Most Common Spelling Errors

I spend a good deal of time on digg and always find lots of interesting articles. Recently there was a blog from a gentleman named Johan Holmberg who posts his musings at a place called The Probabilist. Recently he wrote an article called: 10 Most Misspelled Words in Blogs.

As he admits, the title is a bit of a misnomer since most of the words he cites aren't actually misspelled as much as they are misused. And they certainly aren't confined to use in blogs. Their confusion is rampant in most of the English-speaking / writing world!

So without his permission, but certainly giving him credit, I am going to reproduce Mr. Holmberg's list and provide you with my comments on the correct use of these sometimes tricky words.

1. Your / You're

This seems to confuse a lot of people. Your is a possessive adjective used to describe ownership of something (your hat, your cat, your stupid blog). You're is a contraction for you are. (You're wrong!) But how often do you ready something like: Your not going to like this, but you're dog just died!)

2. Then / Than

Another common mistake that I think often happens from typing too fast rather than not knowing the difference. Then implies time. Something happens, then something else happens. Than usually focuses on a comparison. Bigger than something.

3. Its / It's

This is very similar to #1 above. Its is a possessive adjective that references something without specifying gender. Its hand. Its strong odor. It's is a contraction for it is. If you can substitute it is in context, use the one with the apostrophe.

4. To / Too / Two

I think most people understand the difference, but it's very easy to type the wrong one. Just for clarification, to is a preposition (give it to me) or part of a verb infinitive (to give); too simply means also or in addition; two is the number between one and three.

5. Were / Where / We're

Another goofy trio! I think most people know what where means. It's just very easy to leave out the h. Were is a verb. Where were you? Were you sick? We're is a contraction for we are. Again, just substitute we are for the word you're trying to use and if it works, use the one with the apostrophe. Obviously, "I thought you we're coming," doesn't work.

6. There / Their / They're

I think this is one of the most confusing sets of words in the entire language. At least I seem them misused even in professional publications. There is technically an adverb. It is use to indicate where something is (Look over there!) or that something exists (There has to be an answer!). Their is one of those pesky possessive adjectives. Their car, their house, their overweight cat. They're is a contraction for they are. Again, substitute to help decide which is the correct word to use.

7. A / An / And

It's easy to type the wrong one, but I think most people know what is correct. The problem comes with whether a or an should be used in certain situations. The best rule to follow is to use a before consonant sounds - even if the letter is a vowel (a historic date, a united front, a one-year contract). Use an before vowel sounds (an honorable event, an NFL game, an energy crunch).

8. Off / Of

A very common typo that I don't think has anything to do with lack of understanding of the difference between the words. If you really need to know what they mean and how to use them, email me.

9. Hear / Here

If what you are writing about has anything to do with your ears or sound, you should be using hear. It you an indicating a place, use here. If you need to write about what your ears are doing when you move from place to place, you're on your own!

10. Lose / Loose

This pair of words tends to throw just about everyone at one time or another. Lose is a verb. It is the opposite of win. Loose is an adjective meaning something is not constrained. Don't lose your cool is your dog gets loose.


I have two more that I would like to add to this list.

11. Choice / Choose

This is a lot like #10. A choice is the thing that you select. Choose is the action of selecting it. So what you do is choose your choice.

12. Lay / Lie / Lain/ Layed / Laid

I have no idea. Use your spell-checker, grab the dictionary, try to sound it out. There's a 20% chance you'll get it right even if you just select one at random, so take your best shot and move on!

I hope this helps. Good luck!