Spelling

I find my problem is relying on auto correct which, often, is defaulted at American English!

Spelling I’m ok with. I love word games and have a couple on my iPad - wonder if that helps? My DH, on the other hand, is hopeless when it comes to spelling and is forever asking “How do you spell ...?” when he’s searching for something on the Internet. My hand writing, never the best, has, meanwhile gone down the pan - along with my ability to remember people’s names and a lot of my former good vocabulary.

Well, I was a qualified proof-reader in a previous career but computer spell-checkers soon made me redundant. And lazy thinking.

Always have the well-thumbed Collins Dictionary and Roget's Thesaurus at hand, I say......

Yes, I was a brilliant speller at school. My father wouldn't put any answer in the Telegraph crossword until I'd spelt it so I learnt a lot that way. But now I have to think twice about endings in ant and ent, ly and lly endings. I still do quite a bit of hand writing so there's no spellchecker flashing up.

A bit off thread but, I was looking at the outer sleeve of my fountain pen packaging and noted that it was £75
I'd admired it on a shopping trip and the friend with me, gifted it a few days later.
I also noted that it was made in China. Is there nothing which that country does not make? ??
I also Googled it and the current price is £84. Wow!
I shall wear white gloves when next I use it.

Well thank goodness I read this thread. Some comfort that I am not the on.y one.

Definitely not but I do find I’m more pedantic about other people’s bad spelling and get really annoyed about it!

Yes the grey matter has to work twice as hard. Have to really check now.

Saggi, agree. I recently found my Old English exam paper from university, I couldn't understand a single word of it!

I can’t say I get particularly upset by Americanisms. They took English to the New World centuries ago so of course it’s evolved over time. But I don’t like to hear it spoken this side of the pond. For their part they don’t use “fortnight” for the period of 2 weeks and say do not and can not rather than don’t and can’t which can come across as rather terse.

This is the best post ever as my spelling, which was never that good, is terrible now and I thought it was me. Also for once I agree with GG, dupont agree much with her but this time you have hit the nail on the head.

I ve always been a bit of Grammar/ spelling police and I think I still am as I hate seeing words incorrectly spelled. Now however I have more trouble remembering words that I ve been using all my life and it’s soooo frustrating x

None of it matters..... language /spelling evolves. Try reading early or Middle English !!

Check your spelling sarahanew, deteriated? lol

Jane43 me too.

I agree with all that has been said.

I too used to be the "go to" person in the office for spelling. Now I often have to think if I am spelling correctly. I don't think it's down to predictive text as that often gives me completely different words. I think it is down to getting older. Prefer that to thinking it might be due to dementia!

I think my spelling has deteriated because I've got used to using predictive text, just like calculators made our ability to do mental maths deteriate

As a former very good speller, never having to work at spelling tests, I now find that I often have problems with words that formally would have just flown from my fingers. Old age I hope!

I was always very good at spelling but i get confused with words that end in either ley, ely, or lly. I have to google to make sure. I'm putting it down to ageing. That's my excuse anyway.

watermeadow LOL!!! 'Spaded' gets me too!! I'm also a bit of a pedant - in fact when he first met me, my husband's nickname for me was 'English'!

I certainly have deteriorated just lately. If I can't spell something I try to think of an easier alternative - if my brain cells have packed in I look in a thesaurus or dictionary. Spelling used to be one of my top subjects. Oh dear.

Like Marydoll, I was one of the "go to" people at work for spelling etc.
Now, frustratingly, I do find myself having to think twice about some words I used to always get correct without any effort. I'm convinced that spellcheckers and predictive text are partly to blame.
I also blame predictive text for the fact that I once sent a text message to a colleague telling him that I had locked all the protestants in the cupboard - it was meant to be "photostats" ( copies of assessments in our case). I managed to catch the one where I nearly asked the same colleague whether he wanted to see the erotica material (supposed to be verification material) - close call!

I'm so glad it's not just me. I used to be expert, but now find I'm having to look words up. It doesn't help that I'm studying French where similar words have a different spelling.

I have always been good at spelling. Does anyone remember spelling bees? I too hate acronyms and predictive spelling.