“So have you noticed how many spelling errors have been published recently?” asks Nancy, my best friend from high school. We’re meeting for a New Years lunch at The Monte Carlo Restaurant in the Warehouse District of Minneapolis. We’ve already discussed that we haven’t seen each other since 2005, so we’re doing something like “speed dating” — trying to catch up on four years in less than 100 minutes.
When we graduated from Armstrong High School in 1973, we were still breathing hard from three years of competing against each other for top test scores. We both would admit that we’re a little OCD about spelling.
Nancy is sure that America’s misspelling trend can be blamed on the media. “The number one most misspelled word is separate. ‘Seperate’ is everywhere!” she laments. “I hold Desperate Housewives accountable. We’re inundated by Desperate Housewives ads and articles in People Magazine, TV and online. When others have to spell separate, they subconsciously see ‘desperate’ and it comes out ‘seperate.’
Since our meeting I’ve seen many ‘seperates’ and one ‘experation date.’ What have YOU noticed, VL reader? Let us know.
PS. All those who add a comment to this blog about their FAVORITE MISSPELLINGS, will be entered into a drawing for a really cool travel gift!
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