Lurkers' Week: What common misspelling drives you crazy?

Do you think people have become lazy with autocorrect and assume it’s right? I’ve come across some corkers on Fb, etc., recently.

My latest grip isn’t misspellings but bad grammar. E.g. “Global pandemic “ . Why don’t they they the whole hog and say “worldwide global pandemic”? While they’re at it. ?

Laying instead of lying - e.g. "she was laying on the bed" or "I was laying on the beach" etc.

Also faze for phase.

I've got used to "so" to start a sentence when speaking. It's an easy habit to get into.

However when written.....no.

Starting a sentence with "so"....

Lead instead of led annoys me and I see it a lot. Also bare with me is very different from bear with me (last seen on a police Twitter account) ?

there their
have should be shortened to 've not of
draw drawer

‘It’s’ can also be short for ‘it has’ - ‘It’s been raining, it’s been very hot lately,’ etc.
Will admit that I only worked out the rule for myself when I had to teach its/it’s to (mostly) speakers of Arabic, who needed to get it right in exams.
As a native speaker you just don’t think about these things.

But it’s is ALWAYS short for one or the other.

My pet hate is disinterested for uninterested. I think that battle is lost though.

Discrete/ discreet.
Waive/ waver.
Loose/ lose.

I'm a very good speller but spelling mistakes don't bother me. My boss used to get me to check his documents for errors. He was a very intelligent guy but couldn't spell.
The only wrong spelling that bothers me is spelling my name wrongly. Just carelessness.

As a person with some US family members, axe instead of ask drives me batty.

It's a personal response GD1943. For me, when I have to mark upwards of 40 books a week and at least half have similar errors, it does get a bit repetitive. But I think if asked, my students would say I was a kind, supportive teacher. I do my hair pulling and teeth gnashing behind closed doors, or until they cough or sneeze without using elbow or tissue!

It’s ‘chimley’ and what’s worse is that some people actually say it that way too ?

Effect and Affect. So many get it wrong, including my Manager at work. I explained it to him nicely. He took it well.

Grandad, no one is getting at you, I am sure we all understand the difficulties if you have this condition, I know, as my niece has the same problem.

Hopefully we will not be mentioning this in posts, I think it rude to correct people as you never know what problems they may have.

This is Pedants Corner Grandad1943 don't join us if its not to your liking. Nobody on here is criticising posters we just like to see words written and used correctly.

Seperate instead of separate

Some of us who have various forms of dyslexia have to rely on spelling and grammar checkers that give us what the producers of those applications see as fit vocabulary and spelling.

I and others with dyslexia apologise if in our mild mistakes some forum members find annoyance. However, we can only get by as best we can and such applications have in very many cases truly transformed our lives.

I am surprised that those who run Gransnet did not think to point the above out when starting this thread. I am sure the spelling and grammar police will now be greatly encouraged to once again take to the forums so as to "show up" myself and others by way of our inaccuracies.

Homophones do my head in, as an English teacher.

Plus the reversal of quotation marks and speech marks in British and American writing. I always tell my students, pick one system and stick with it, but don't mix them up!

All of the above! I would add definately for definitely, and any American spellings such as favorite for favourite.

it’s when it should be its

It’s ALWAYS means ”it is” so a lot of the time what people write doesn’t make sense.

Actually, ‘realize’ is the main entry in my big fat Oxford dictionary - ‘realise’ is given as an alternative spelling.

I hadn’t realized/realised that it wasn’t an American spelling until I was working for a U.K. publisher whose house style included several ‘ize’ endings. I was highly indignant - until I checked the dictionary for myself and saw that they are not wrong in British English.

Discrete instead of discreet is one I’m seeing more and more. A lot of people seem unaware that the meanings are different.

Mischievious instead of mischievous

Draws for drawers!

Oh my - here’s a can of worms you’ve opened:
Defiantly/definitely
Secetary/secretary
Pacific/specific

Too, two and to.