Sometimes I write a word down and it just looks funny. Like, I think that’s how it’s spelled but for some nagging reason it doesn’t seem right so I Google it.
There are times I have genuinely forgotten how to spell a word, as if it never existed in my vocabulary to begin with. And more often than not, it’s an embarrassingly easy word. The first time I can remember this happening to me was in 6th grade English class.
So have a laugh at this: I forgot how to spell ‘took’. It was 2005, we still had Net Zero, so I didn’t just go home and Google the spelling. I was too embarrassed to ask someone for help so this problem persisted for a whole week.
My English assignment: tenses. I had it in my head that took would be like ‘take’ so I kept spelling it…’toke.’ I knew it was wrong, but my brain was betraying me. I had no choice but to write it as ‘toke’ in intentionally small messy handwriting in hopes that my teacher wouldn’t notice.
What was I supposed to do, go up to my teacher and ask? At eleven years old I’d rather just get the answer wrong.
Since then it hasn’t happened so…let’s say humiliatingly, but I’ve caught myself spelling ‘quote’ as ‘qoute,’ and ‘necessary’ as ‘neseccary,’ and ‘escape,’ as ‘excape.’
Now, those little red squiggles beneath words help us out. Although, on paper we only confuse ourselves. Something looks wrong, it’s usually right; something looks right, it’s probably wrong.
It happens when writing for a long time–or worse, editing.
Ah. Editing… Staring at words and reworking them, or replacing them. Reading and rereading until you don’t even know what language is anymore.
Can we all just blame this on the English language and the ever-breakable “rules” and call it a day?
It’s amazing how many times I can re-read my blog and always pick up on a minor mistake before I post it. It’s like our brains trick us into thinking we are perfect when we’re not. Then we post the final draft, and even still pick up on minor mistakes. Is it the perfectionist in us, or the knowing deep down it’s our calling to write?
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I think it’s because we know what we meant, so we tend to see the words that way. Like when a word is missing and you don’t notice it, even when reading it over and over again. It’s because we know it’s supposed to be there, even if we forgot to put it there.
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I think our brains autocorrect, so we see our mistakes as our intentions. That’s why we have to be so diligent, to search out and repair those mistakes.
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Ah, the wonder of words..
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This has happened to me too. I spell a word correct but it doesn’t look right when written. So I try out different spellings. But then none looks right 😂
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Yes 🤣
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I find that when I’m looking at the same word lots of times I start to question it. Mainly in spreadsheets, but they’re alien to me to begin with 😊
I then have to google it to, just to be 100% sure.
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This is so true. Sometimes I’ll type a word and look at it and it’s not a word, definitely not the one I was trying to spell. I’ll think, and sometimes say, to myself, “How the hell did that come out of my brain and through my fingers?”
My nemesis is “exercise.” I can spell it and can’t learn how. It will simply not stick in head. Thank Bill Gates for spell check.
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Haha I have the same problem with exercise 😂 when I write it I have to say it slowly in my head! Lol
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I have this too. Any word written/typed enough times looks strange. I blog daily, and can’t reread what I type that often. I have learned not to stress over this. As others have said, you can always google
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Dilemma. When you keep typing a word wrong, even when you know how to spell it, do you give up, simply add the wrong spelling to the autocorrect list and let the machine make it right, or do you leave it and try and force your brain to learn/re-learn to get it right??
[All that people have commented on about the deviousness of words and spelling – especially the omissions & mistakes hiding in plain sight – are spot on!]
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It depends on what I’m doing. If I’m in a rush I’ll just let autocorrect fix my mistakes, but usually I try to figure it out myself.
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Haha I love this! I’m so glad it isn’t just me 😊😊
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Definitely not the only one 😂
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I always get frustrated when I’ve been writing something complicated and then for some reason my mind forgets how to spell the simplest words! The other day it was ‘out’. I was just looking at it and it looked completely wrong! I think it’s the curse of reading as a writer – we criticise and analyse too much sometimes! 🙂
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That’s so funny!! I know, it’s the worst. Tbh, “weird” still makes me look twice 😂
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I used to spell escape wrong all the time, that was until Finding Nemo came out and now I saw it like Dory every time I spell it out.
Also, “definitely” was a hard one for me.
Then there are the words you can spell but you sound out weird to help. Like Wednesday (wed-ness-day) or Altogether (all to get her). At least…I do that.
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Definitely is still hard for me 😂 and I sound out Wednesday to!
Andddd I still sing bananas like Gwen Stefani 🙈
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I have several friends called Alison. For some reason, no matter how slowly I type it, it comes out “Alsion”. Dyslexic fingers!
There’s a really useful feature in Word under Proofing / Autocorrect where you can add wrong spellings and automatically have Word put in the correct spelling.
So, if you struggle with “Liaison” or “Environmental” or even “Alison” then you have have this fixed – permanently.
Hope that helps.
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Oh That’s cool, I didn’t know that! lol I’ll have to start using it. 🙂
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