure of. Using words you are not familiar with incorrectly conveys an extra set of negatives to your readers beyond those mentioned earlier. Your audience will think you are showing off or being pompous as well as not knowing what you are talking about.

2. Keep A Cheat Sheet

Keep a list on your desk (or an open file on your computer) of your problem words. When you need to use that word again, a simple glance to your cheat sheet and you know you have it spelled correctly.

3. Turn Off Auto-Correct

You will never learn how to spell correctly if you have the computer do it for you. The big problem with relying on the auto correct is the one time you don't have it and you send out something that makes you look illiterate. Another problem is that it won't pick up correctly spelled but wrong words, like loose for lose. Yet another problem is that it may insert wrong words without you knowing.

4. Check Your Work

Once you have finished writing, read it through to check for spelling and grammatical mistakes that slipped through. After you have finished writing and are satisfied that all your thoughts and spellings are in order, now is the time to use your favorite spell-checker. But don't just use it and forget about it. Make note of your mistakes and add any that keep recurring to your cheat sheet, so you won't miss them next time.

5. Review The Basic Spelling Rules

There are a few basic spelling rules that once memorized, will help you with your spelling. If you didn't learn them before, now is your chance. If you did and forgot them, here's your chance to review and re-memorize them.

6. Write It Correctly Three Times

When you find a spelling mistake, correct it and then write it three times correctly. This reinforces the correct spelling so that the next time you need that word, both your memory and your body will remember how to spell it correctly. This also works well for new definitions. When you learn a new word, write it three times in your own sentences. The act of creating your own sentences and writing it will help store the meaning and spelling into your long term memory.

Simple Spelling Rules

1. I before E

Most people learned this rule. If you've forgotten it, what it means is words with the long e sound are almost always spelled ie except as noted in the poem (and a few others).

Use i before e when sounded as ee,
Except after c,
Or when sounded like a,
As in neighbor and weigh.¹

or the extended version:

And except seize and seizure,
And also leisure,
Weird, height, and either,
Forfeit and neither.²

2. Suffixes and Silent E

Drop the silent e before adding suffixes beginning with a vowel.¹

Example: Taste drops the e for tasty, tasting, taster. Write changes to writing, decide changes to decider.

Keep the silent e before suffixes beginning with a consonant.¹

Complete becomes completely, care becomes careful and careless.

These rules cover most cases, but there are some exceptions.

Words ending in ce or ge keep the e when adding the suffix to maintain the soft c or g sound, except when the suffix starts with i.¹²

Example: Trace becomes traceable with the e but also tracing without the e. Change becomes changeable but also changing.

3. Suffixes and Doubling Consonants

There are two rules here. The first covers single syllable words and the second covers multisyllabic words.

A single syllable ending in a single vowel followed by a single consonant doubles the consonant.

Example: Run becomes running and runner but seek becomes seeking and seeker.

Multisyllabic words double the ending consonant when the pronunciation is stressed on the final syllable of the root.³

For example: Prefer becomes preferred and preferring because the emphasis is on the second syllable. Prefer becomes preference and preferable because the emphasis is on the first syllable.

4. Prefixes

Prefixes never change the spelling of the root word.³

For example, disagree and dissatisfied. The roots are the same before and after: agree and satisfied.

Common Mistakes

Misspellings and Misused Sound-Alike Words

1.	it's its	It's means it is, its means owned by it. If you can replace it's with it is, then the apostrophe stays, otherwise it goes. The dog chased its tail. (The dog chased it is tail? - No) It's my dog. (It is my dog? Yes)
2.	loose lose	Loose is an adjective that means slack or a verb that means set free. Lose is a verb that means misplace. Loose change, set the dogs loose. Lose my dog and lose my mind.
3.	choose chose	Choose is present tense, chose is past tense. Please judge, choose my dog. The judge chose my dog as the winner.
4.	there their they're	There is a direction, their is owned by them, they're means they are. My dog is over there. My neighbors have their own dog. They're fighting with each other.
5.	affect effect	Affect is the verb, effect is the noun. My dog affects my mood. The effect is happiness.
6.	a lot all right	These are both commonly misspelled as alot and alright. Just remember "alright is all wrong" and "two is a lot, one is not".
7.	ridiculous	Commonly misspelled as rediculous. Remember "no red in ridiculous".
8.	to too	To is the direction, toward. Too is more than or also. Come to me, puppy. My dog is too happy. She is friendly too.
9.	I me myself	Use I when it is the subject of a verb (or implied verb). Use me when it is the object of the action. Use myself when you are emphasizing yourself. Fido runs faster than I. Fido runs faster than I run. Fido and I played Frisbee. Fido jumped up on me. The lady scolded Fido and me for roughhousing. I caught it myself.
10.	who whom	Use who except when preceded by to or for (which can be implied). To whom did the dog run? Whom did the dog run to? For whom did the dog fetch the stick? Whom did the dog fetch the stick for? Who did the dog bite?
11.	should have would have	Commonly misspelled as should of and would of (which are incorrect), because they sound like should've and would've. I should have kept the leash on. She would have stayed in the yard.
12.	irregardless	This is not a word. It should be regardless. My puppy digs in the trash regardless of the consequences.

Misused Words

These are words that are spelled correctly but frequently used incorrectly.

1.	ironic	This is probably one of the most misused words on the internet. Ironic means sarcastic or opposite what is expected. It does not mean coincidental or improbable. It is ironic that the anti-corruption task force was shut down due to corruption. Here is an example from the American Heritage Dictionary on irony: madness, an ironic fate for such a clear thinker. The Guardian newspaper wrote a story on the misuse of irony.
2.	literally	Literally means actually or really. Most people use it for emphasis instead of using figuratively. "I literally jumped out of my skin," is incorrect unless I actually did exit my skin. A wolf caught in a leg trap will literally chew his leg off to escape. My dog, on the other hand will not literally chew his tail off. Slate wrote a piece on the misuse of literally. Here is a blog dedicated to tracking the misuse of literally.
3.	different from different than	The correct usage is different from because things differ from each other.⁴ My dog is different from the rest. The exception is when you are describing the degree of difference: My dog is more different than your dog (is different).
4.	fortuitous	It means happening by accident or chance. It does not mean fortunate or lucky.
5.	enormity	It means monstrously wicked or evil. It does not mean huge. Enormousness or immensity should be used instead.
6.	nauseous	It means sickening or causing nausea. It does not mean feeling sick. Nauseated is the correct word to use for feeling sick. If you say "I am nauseous," it means "I am sickening." If you are sickening to others, then fine, otherwise say you are nauseated.

Bankrupt Expressions

A bankrupt expression is a word or phrase that adds no meaning to the sentence. They are worthless words and should be removed from your speech and your writing. These are similar to clichés in that they are overused expressions. Where they differ is that they add no real meaning.

1.	At the end of the day	This has been overused on just about every episode of Trump's Apprentice show. It means the final results. Similar tired expressions include: "In the final analysis" and "when all is said and done."
2.	In point of fact	This doesn't really mean anything other than wait for what I am going to say. Similar expressions are "if truth be told," "the truth is," and "the fact is."
3.	For all intents and purposes	This means mostly, which is a more descriptive, more understandable, and a better choice of phrase. Just remember that mostly is better than all intense sand porpoises.

Add Your Own Misspellings, Misused, and Bankrupt Expressions

What words do you come across in your reading that are misspelled or misused? What clichés or bankrupt expressions do you hear or read way too often? Enter them below.

Readers' Choices
separate	I used to get this one wrong spelling it incorrectly as "seperate." Someone reminded me that it is sep A rate and I've spelled it correctly since then. Mandy P. Tue Jun 06, 2006
commitment	I always have to double check if I am spelling this one properly. Wed Jun 07, 2006
quick vs quickly	Quickly is the adverb. If you are describing an action, you have to use quickly. Example I run quickly. Wed Jun 07, 2006
good or well	Good is an adjective. Well is an adverb. Use well when describing an action. He threw the ball well. He is a good ball player. Wed Jun 07, 2006
Good or Well part 2	How do you feel? I feel good. If I feel well, that means I'm good at the act of feeling. Lance Thu Jun 08, 2006
I could care less	"I couldn't care less" is the proper phrase. If you could care less, then you must care at least a little. Amy Mon Jun 12, 2006
playwright	Playwright and playwriter are both right, but playwrite is wrong. See Ghoti section below. Wed Oct 04, 2006

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Correct usage and/or examples

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Ghoti Spells Fish

Playwright George Bernard Shaw is attributed with this creative way of spelling fish using the strangest english spelling rules imaginable.

"gh" pronounced as in laugh
"o" as in women
"ti" as in nation

Another pronunciation for Ghoti is silence.

"gh" pronounced as in night
"o" as in people
"t" as in ballet
"i" as in business

The wikipedia covers several other creatively spelled words.

References and Further Reading

The Elements Of Style

One of the best books to improve your writing is a very short book that has been around since 1959. It is a quick read that covers grammar, spelling and writing style.

Spelling for the Millions

link	Spelling for the Millions - By Endna L. Furness

Spelling Made Simple

Spelling Made Simple
by Steven V. Ross, Sheila Henderson

The Art of Spelling

The Art of Spelling: The Madness and the Method
by Marilyn Vos Savant

Notes

1. See Spelling Made Simple for more information.
2. See Spelling for the Millions for more information.
3. See The Art of Spelling for more information.
4. See The Elements of Style, page 44.

Comments (subject to review)

Beware relying on dictionary.com for your spelling. That site lists many misspelled words as non-standard, instead of wrong. For example, dictionary.com lists "alright" as non-standard with two definitions. It should be listing it as not found with suggestions to "all right" like they do with other common misspelled words.
dictionarydotcomiswrong Mon Jul 03, 2006

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