Happy National Dictionary Day
There was a time that as a rite of passage, a young person would receive a nice, hard-bound dictionary as a graduation gift. It always occupied a key position near one’s desk for easy reference, particularly to help with how to spell a word.
Then came computers, and the “spell check” function took away many people’s use for the book.
Now, apparently, we don’t even use a “spell check” function…we search on sites like Google. That’s the premise behind a study done by a group called Betway…they’ve analyzed Google Search Volumes for the most frequently searched for words, after the prompt, “How to spell…” and have published data for each state.
Of course, some of these depend on usage, but here’s the top 10 list of words we Iowans struggle to spell the most.
At #10 is the word “chaos”…the actual spelling, not the term for the bad guys in the sitcom “Get Smart”. Then comes the word “thorough”…spell check might let the word “through” sneak in, so that’s always tricky. Then at #8 is “spaghetti”…apparently that trips folks up a fair amount.
The word “schedule” checks in at #7…there’s no letter “k” anyway in there. “Ornery” is at #6…guessing some try to spell that without the letter “e”.
Here’s one that can get you into trouble…at #5 is the word “dessert”…spelled incorrectly, and instead of a tasty pie, you’re referencing a sandy area without rainfall.
“License” is the fourth most searched word for spelling…one “c” and one “s”, please. Then comes “patience” at #3—not the kind a doctor would see…the trait you have to demonstrate when waiting in the doctor’s office well past your scheduled appointment.
The word at #2 is really not a word…well, it is a popular slang term… “bougie” as in someone who indulges in a fancy or trendy lifestyle. Other than in this segment, I don’t ever say it and sure don’t ever spell it.
And the word we Iowans search for most often in order to get correct spelling… “grey”. Now I have to say that one shouldn’t count. Spelling the color grey “g-r-e-y” is technically correct, but more common in England…American English prefers “g-r-a-y”…but perhaps that’s precisely why we look it up, to use the one that fits the U.S.A.
And we’re not alone…16 other states also search for “grey” most often.
So grab that dictionary…because as a former teacher once told me, “It’s the English language. It’s pretty important to get right.”
