Lurkers' Week: What common misspelling drives you crazy?

'vunerable' - hardly surprising, as it's so often mispronounced by television presenters.

Ah yes, loose instead of lose is increasingly common and very annoying because the words have very different meanings.
It is the misuse of the apostrophe in plural words that drives me crazy.

"Would of..." instead of "Would have...."

Potatoe - grrrr.

There are several. It's not incorrect spellings that irritate me but ill use of words does. The example given by Pittcity is a perfect one.

Reign instead of rein. Using 'myself' instead of 'me'.
Qualifying the word 'unique' something is either unique or it isn't.
Using 'different to' instead of 'different from '
Better stop now before I annoy myself .

suffereing and intresting because this is how my computer spells them.
Lucky I spot them.

practice/practise
accommodation

Not really a misspelling, but a misuse of words - there/their/they're and your/you're

Too, two and to.

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

Draws for drawers!

Mischievious instead of mischievous

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

Seperate instead of separate

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.

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.

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

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!

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