The Lost Art of Spelling

I have a lot of conversations online and something I've noticed as a growing trend is rampant misspelling. This isn't me claiming to be the single best speller on the planet. I do, on occasion, misspell words. Usually, a funny little wobbly red line appears under the incorrect word and I fix the issue. Maybe I have a stick up my ass about spelling. I've certainly been overly attentive of my spelling habits since fifth grade when the only word I missed in spelling class all year was "theater" which I spelled with an "re" instead of an "er". I still maintain that "theatre" is a perfectly acceptable variant (mostly to spite that particular teacher), but that's not the point.
My point is this: use spell check. If you're going to insist on not capitalizing, not using punctuation, and straying from even the most basic rules of English grammar then for the love of your chosen deity use the freaking spell checker. Seriously, I can forgive everything else.
Recently, a rash of email spamming happened in which the author used the word "similar", except that he incorrectly spelled it, "simular". I'm guessing that even though George W. Bush and Sarah Palin say "nookyooler", they don't actually spell it the way they say it. That said, I seriously doubt that the author of the email actually says "simyooler" or "sim-uh-ler" (ok, maybe that second one) in conversation. Thus I can only ask WHAT THE F!
I feel like a nagging bitch, but I have to get this off my chest or I will explode. We do not live in an era of typewriters. Computer keyboards are quick to use, and most kids learn to type in school. In my high school, my class was the last class to learn keyboarding on typewriters in my freshman year. The following year's freshmen learned keyboarding on computers. Oh, how jealous I was of them. How easy to type on a computer keyboard compared to the decades old behemoths of my freshman year. How much simpler to reach 100 wpm on a computer keyboard that didn't fight back when you pushed the keys.
In high school, I recall giggling when my Grandma showed me how my Grandpa had been typing on their computer, jamming each key slowly, one at a time. He almost broke their keyboard. If this were the difficulty we had to endure while typing one might understand an unwillingness to fix each error, but guess what folks - it's not.
Half the time when I misspell a word my fingers have already fixed it by the time my brain registers that something was even wrong. This is how quick and simple fixing a spelling error can be for you. Turn on your spell check. In case you're wondering, in Firefox, "Check my spelling as I type" is an option under Tools, Options, Advanced. Click the box. If you don't understand what your spelling error is, right-click on the misspelled word. Your browser's dictionary may not be of help every single time. I do not find it reliable one hundred percent of the time. If you come up empty, check a dictionary. May I suggest Merriam-Webster?
I'm truly sorry if I sound bitchy or just plain annoying. I'm really not angry at any single person. And again, I'm not perfect. I would be willing to bet that my grammar could stand some overhaul. Nevertheless, when you type, if you still forget capital letters and punctuation (I'm a comma-whore myself), and basic grammar; at least make an attempt to spell words correctly. You will be so much easier to understand.

Tags: misspelling, spelling

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Comment by Gillian on November 13, 2008 at 4:10am: I don't like the full auto-correct, if I'm understanding what you're talking about correctly. I think that's the sort of thing that's different than just putting a wiggly line under a misspelled word. I don't like my words being automatically corrected either. Computers usually aren't fantastic about picking the right word unless it's blatantly obvious.

Comment by Robert on November 12, 2008 at 6:48pm: I give it another 10 years before no one can spell beyond the first couple of letters. Everything I use auto corrects me or gives me the spelling. This really sucks when I have to write stuff on paper, which does not happen often. I am a good speller but I am not as good as I used to be because of these automagic fixers.

Comment by JT on November 12, 2008 at 6:02pm: what?

Comment by Smogsy on November 12, 2008 at 3:09pm: same here beard i use safari spell checker though. i get most correct... but i do like to forget full stops I'm sorry. :(

Comment by The Beard on November 12, 2008 at 2:56pm: i try myself to use correct spelling, i may not have a low spelling level but at least i try and ask the same of others.
i also use google toolbar spell checker but sometime i spell something so wrong that even that cant help me ;)

Comment by Johannes S. on November 12, 2008 at 2:12pm: "Theatre" is the British version, "theater" is the American one.
And to be honest, the person who counts either as a mistake, is, to be honest, an idiot and knows nothing about spelling nor about the differences of English around the world.
(unless under very strict rules for only using American English, which again is totally wrong since these words originated from British English and over time people have forgotten how to spell them and forgotten how to properly speak the language, but that's a different story)

Comment by JT on November 12, 2008 at 12:02pm: I agree with you 100%. I find myself re-reading many a person's Blog just because they have forced me to try to figure out what they were trying to say because of the grammar, punctuations, and mispronunciations that they hear in their own minds.

I'll have to admit that I type faster than my computer can register and because of this I sometimes am at fault myself. For instance I type teh instead of the or my recent discussion that I meant to title "Patriotism is Not Dead in the U.S. Schools" but because I typed fast it was titled "Patiotism is Not Dead in the U.S. Schools". Oh well, my mistake. I just clicked on the Submit Button a little too quickly.

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