Post about "spellcheck"

Spelling is an important part of many different aspects of life, but no more so than in the world of job hunting. In a time when jobs are in short supply, and the number of unemployed people in America is rising daily, something as simple as correct spelling can help you stand out from the crowd.
If you put yourself in the shoes of a potential employer who has dozens of applications to sort through to create an interview shortlist, the first place you will start is by looking at the quality of the applications. The ability to use a computer is essential in nearly every job, and someone who hasn’t even bothered to use a spell checker will probably not make the cut. Every word processing program, even those that come pre-installed on the most basic machines, will contain a spell checker of some sort, and it is a second’s work to run the program.
Relying too heavily on a spell checker can be dangerous, however. Homophones, which are words that sound alike but are spelled differently (like their and there) slip under the radar. The program will only read each word by itself and compare it to a database of approved words. It does not take into account the context of the piece, nor does it allow for deliberately misspelled words, as you would find in a direct quotation. Grammar checkers will uncover most common mistakes (e.g. it’s and its), but again won’t pick up on the more complex issues.
This is why it is important to go over your own work thoroughly before submitting it, and to get someone else to proofread it for you. They will hopefully pick up on spelling and grammatical errors that you may have missed, or that you may not even be aware of.

Many words are commonly misspelled. Included in this statement are not the rare typing errors that one may come across: “teh” instead of “the”, “a” when “an” is needed, or “wat” instead of “what.” Those mistake are obvious. Need to know how to check spelling? Read on.

Words that are commonly misspelled make up special lists seen around the Internet, books dedicated to the subject, or a chapter or two written in grammar books. The reason that words typically are misspelled is pretty simple. They are an exception to a spelling rule, or they have been misspelled/ mispronounced/ misused for so long, it just became a habit.

Note the following of the top ten most misspelled words(in no particular order):

1. Misspell: All too often people forget the second ‘s’.
2. Definitely: This word tends to be mispronounced leading it’s misspelling to be“definately.”
3. A lot: Again, this word is probably due to mispronunciation. When speaking, the “a” is automatically booted next to the “lot.”
4. February: Because of mispronunciation, the first “r” is forgotten.
5. Library: Same as February
6. Separate: Often, people pronounce this the same as desperate.
7. Accidentally: The rule for changing a word to an adverb and adding -ly states that for words ending in -l, only the ‘y.’ However, this word is an exception and the extra ‘l’ is needed.
8. Committed: This word defies the rule on adding the -ed ending. The last letter is doubled in single syllable words having a consonant-vowel-consonant spelling. The root word, commit, has two syllables.
9. Principal/Principle: This pair of words are homophones. The first is the head of school, the second refers to an idea or concept. These words will be used incorrectly.
10. your: This word is a pronoun used in 2nd person. Also a homophone with the contraction, “you’re”, it unfortunately is an exceptionally common misspelling.
Incorrect use: “I was wondering if your going to the game with me?”
Correct: “Yesterday, I saw your mom at the store.”

Knowing how to check spelling when so many words are easily overlooked can become a difficult task. Making good use of an internet spell check is a good start. Most word processing programs have a spell checker that can be set up by the user. But if it isn’t set properly, or turned off, it will not be much help. Further, some email programs and programs such as notepad do not have a spell check feature. That makes a free internet spell check program a priceless utility. Even for those documents that have been checked, getting a second opinion and glance over any important text is generally recommended. Spell checking programs vary and can miss even an obvious mistake.

Memorizing commonly misspelled words will make writing and error checking an easier task. Just like cat, bat, and hat became second nature, being aware of the words used – both in spelling and context – will make a huge difference in the end result of that important document.

Speakers of English—especially young children—often complain about how difficult and unpredictable the spelling of English words often is. The pronunciations of various words ending in -ough (such as “cough,” “rough,” “through,” and so forth) are a well-known example. And indeed, our writing system is handicapped compared to those of many other languages, which often have more individual letters or combinations thereof.

However, it must be acknowledged that there are indeed certain rules which can be quickly learned and applied, and which have relatively few exceptions. One of these involves silent e. This letter is dropped (1) before an ending beginning with a vowel (hope > hoping), and (2) after u before a suffix beginning in a vowel (continue > continuous). It is retained if the ending begins in a consonant (sure > surely), or to avoid confusion with a word that would otherwise be spelled identically (singeing vs. singing).

Another spelling rule involves final y. This letter is changed to i before an ending that begins with a consonant (plenty > plentiful), or before the past tense (cry > cried) and plural endings (lady > ladies). Conversely, final -ie is regularly changed to y before adding -ing (die > dying).

Final consonants are doubled before endings beginning in vowels (run > running, runner, runny). Note that this rule also avoids confusion between pairs (hop > hopping vs. hope > hoping). (Historically, a double consonant was used to indicate a preceding short vowel; this is still the case in German, e.g. Zimmer).

We have also been taught to minimize confusion between “ei” and “ie” by means of the rhyme “i before e except after c or when sounded like ay as in neighbor and weigh.” This rule does hold true for the most part (achieve vs. receive); exceptions include “either” (which can be pronounced two ways), “seize,” and “ancient.”

In English, words borrowed from Greek and Latin (often through French) tend to follow consistent orthographic patterns. Native words—those of Germanic origin—are often much harder to predict (“rather” vs. “father,” “paddle” vs. “waddle”). But English has also borrowed words from other languages around the world, and their spellings sometimes differ from those of the languages mentioned above. For example, “unique” (silent ue) is a French word, but “pulque” (with a final vowel) is a Spanish loan.

You can use your computer to check your spelling. This can be done offline—with Microsoft Word’s spellcheck software—or with a free spell checker provided online, such as spellchecker.net. You may find that the latter method is more reliable insofar as, like with all websites, updating is constantly being done.

So… when in doubt, perform a spellcheck using your computer or with an online free spell checker.

English, as we know it today, has taken on some changes from its original form. The language is primarily made up of a hodgepodge of other words taken from other languages such as French, German, Latin, and Greek. The end result is a language made up of approximately 251 different letter combinations to spell only 43 sounds. With this kind of complex system for written communication, it is no wonder English is such a hard language to learn.

Starting back as early as the eleventh century, writing as a form of communication was becoming more popular. However, the uneducated could not understand what was written. Too many English words are not sounded as they are spelled. Some scholars hoped to reform certain words to sound as they are spelled or be more be phonetic.

Other scholars disagreed, feeling that changing the spelling to accommodate some would be confusing to those that were familiar with the current spellings.

Eventually, words began a slow change, with some having either version acceptable.

As the time changes, words continue to change. Words that tend to get misspelled may eventually become acceptable. For example, British English would have us spell the past tense of travel as “travelled.” Americans took used this spelling for hundreds of years until at some point, dropping the second /l/ became accepted and correct.

Also, words that were passed down verbally were all-too-often misheard, causing a shift in language. Buttonhole used to be “buttonhold.”

As new technologies emerge, the language changes with it. Shakespeare would not have written about cell phones, internet spell check tools, or mega-pixels. Further, current writers do not write content in a current setting using words such as thee, tho, or shalt.

Current reform for spelling changes is a hot topic of discussion. Those for the changes allege that students that have trouble learning to read would benefit from a phonetic language system.
Those opposed to changes counter that a phonetic language system would be worse, and that thousands upon thousands of books and other written material would become obsolete and unreadable in the near future. No one would know how to check spelling because there would be no consistency. Software and internet spell check could not detect errors. Dialect has much to do with phonetics.

For example, the word pecan.
Some people pronounce it /pē-kān/. (Both vowels are long.)
Other people pronounce it /pē-kăwn/ (/e/ is long, /a/ is short)
Further, the emphasis on the syllable varies.

So, if we were to write, “My favorite pie is pecan,” how would we phonetically write about the pecan? Peekan? Pecawn? Peak-an?

While the language will continue to change, it is best to learn the English rules as well as the exceptions as it stands now. A century from now, there may be a new article written called, “New and Improved: How to Check Spelling for Phonetic Users.”

It would be impossible for the vast majority of the English-speaking population to learn the correct spelling to every word. The most difficult words to spell come in two categories: words that do not follow a rule or pattern and homophones. This leads to the question: how to check spelling?

Words that do not follow the pattern unfortunately have to be memorized. Especially important are the words that start with a silent letter. Without knowing the exact letter, looking the word up either in a dictionary or a web spell checker would be difficult.

Here are some words worth memorizing. Each start with a silent letter.
aisle
gnome
gnat
knife
mnemonic
pterodactyl

When using vivo… a AH?D modern word processor or a web-based spell checker, if any of the above words are misspelled, they should highlighted in some way. Although, if the word is too far off the correct spelling, the spell check could pick it up as an error, but the suggestions given, if any, may not be the desired word at all. Therein lies the importance of some memorizing.

Another group of words cause a myriad of problems for students and adults alike. Homophones are words that sound Spell alike but are spelled differently. Extra study is necessary for these words. If the word is spelled correctly but used incorrectly in wholesale jerseys the CarbonOrO, sentence, a spell check will not pick it up but the word is technically considered misspelled.

Consider the following words:
aloud / allowed
bare / bear
bizarre / bazaar
bred / bread
hoard / horde
lightening/lightning
patients / patience
rein / reign
right / wholesale jerseys write
threw / through
wait/ weight

Memorizing not only the spelling but the definition as well will aid in eliminating errors.

For example:
Patients is a plural form of the word patient, a noun. A patient is someone undergoing some type of medical care.
Patience is an adjective cheap mlb jerseys describing one’s calm nature Hamul and ability to handle rough situations without getting overly upset.

The sentence, “You need a lot of patients to memorize all of Checking the homophones,” while in spirit would be correct, patients, is misspelled.

Many books have been written and websites have been built to help anyone studying or using the English language to focus on the words that are harder to remember.

When preparing any type of written document, something that is going to be read by several people, it is important to proofread. Here are four steps on how to check mistakes:

1. Run a spell check.
2. Run another spell check. The spell check program on the web browser or word processor may not catch every misspelled word. Find a free Memorizing web spell checker. Copy and paste the text into the provided form.
3. Second guess the suggestions of “errors.” Not all spell checking programs are the same. It is Everyday possible that it does not recognize the word. Look the word up in a dictionary, either written or online.
4. Ask a trusted colleague to look it over. It is easier to spot the mistakes of someone else.

After time, knowing how to check spelling, especially those tricky homophones, will become second nature. It is takes is some time, patience, and extra studying.