Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The forming of words with letters in an accepted order; orthography.
- noun The art or study of orthography.
- noun The way in which a word is spelled.
- noun A person's ability to spell words.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The act of one who spells; the manner of forming words with letters; or thography.
- noun A collocation of letters representing a word; a written word as spelled in a particular way.
- noun A story; a relation; a tale.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The act of one who spells; formation of words by letters; orthography.
- adjective Of or pertaining to spelling.
- adjective [U.S.] a spelling match.
- adjective a book with exercises for teaching children to spell; a speller.
- adjective a contest of skill in spelling words, between two or more persons.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb Present participle of
spell . - noun uncountable The act, practice, ability, or subject of forming
words withletters , or of reading the letters of words;orthography . - noun uncountable The
manner of spelling of words;correct spelling. - noun countable A
specific spelling of a word. - noun US, rare, dated, countable or uncountable A spelling
test orspelling bee .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun forming words with letters according to the principles underlying accepted usage
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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“Henry the Fift” [_this spelling is used consistently_] except the “Faery Queen,” [_spelling unchanged_] next to the Miter and Phænix [_error for “Phœnix” in original_] [Stz. 3 sidenote] ...
The Battaile of Agincourt Michael Drayton 1597
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[_anomalous spelling unchanged in both] -- To my own hindrence did I try. [_spelling unchanged_]
The Fables of Phædrus Literally translated into English prose with notes Phaedrus 1746
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CM: Of course, my name spelling is even different from my grandfather's name spelling.
Mike Ragogna: Anthems, World Changers and Western Teleports: Chatting With Naughty By Nature, John Medeski and Emperor X Mike Ragogna 2011
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CM: Of course, my name spelling is even different from my grandfather's name spelling.
Mike Ragogna: Anthems, World Changers and Western Teleports: Chatting With Naughty By Nature, John Medeski and Emperor X Mike Ragogna 2011
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Hey Butch, if Dutch goes back to school, make sure he enrolls in English 101; his spelling is a little rusty ...
McDonnell holds the edge in Virginia gov fundraising race 2009
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If your spelling is any indication of you education, you should go back to school while you still have time in life.
Think Progress » Carl Cameron Gets Chummy With Brown Supporters, Ducks Question Of Fox News’ Ethics 2010
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And by the way, the themes of the posters are selected by the crews, and name spelling is verified by each crew member before it is printed.
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Another large chunk appear fine until I start to read them: the spelling is abysmal, the punctuation non-existent, and the syntax is convoluted.
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Of course, in a sense, we all start from scratch in childhood, and children who start with a language like Spanish, where the spelling is almost perfectly phonetic, pick up reading much, much sooner than children who have to learn all the crazy rules and exceptions of English spelling.
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There's a john smendrovac in the US, and on his blog, his spelling is almost as bad as above.
Plasma and LCD, step aside? Take a peek at Laser TV | Sync Blog 2007
skipvia commented on the word spelling
Suport You're Local's!
I saw this handwritten sign in a window a few days ago. The "local's" referred to are local craft makers. I like it because every word is either misspelled or grammatically incorrect.
October 22, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word spelling
OUCH! That hurts my head!
October 22, 2007
skipvia commented on the word spelling
It's also surprisingly difficult to read, isn't it?
October 22, 2007
reesetee commented on the word spelling
Wait. What if we rearranged the punctuation?
"Support! You're Locals."
October 22, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word spelling
That reminds me of a story (possibly apocryphal) about the wife of Peter the Great (or was it Ivan the Terrible...?) who had a merciful streak as well as being more literate than her husband. She intercepted a note from the emperor to one of his officers about the fate of a man who was imprisoned. The note supposedly said: "Pardon impossible. To be sent to Siberia."
Allegedly the woman changed the punctuation to read: "Pardon, impossible to be sent to Siberia." And the man's life was saved.
I don't really know or care how true it is. I just thought the use of punctuation to change the meaning was interesting.
October 22, 2007
reesetee commented on the word spelling
And the famous "Woman, without her man, is nothing." Changed to "Woman: Without her, man is nothing." :-)
October 22, 2007
uselessness commented on the word spelling
I have to wonder about people who go out of their way to insert unnecessary punctuation. It's easier to type your than you're! It's easier to type locals than local's! It's a two-for-one deal: save yourself the trouble of typing extra characters, AND get the added bonus of being correct. Who wouldn't want that?
A frightened part of me suspects that these people assume using more letters and punctuation marks equals being more grammatically intelligent. Like refusing to acknowledge that its really is the possessive form of it, because it's not as "complete" as it could be.
October 23, 2007
skipvia commented on the word spelling
On the nosey, U. It's the same phenomenon that we experience when people say "Bruce was really mean to she and I," but that's another story...
October 23, 2007
reesetee commented on the word spelling
Or "Myself and Bob decided not to go." *shudder*
October 23, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word spelling
Or, like the sign I saw the other day:
Lost "Keys"
Please return to... (etc.)
Perhaps the author really did mean that the misplaced object masquerades as keys. AGH!
Skipv, one of my (least) favorites is similar to your example, but mixes up the cases entirely: "I can't believe he did that to her and I." STABBY!! STABBY STABBY!!
October 23, 2007
uselessness commented on the word spelling
In that case, you'll "love" the Gallery of "Misused" Quotation Marks. ;-)
October 23, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word spelling
Ha! That's a "great" site! ;)
October 23, 2007
skipvia commented on the word spelling
Using quotes when they're "not needed" is bad, but even worse is when a speaker makes air quotes. They look like bats trying to climb a glass wall.
October 25, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word spelling
Oh great. Now I'm going to giggle EVERY TIME someone uses air quotes! The mental image of bats trying to climb a glass wall is going to make me use them. Agh!
October 25, 2007
trivet commented on the word spelling
What the bear said. *snicker*
October 25, 2007
reesetee commented on the word spelling
That is truly an excellent visual. We're doomed to giggle at air quotes from now on. :-)
October 25, 2007
skipvia commented on the word spelling
This may be opening old wounds, but check here for a mind-muddling orgy of misspellings and strange grammatical twists (including the ever-popular "random" use of "quotes").
January 10, 2008
sionnach commented on the word spelling
To be fair, the sign that says "Park on Grass. Get toad" could be a correctly spelled incitement to anti-batrachian action.
January 11, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word spelling
That is my new favorite comment ever.
January 11, 2008
reesetee commented on the word spelling
I would think it would be pro-batrachian, no?
January 11, 2008
yarb commented on the word spelling
Ha ha. Depends how you interpret "get", rt. I like your reading though. Free toad for those forced to park on the grass.
January 11, 2008
reesetee commented on the word spelling
I just don't want to think about the anti-batrachian version. Too squishy.
January 11, 2008
mollusque commented on the word spelling
Anti-batrachian has led me to a lamentable word: antimollusque, a French panvocalic describing the action of a molluscicide, which itself has the variant spelling *shudder* molluscacide, also panvocalic. *Can't resist...must list...Arrgh.*
January 11, 2008
reesetee commented on the word spelling
Sounds as though you're experiencing a stage of Wordie addiction. ;-)
January 11, 2008
skipvia commented on the word spelling
Sign, professionally printed, in the Payless Rental Car return lane at the Denver airport:
Please leave "keys" in the car.
You know--keys. *wink wink nudge nudge*
I don't get it...
June 12, 2008
reesetee commented on the word spelling
Maybe it was printed by one of the local's.
June 12, 2008
pterodactyl commented on the word spelling
Maybe it's creator was having a bad day.
June 13, 2008
oroboros commented on the word spelling
I take it you already know
Of tough and bough and cough and dough?
Others may stumble, but not you,
On hiccough, thorough, lough and through?
Well done! And now you wish, perhaps,
To learn of less familiar traps?
Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks like beard and sounds like bird,
And dead: it's said like bed, not bead -
For goodness sake don't call it deed!
Watch out for meat and great and threat
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt).
A moth is not a moth in mother,
Nor both in bother, broth in brother,
And here is not a match for there
Nor dear and fear for bear and pear,
And then there's dose and rose and lose -
Just look them up - and goose and choose,
And cork and work and card and ward,
And font and front and word and sword,
And do and go and thwart and cart -
Come, come, I've hardly made a start!
A dreadful language? Man alive!
I'd mastered it when I was five!
--Quoted by Vivian Cook and Melvin Bragg 2004,
by Richard Krogh, in D Bolinger & D A Sears, Aspects of Language, 1981,and in Spelling Progress Bulletin March 1961, Brush up on your English.
More here.
June 17, 2008
skipvia commented on the word spelling
Sadly ironic video in which Fox News misspells the word "education" during its newscast.
July 23, 2008
jennarenn commented on the word spelling
oroboros, that is a darling poem! I love the site as well. :)
July 23, 2008
skipvia commented on the word spelling
Perhaps this guy should switch to a language with words that aren't so difficult to spell.
October 8, 2008
skipvia commented on the word spelling
"Gorgeous Italian Spruce top with bearclaw figure that exhibits a brilliant shitoyance when turned in the light." Martin Music.
I think he means chatoyance, but maybe the guitar just looks like...ummm...crap.
May 19, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word spelling
Brackets on shitoyance please! I have just the list for it!
May 19, 2009
sionnach commented on the word spelling
Isn't chatoyance what cats' eyes do? Or am I thinking about foudroyance? Or maybe food-roints?
Is very confused.
May 19, 2009
skipvia commented on the word spelling
Cats' eyes and star sapphires, si.
May 19, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word spelling
Thanks, skip.
I think that's one of the best misspellings I've heard of lately.
May 20, 2009
rolig commented on the word spelling
Gosh, remember when there used to be copy-editors?
May 20, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word spelling
They're all being laid off, it seems, because people (who usually cannot, themselves, spell) think they're unnecessary.
May 20, 2009
qroqqa commented on the word spelling
*hands up* I have just come from drinkiepoos with our team of copy editors, all of whom have been laid off today. Apparently the idea is all the writers will write perfect English from the start and all I have to do is proof-read it.
May 20, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word spelling
May I just say, on your behalf, "J***s Ch***t."
May 20, 2009
bilby commented on the word spelling
Joel's chalet.
May 20, 2009
reesetee commented on the word spelling
Qroqqa, they laid off all of my company's copyeditors last fall, and guess what? Since then, every manuscript we've received has been perfect!
*extremely heavy sarcasm*
May 20, 2009
chained_bear commented on the word spelling
Uhh... I found a pretty good example of bad spelling here. Now there's a guy who needs a copyeditor.
May 21, 2009
reesetee commented on the word spelling
Or something.
May 21, 2009
ruzuzu commented on the word spelling
I adore seeing misspelled complaints about spelling. Does that make me a bad person?
June 30, 2013
fbharjo commented on the word spelling
What a spiel!.......with stile?
July 1, 2013