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Are there words you can’t spell correctly ~ ever? I’m fairly bright (You, in the back, quit sniggering . . .), but I stumble over some words every time.
Here is a short list of words I type and then thank GAWD for spell check . . .
Defanate. Oops . . .Definite.
Cureous. Damn . . . Curious.
Naueseous. Wrong-O . . . Nauseous
Especically. Where did you say you went to college? . . . Especially.
The bird form of me. Gosh, I look good in red. American Robin — Humber Bay Park (East) (Toronto, Canada) — 2005, by User:Mdf (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
How about this one . . . I often type my name as Rboin. You would think I would get it right after all these years.
What are your bugaboo words? Or am I the only one with this problem?
Robin Coyle 
I can never spell guarantee.
I always spell it gurentee or some variation of it
Good one. Gureentee . . .er . . . garentee . . . er guarantee trips me up too.
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I had to struggle just looking up how to correctly spell “rhythm”. Not only can I not dance, I’m even a clod when trying to simply spell the word for moving to a beat.
Rhythm stops me every time too. And rhyme. Too many consonants!
Many decades ago I applied for a position as Editor of the Texas A&M University NMR Newsleter. There would be some typing involved so I had to take a typing test. I typed 151 words per minute over a 5-minute test with just one error. I misspelled my name on the very first line. I typed Russle instead of Russel.
Ooops. “Newsletter” instead of “Newsleter.”…………lol
I shall call you Russie from now on. I like it!
Robin, I’m with Le Clown, there is practically not one word in the English Dictionary I can spell right, all the time. I have to break them apart like a 2nd grader, example: separate…. easy, now that I’ve learned to say it like a Spaniard Se-para-te. Or Mosquitos! Brats in life and on paper! I have been dyslexic for so long I have retrained my brain to memorize some words like curious, or especially (I had to learn how to spell “special” and especially became a whole lot easier! A word I currently need to memorize: Necessary (I had to spell check it again now!)
Best, KL
Too many “c-s” (well only one) and “s-s” in neccesary. I mean necessary. Right? New one for my list . . . “sergeant.” I can’t spell the word to save my soul.
Are you really dyslexic? Another hard word to spell.
Yes, I’m really dyslexic, to me writing is the ultimate challenge — reading used to be. My big brother, found pity for me when I was about thirteen and could not read “Wind and the Willows” to save my life! After his all his work, many months and months, a sore brain and sore eyes, I finally read “The Sword of Shannara” while my brother stepped me through nearly every page. I read the sequel after, in only three days. Thank God For Wonderful Brothers!
I am impressed by how you overcame your dyslexia. Such tenacity! What a wonderful brother you have for helping you. He is equally impressive. I’m not familiar with “The Sword of Shannara.” Do you recommend the book? You must, since you read the sequel in three days . . .
The “Sword” is a copy of Lord of the Rings, but Terry Brooks Is a witty author. My son loves him now, reading everything the man writes. My son is better read at 15 than I will ever be, so reading to him endlessly as a child, paid off 😉
I love the fact that ‘Schwarzenegger’ is in the Microsoft words spell check 🙂
How funny.
I live in California and there is no way I can spell Schwarzen-whatever correctly.
You’d think after all these years I’d be able to spell my hubby’s name…..
When I text my friend he’s often referred to as “Rib” or “Ron” when his name is Rob lol. It’s got to the stage where she doesn’t even correct me, just knows who I mean lol
Xx
Tell Rib I say hello.
LMAO 😉
Xx
I love spell checker on Word, but it makes me so lazy sometimes! ‘Embarrassed’ and ‘banana’ are ones that I always have to pause to remember how to spell!
Akin to embarrassed is harrassed. See, can’t spell the word. Harassed. That’s more like it! I misspelled banana in my daughter’s baby book. I made a big mess trying to fix it. Now it looks like mushed banana on the page. That was 25 years ago! See how the error stuck with me like a knife in my chest?
I’m sure someone has already said this, but conscious! I wait for spell check to correct it. And conscience. Ugh
No! Conscience and conscious haven’t been mentioned. How did I not put them on my list! Ugh, indeed.
Wow! Can’t believe they weren’t on there. They are my nemesis’. There’s another one…
As in the word “there?”
I’m laughing. I can’t believe conscious and conscience were not on the list… 🙂
I’m laughing. I can’t believe conscious and conscience were not on the list… 🙂 And the word nemesis’ plural
I think its safe to say, we all know I spell words wrong! I’ve done it so many times on my blog… Who can forget when I spelled ladder – latter, or the time I had to many s’s in lose and not enough r’s in scarred.
Did I inspire this post Robin?
No dear, you did not inspire the post. My terrible typing and bugaboo words did. I think we should make a pack. If we see typos on each other’s posts, we quietly email each other. Deal?
Deal
Hi, Robin,
Mine is expecially, and excape, and any other words starting with es… I know it’s not write when I do it, but I can’t stop. I’m not sure why — I never used that kind of errant pronunciation as a kid.
That is funny. I wonder why too.
The whole I before E business still makes men ill.
Especially true because “weird” breaks that rule.
Their or thier – I swear someone changes the spelling every time I learn it…
As my friend Russel Ray says, “There, their, they’re.”
My spelling is not too bad but who knows…the computer does it for me these days before I’ve even noticed it’s wrong!!!
Thank goodness for spell check and autocorrect, right?
I keep forgetting the keystroke that puts that little accent over the “e.” Does that count?
Sure it counts. But we Yanks don’t have much call for the accent thing-y
Well, we must have some call for it. I am from New Jersey, after all.
I find my fingers type faster than my brain thinks sometimes. And, btw, I was NOT the one sniggering back here. 😉
I saw you sniggering. Not nice, Lori.
I always mistype the and have to fix it – so of course, the one time I want to mistype it, I don’t. teh.
I can never spell paracetomol or diahrea. Just as well, really.
I type “the” “t he” ALL T HE TIME!
I never misspell parac-whatever-omol. Diarhea . . .er, diarrhea is a stopper.
Nope! It’s only you. The rest of us are perfect 🙂
Sigh. I was afraid that would be true.
Sincerely does it for me. I am still not sure if this looks right without a spellcheck. Maybe I just have an allergy to formality in letter writing and its not the word at all …
Phew . . . finally a word that doesn’t give me trouble!
I always write “separate” as “seperate”. I can never get a hang of where the a’s and the e’s are supposed to go!
Yup . . . separate is on my list too.
My spelling is fine. My typign is atrocious 😉
Yes! Typing hangs me up. Why does my brain say the word “by,” but my fingers type “buy?”
You hit mine – definitely. I always want to spell it ‘definetely’
I like to type definitely as “definately. Oh brother.
Sure I have to look up words all the time but what I don’t understand is sometimes–and I mean sometimes–I’ll type a slew of phonetically spelled words. They’re not typos, they’re spelled–what I said above. I’ve no idea why or how…I feel my fingers are doing the thinking not my brain. Odd.
My brain is often out of sync with my fingers . . . or visa versa.
I keep a spelling dictionary on my desk, mainly because all words trip me up at one time or another. 😉
You don’t look words up on-line? I do, but won’t part with my (now antique like me) college dictionary.
I use both online and print depending on whatever is closest at hand!
For someone who won the 8th grade spelling bee, I should be a darn good speller–but since having children I have lost my touch. Sad, but true. Still, my spelling is better than average, but I have to see it written to know if I spelled it right. Sometimes in my head I just can’t be sure. But many words already mentioned are ones that I have stumbled over.
Why is it we can stop typos is other’s writing, but have a hard time ferreting them out in our own?
Good for you Ms. Blue Ribbon Winner!
Business…I battle it every time.
Do you put an extra “s” in the middle?
Hors’ doerve–whatever–appetizer or munchie!
You will appreciate this Ms. Horse Ranch Owner . . . my friend says they are “Horse Ovaries.” How unappetizing is that!?!
Athletes 😀
Ha ha! I love inside jokes.
I’m definitely a good speller most of the time, but double consonants always make me doubt myself. I can’t number how many times I’ve misspelled ‘recommendation’ or ‘possession.’
Double consonants is a theme here!
I am pretty good at spelling as well, and usually can “see” when my stickler word is spelled wrong, but for the life of me, don’t know how to fix it!
You are not alone. I have given up on a few, shortening them for daily ease. You should def do the same.
I also suffer from spoonerisms- which can be quite funny at times.
What are spoonerisms, pray tell? Ooh ~ How Shakespearean of moi!
Best way to explain a spoonerism is with an example, and the best example is from the dictionary. Instead of saying crushing blow, one would say blushing crow.
Thinking of that in a sentence; and with one final blushing crow the opponent dropped to the floor.
Gashing smood point.
I’m a good speller, but there are some words that will trip me up. Inocous, er innocuous, there it is! More of my husband’s are coming to mind for some reason: cheif, seperate, cemetary (all spelled incorrectly there). . . .
Unfortunately, my fingers can’t always keep up on the keyboard, so even when I do know how to spell a word, it can come out wrong on the page.
My brain works faster than my fingers for sure. But there are still words that stop me. Here’s one . . . If I am putting a letter into the mail, did I put my notes in an envelop or envelope? I need to look it up every time. Reminds me of “tomato” and “tomahto.”
or potatoe? 😉
Let’s call the whole thing off.
Ok, that song is now stuck in my head.
For me it’s ‘separate’, I always want to spell it ‘seperate’. Funnily enough, I just had that word in my blog post I did a few hours ago and had to pause and make sure I had it right, so it made me smile when your post came in shortly after! I probably have others too but none that immediately spring to mind.
Yes! Separate is on my list too. When I wrote this post last night, I could come up with only a few. The comments are reminding me of many more I stumble over. Perhaps we are writers, not spellers.
I cannot spell the word recommend to save my life. I spelled it correctly there because I looked it up. I always put too many Cs, or not enough Ms. Sometimes I even throw in some extra Ns for style.
Funny. How are you with “accommodate?” That trips me up. All those “c’s” and “m’s.” I read somewhere that it is the most frequently misspelled word.
Ack, yes. Anything with multiple Cs and Ms is evil incarnate.
Exactly!
committment…comittment….commitment… is my worst, plus the same typo over andf over again- hotspital… it’s tyhe typing that defeats me after all these years..not
spelling – as you see!
I was lucky enough to have a cruel stepmother who, whern I was nine years old used to make me spell words like phlegm and diarrhoea. diaphragm – and lest you think sdhe had a mdeical addcition, there was always delphinium and rhododendron..
‘ve left the typos in!
It was a great comfort to learn that most people can understand words if you only put the beginning and end of the word!
Great typos here! Have you seen the paragraph where almost all (or maybe all) of the words are misspelled? You can read the entire passage without pause. Was your step mom a hypochondriac? Oh geez . . . I had to spell check that one!
I was not the best speller growing up although I wrote all the time. I had to spend extra time studying to spell words. The e before i words used to present a stumbling block. Great post!
And isn’t it weird that the word weird breaks the “i” before “e” rule?
I essentially cured myself of being a dyslexic kid so at times I will get letters around the wrong way.
Drugs are a problem at times. There is no consistency with pharmaceutical names and I get the i and e around the wrong way and am never sure if the a is suppose to be an e.
The rule of ance or ence!!!!! I never worked that one out.
When you mentioned drugs, I jumped to the conclusion of your use of drugs! Forgive me. I can’t imagine how you doctors spell and even remember all the drug names. Heck, I have a hard time spelling “pharmaceutical.”
LOL. I really should elaborate when using the word drug.
I also wondered if your reference was to pain meds after your surgery . . .
I only took them for a few days. I found the surgery pain so much less than the original pain that I didn’t need them 🙂 I’m a gold medal patient
Fantastic! And you are already at the end of week 2 of your recovery.
Time has flown, you’re right. 2 weeks today.
my right hand types faster than my left – that is what I blame when a word is miselpled and I am sticking to it
I have the same porblme. I mean problem.
ha ha
It’s not just you, Robin. I transpose letters in my name all the time. You’d think we’d be able to spell our names correctly by now, right? “Possibility” is a word I spell wrong a lot. There are others but I can’t think of them at the moment. I’m sure I’ll type one wrong and be reminded fairly soon.
Ooh, ooh, ooh. Your mention of “possibility” reminded me of another word that stumbles me. “Proabaly. I mean, “probably.”
Oh! Another one: “because.” I ALWAYS spell it “becuase.”
A case of brain faster than your fingers, I’m sure!
Madame Weebles,
“…the…” That’s priceless. And I may have to borrow that line.
Le Clown
Your impression of me is getting better, Le Clown, but I don’t usually use the word “priceless.”
Madame Weebles,
Thank you,
Le Clown
Now, now children. Let’s play nicely. However, you do crack me up!
Clever you. You win this round, Le Clown.
Robin,
It would be too easy to enumerate the words I misspell. So instead, how about I tell you about my annoying habit of typing two capital letters when I sign my name on comments. 95% of the time.
Le CLown
Well then, LLeClown, how about if you give us a list of the words you do know how to spell? Sorry, you set yourself up for that!
Yours,
Rboin
Robin,
I know how to write suck it… And not in its sexual connotation…
Le Clown
Let’s not get testy.
Robin,
But… But… Ok. [Because it’s you].
Le Clown
I used to not be able to spell definitely! But I made myself learn! 😀 Incorperated…(is that rate? I’m trying to learn that one too….) oh, yes, and of course there is my name too! I get distracted in class, so sometimes my name looks like Natatalie. Then I relize that my parents named me normally! 🙂
~Natatalie (I did that one on purpuse! 😉 )
Natatalie has a lovely musical lilt to it! Keep it~
All right. I’ll tell my parents to change my birth certifacate 😀 (I didn’t spell that right, did I? xD) 😉
~Natat (new nickname :p Not really…)
Dear Natat,
I like the nickname.
Love,
Rboin
Lol 😀 Rboin…that’s funny! 😀
~Natalie oops. Natatalie…:)
I have a few, reason I now want a holster for my old OED.
Thanks for the post, I am sure everyone has them – reminds me of a passage in a Pratchett book where a character had to help a group that didn’t know how to finish spelling the word marmalade, it just seemed to keep going on and they didn’t know how to stop it.
Never going back to spellcheck though, ruined my memory of spelling.
Wow! No spell check? How do you manage typos in words you know how to spell but type incorrectly? I’m impressed.
Is it practise or practice? The beauty of a dictionary is that it will tell you that both are correct (as will spellcheck) but it will tell you which is which. Guess most people have a feeling that a word is incorrect – must be all the reading?
The first three that come to mind are vacuum, broccoli, and annihilation. I always have to look them up.
Here is one I forgot to include . . . popsicle. I want to spell it popcycle. Argh!
I don’t know if I’ve ever typed the word annihilation. Must work it into my novel somehow!
I love this post, and I feel so much better knowing I’m normal. I always screw up the word rediculas – – no, wait rediculous – – no wait, oh this is ridiculous! I can never get it right! I also miss type my name sometimes Dnaa ugh, or Dnan, or wait, what is it again, Dana. 🙂
Dear Dnan,
Ridiculous is on my list too!
Love,
Rboin
I feel SO MUCH BETTER now! I know the difference between their, there, and they’re, but my spelling ability stops…there. (sorry). And yes, I misspell (I looked that up) my name all the time, too. But, I’m blaming that on my miserable typing skills.
So, thank you for this post, Robne.
My fingers get in the way of my brain and the words come out as mush. Then, I am stumped on how to spell the word correctly.
Thanks for you comment Robne. I mean Rboin, Damn. I mean Robin.
Mine are always, always related to whether you double the consonant: label to labelling? Labeling? Hmmm. Or Travel to travelled? Traveled? You’d think I’d know after all the years of writing. For money. For fun! Still can’t get those doubled/non-doubled consonants correct.
I do the same thing. I like how the double “Ls” in travelling makes me sound British. Maybe your problem lies in being married to a Brit?
I’m gonna blame it on that. Yes. That must be it.
Darn cheeky Brits. LOVE the word “cheeky.”