Words Your Spell Checker Will Not Correct, Part 2

So I'm not the only one blogging on this subject. (Big surprise there!) The latest installment of the excellent "After Deadline" blog in the NY Times is When Spell-Check Can’t Help: Repeat Offenders.

Words Your Spell Checker Will Not Correct, Part 1

I've been keeping a list, and I thought why not just keep it on a blog?


Causal/Casual

Flipping the “u” and the “s” around change the meaning completely:

causal: (1) expressing or indicating cause, causative (e.g., “a causal clause introduced by ‘since’”); (2) of, relating to, or constituting a cause (e.g., “the causal agent of a disease”); (3) involving causation or a cause (e.g., “the relationship . . . was not one of causal antecedence so much as one of analogous growth”—H. O. Taylor); (4) arising from a cause (e.g., “a causal development”)

casual: (1) subject to, resulting from, or occurring by chance (e.g., “a casual meeting”); (2)(a) occurring without regularity, occasional (e.g., “casual employment”) (b) employed for irregular periods (e.g., “a casual worker”) (c) met with on occasion and known only superficially (e.g., “a casual friend”); (3)(a)(i) feeling or showing little concern, nonchalant (e.g., “a casual approach to cooking”) (ii) lacking a high degree of interest or devotion (e.g., “casual sports fans,” “casual readers”) (iii) done without serious intent or commitment (e.g., “casual sex”) (b)(i) informal, natural (e.g., “a casual conversation”) (ii) designed for informal use (e.g., “casual clothing”)

Flair/Flare

I made this mistake myself recently, and didn't catch it until the third or fourth draft.

flair: (1)(a) a skill or instinctive ability to appreciate or make good use of something, a talent (e.g., “a flair for color”) (b) inclination, tendency (e.g., “a flair for the dramatic”); (2) a uniquely attractive quality, a style (e.g., “fashionable dresses with a flair all their own”)

flare: (1) a fire or blaze of light used especially to signal, illuminate, or attract attention; (2) a device or composition used to produce such a flare; (3) an unsteady glaring light; (4) a sudden increase and decrease in the brightness of a star often amounting to a difference of several magnitudes; (5) a sudden outburst (as of excitement or anger); (6) light resulting from reflection (as between lens surfaces) or an effect of this light (as a fogged or dense area in a photographic negative); (7) a short pass in football thrown to a back who is running toward the sideline; (8) a weakly hit fly ball in baseball; (9) (plural) pants that flare toward the bottom

Forbear/Forebear

That one little “e” is a snare for the unwary. (Webster’s, however, does allow “forbear” as a variant of “forebear,” as if we’re not confused enough already.)

forbear: (1) (transitive verb) to hold oneself back from especially with an effort (e.g., “forbore mentioning the incident”); (2) (intransitive verb) (a) hold back, abstain (e.g., “have forborne from taking part in any controversy”—Abraham Lincoln) (b) to control oneself when provoked, to be patient

forebear: (1) ancestor, forefather; (2) precursor—usually used in plural

Forgo/Forego

Very commonly mixed up. Totally different meanings.

forgo: to give up the enjoyment or advantage of , to do without

forego: to go before, to precede

Public/Pubic

I trust that no definitions are necessary. I’ve noticed this mistake in legal writing. Probably a good idea, before submitting that document to the court, to do a search for “pubic.”

Trial/Trail

Another mistake found in legal writing. Not as embarrassing as typing “pubic” instead of “public,” though.

Tried/Tired

Yet another trap for legal writers.