Do you lose respect for someone who can't spell?
By kaypow
@kaypow (68)
Canada
April 14, 2012 10:40am CST
Does a grown adult who can't spell simple words lose respect in your eyes?
Yesterday, while checking my Facebook, I noticed a status from one of my friends' mothers, in which the woman had misspelled the word "dying" by spelling it "dieing". Now, having checked Dictionary.com, I've found that, apparently, this has actually become an accepted word in English, but I refuse to believe it. If we go this route, we'll be letting people write "dum" instead of "dumb" and "nife" instead of "knife" next. In any case, it made me think of something, and I wondered if I could few responses.
I understand that, as people get older, the things they have learned in school as children tend to fade away. I don't remember some of the things I learned in history class in elementary school, certainly. However, simple things like spelling, especially spelling simple words like this, ought to stay in someone's head because they are used so often. Of course, this is not the case for non-native English speakers, who cannot be expected to understand all of the intricacies of its admittedly complex spelling right off the bat, but for someone who has been writing and speaking English for his or her entire life, shouldn't these things be simple, automatic? I can't help but lose some respect for grown adults who can't be bothered to pay attention to what they are writing, even if it is just on Facebook. To me, it shows laziness, simply because it would take all of a few seconds to click over to Dictionary.com and look up a word, since the person was on the Internet anyway.
Companies who cannot be bothered to pay this bit of attention are even worse. The next time I see a poster advertising a "great" deal (apparently, quotation marks are used for emphasis now), I think I will write to the company and tell them how "stupid" their advertising people are.
I think that the main problem is that people just don't read anymore. Reading is what provided me with my vocabulary and made me feel at ease with spelling, since I had seen so many words and usually had a good idea of how to spell things.
What do you think?
5 people like this
26 responses
@dpk262006 (58676)
• Delhi, India
14 Apr 12
Hi!
There could be various reasons for writing a different or incorrect spelling. Does it mean we should start respecting that person? I do not think so.
We could always give them benefit of doubt.
1 person likes this
@dpk262006 (58676)
• Delhi, India
14 Apr 12
Pl. Read - stop respecting ....
In place of 'start respecting .....
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
15 Apr 12
hi dpk see we all do typos even those with IQ 's off the chart.
But I agree We should not stop respecting people because of
one incorrect spelling.
@kaypow (68)
• Canada
15 Apr 12
Hi, dpk and Hatley,
I certainly agree that everyone makes typos in their everyday communications, and I did not mean to suggest that I completely stop respecting a person simply because he or she makes one error. I was referring more to people who continue to make very basic errors in spelling and grammar after having years of education in their native language. Even then, I certainly didn't mean to suggest that I completely stop respecting people based on their spelling alone. I'm not that judgmental, to be sure! I suppose I should have said "become irritated" instead of "lose respect", as it seems to have caused a lot of confusion.
@fannitia (2167)
• Bulgaria
14 Apr 12
"People just don't read anymore" - I think that this is the key of this problem.
I agree with you that it's unacceptable to write "dum" or "nife", although I find the English spelling horrible.
But the real problem is not the negligence of some old people. In the last 20 years I see more and more young people who graduate from school and still make the most dumb spelling errors. I have to say that my language has a very easy orthography, it's almost phonemic. And their mistakes show that they event don't know the correct pronunciation of words.
When I began to think about this problem I realised that the most important thing is to read books. When I was a kid I didn't care about the grammar lessons of my mother tongue because I was studying French and the French grammar is overwhelming. But we had no computers, Internet or video games. We were reading books. And from the books we have learned not only the spelling rules but much more.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
15 Apr 12
um look over your own discussion for errors too, event? I think
you meant to say "and their mistakes show that they even don't
know the correct pronunciation of words." but you typed
"event" which really does not make much sense but it was just an
honest typo that got overlooked.yet I would go slow on condemning others until you make your own sentences correct too.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
15 Apr 12
I don't lose respect for people who aren't good at spelling. I don't know why they make spelling mistakes. It is possible that they are lazy and don't really care about their spelling, but it doesn't have to be that way. Maybe they make spelling mistakes, because spelling is difficult for them. My mother tongue is Danish, and when I read the Danish sentences that other people have written I notice the spelling mistakes and the grammar mistakes, but it doesn't bother me as long as I am able to understand what they mean.
Sometimes people make mistakes, because they aren't aware that it is a mistake. If they are in doubt it is easy to look up a word, but if they are not in doubt and believe that the mistakes are correct they don't look up those words. They don't skip the dictionary because they are lazy, but because it doesn't occur to them them they have to look up those words.
I have some friends from other countries, they live in Denmark and they are not that good at Danish yet, so they ask me to correct their sentences, and I am happy to help them. It is easy to understand why they make mistakes, because our language is quite hard to learn. Many native Danes make mistakes, too, and like I said I notice the mistakes, but it does not change my respect for them.
1 person likes this
@savemoney4familyfun (162)
• United States
15 Apr 12
i don't have a problem with it because some people just have hard time spelling , i know a lot of people that have a hard time spelling i dont always spell everything right . i feel its wrong to get made at people because they dont spell everything right all the time..
1 person likes this
@WildHorses (718)
• United States
14 Apr 12
I think that spelling is something we just never forget. I come from a Hispanic background but I am born an American so it's a must for me to speak, read and write it correctly.
I don't lose respect for a person who doesn't spell correctly, but I do have a problem understanding what the hell they say in the first place if it's totally butchered spelling. I visit a chat site on a regular basis and I come across the worst possible spellers ever all the time. I do get to see a few people from outside of the USA who can write English quite well but the majority get on my last nerve.
If you get me on a good day, I just might help you fix a mistype.
@alottodo (3056)
• Australia
15 Apr 12
Yeah right WildHorses I come from Spanish speaking back grown as well and it is up to me to understand how do these people talk that is why we have SpangEnglish[ did I spelled it right for you?] oh may be not...sorry to offend I may get on your last nerve!and if you get me on my good day I my just help you fix how not to be so rude and have consideration and respect to your elders!
@WildHorses (718)
• United States
15 Apr 12
Where do you get off telling me to have "consideration" and "respect to my elders?" I don't have a problem respecting my elders. That is not what the discussion is about.
For the record, it's SPANGLISH. If your Spanish were proper you would know that.
I go through plenty of effort to understand people. What I specifically referred to is people are not even making an effort to SPELL. They use Internet shorthand and that is just plain lazy.
So before you go off on some spew about respect, do me a favor and don't respond to anything I post on here. YOU CHOSE to reply to what I posted. YOU didn't have to.
@TheCatLady (4691)
• Israel
16 Apr 12
Spelling in Spanish is easy. The letters always have the same sound. Reading in Spanish is easy.
Not like in English. The sounds don't give you a clue as to spelling. Ask the Polish maid to polish the silver. HUH Shouldn't it be palish the silver? Nope.
Once in a while I do hit the wrong key when typing, but the little underline shows me that I goofed. There are a few words that I consistently spell wrong and know they are wrong and need to fix them every time. It's a bit annoying, but...
I can spell in English because I find it important. I always try to spell the correct way. It might be that I'm an avid reader. I love reading.
@surveychick4 (380)
• United States
14 Apr 12
In a way, but not really because I made a spelling mistake while typing yesterday. It is usually just a typing error. It can be annoying and make the other person appear to be lacking knowledge.
1 person likes this
@stringer321 (5644)
• Kiryat Ata, Israel
17 Apr 12
I also make some mistakes , but , english is not my main language.
I sometimes preview my comment and edit it again before posting it. I am very surprised to see how I tend to make mistakes : it is not often , but not too rare , maybe once per a paragraph. I don't like it when I see my own mistakes.
I have a small dyslexia too sometimes.
@peavey (16936)
• United States
14 Apr 12
It doesn't bother me if it's just a personal post because not everyone is a good speller, just like not everyone is good at math or art. That's just the way it is.
However, it bothers me a lot when I go to a web site and read content that's full of spelling mistakes. They could at least use a spell checker! I know that some of them pay non English speakers pennies to create content and it shows. It surely doesn't speak well for the quality of the product or company.
@peavey (16936)
• United States
14 Apr 12
I wanted to say, too, that I was blessed with a good sense of spelling and even won the county spelling contest when I was in grade school. It just seemed natural to spell a word once I'd read it, but now that I'm a senior citizen, I find myself forgetting how a word is spelled. Things do change and those things are not always in our power to control.
@cutepenguin (6431)
• Canada
14 Apr 12
I have trouble with this - if it's just once in awhile, I assume it's a typo, but I have several friends who consistently make spelling errors or misuse words. It drives me nuts. (Especially if they plan to help their children with their schoolwork or if they plan to homeschool).
@kaypow (68)
• Canada
14 Apr 12
Oh, dear. Homeschooling by parents who don't know how to spell? Talk about the blind leading the blind. Also, there is certainly a margin of error that we have to consider regarding typos. Everyone makes them, even with all of today's technology made specifically to correct them. However, it frustrates me, too, when people consistently misspell a word... You would think that, after the first few times they saw it corrected, they would understand and try to remember it. I guess some people just don't care or are too pigheaded to accept that they are spelling something wrong.
@derek_a (10874)
•
15 Apr 12
I think it is a shame the way the world is beginning to take on almost any spelling of words providing the reader can understand what it means. It seemed to start with texting and now is getting on to the Internet also where we don't need to shorten words to get our message across. I feel that spelling is a discipline and always endeavour to spell correctly and use correct punctuation etc. I know sometimes that I will make a typo, but that's just part of the process of typing and it's not always easy to spot a mistake. I think that the spelling is going to continue to change, and I think it is a shame. 
_Derek
_Derek@kaypow (68)
• Canada
15 Apr 12
Hi, Derek,
That is exactly how I feel about the proper use of a language: it is a discipline, and to continuously ignore simple rules shows a lack of discipline. If you can't be bothered to put some work into something as crucial as your own language, what could that say about the other areas of your life? Of course people make typos, simply because we tend to type quickly or not pay attention to what we are writing, particularly on something like a Facebook status, and I will reiterate this for the benefit of all the posters here: I'm not saying that my respect for a person goes from 100% to 0% over a single spelling error. Nitpicker or not, I am not that judgmental. What I meant was that seeing grown adults make such simple mistakes just irks me, especially because it makes me wonder what habits they are passing on to their children, with whom I will have to work on a daily basis one day.
That said, let me commiserate over the loss of our language due to pandering to people who cannot spell or write. I'm not saying that we all need to revert to using Old English, of course, but I wish that English would stay where it is now. It seems like an okay place to be!
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
15 Apr 12
I think you are right. The lack of reading, I believe probably contributes to this problem greatly. Lack of proper English is accepted by the teachers in highschools so it isn't surprising that it has spread to a point where many just don't care about their spelling but others don't care to correct it either. That being said, I can't say that I lose respect for a person for misspells. I understand that many times it isn't lack of knowledge but typing errors or maybe they just never were pushed in school the importance. I am more apt to be disgusted with the teachers that not only do not correct our kids but let the poor spelling and sentence construction to slide through and give them a good grade regardless. I remember correcting so many errors on one of my daughter's papers when she was in school and she got very upset with me and insisted that it didn't matter. Sadly, she was right.
@kaypow (68)
• Canada
15 Apr 12
Hi, sid,
I think that, oftentimes, that is exactly the problem: schools let young people slide by on their English, and everything just goes into a downward spiral from there. I went to a high school where I was constantly disappointed and irritated by the "If I can understand you, it's all right" attitude that permeated my English classes. Even our exam papers were graded mostly for content and not for form, which I could certainly understand for something like a history paper, but for an ENGLISH class? Isn't the point of an English class, for native English speakers, to learn to write English properly? But, of course, the focus in schools these days is on "self-esteem" and how you can't possibly give anyone a failing grade because it might hurt their feelings... Maybe one or two of these bad spellers could have used a bad grade here and there, to give them the kick in the pants required to show them that more discipline was necessary!
@SomeCowgirl (32191)
• United States
14 Apr 12
I have noticed that it seems people are starting to become lazier and lazier when it comes to spelling. Even if it is just by one letter. Now when using text or on an instant message I can understand using abbreviations or not spelling words completely right, but with a status or even on this site? One should try to spell.
If we forget how to spell, then what are we teaching our children? I can just see a mother being asked how to spell what was once a simple word, but then giving the wrong spelling to her child because they weren't bothered to remember how to spell it.
@airasheila (5454)
• Philippines
14 Apr 12
a pleasant day to you kaypow,
with regard to your topic, well, for me, everyone deserves respect. either he or she lacks in literacy in terms of spelling. to tell you frankly, i have some colleagues who graduated with a high degree but does not have the full knowledge when it comes to spelling. since english is not their mother tongue. wherein, they are submitting their office reports having a misspelled words. but due to the cultural differences, they are being respected. hence, in this aspect, respect should be given, especially if the person in-front of you does not acknowledge english as their mother tongue.
@sishy7 (27167)
• Australia
14 Apr 12
Not necessarily; there may be many different reasons why they do it and I can't just stop respecting someone based on their spelling ability.
On the other hand, I do respect young people, especially teenagers, who have ability to spell and use grammar correctly in their writings despite the influence of today's technologies which very much encourage the use of 'shortened' words or sentences.
@kaypow (68)
• Canada
14 Apr 12
Hi, sishy,
In response to your post and to several others, let me assure you that by "losing respect", I did not mean a total loss of respect for someone just based on his or her spelling ability. I still respect this person as my elder, not to mention just as a fellow human being. I was mostly referring to a person being brought down a couple of proverbial pegs in my mind by consistently poor spelling and grammar.
On the subject of young people, I do not think you are alone! I am always happy and relieved to find a fellow young person for whom grammar and spelling are actually important, as opposed to "textspeak" and the other ways of garbling our language out there today, and I have frequently been met with genuine surprise upon having my writing read by someone older than me, who could not believe that I was not much older than I am.
1 person likes this
@Shazooo (296)
• Malaysia
7 Jul 12
Well, the thing is, it is natural to lose respect for those who's all grown up and still fail to spell simple words. Well, exclude the case that they are from countries that doesn't learn english. However, for me, I would lose respect for them for not being able to spell simple words, but i will respect them back if I start to communicate with them and find that they are friendly and humble because at the end of the day, however good you are able to spell but fail to be well mannered and kind hearted, people will lose respect for you anyway.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
28 Apr 12
I don't lose respect for the person because generally I don't hold them in any regard in the first place...most people here are basically strangers to me.
People being lazy and not correcting their errors irritates me no end though. Yes, none of us is perfect and we all make mistakes but many here do it and don't bother to fix things. There are many people here trying to learn to write English and a lot of us are setting them a really bad example. It makes me ashamed.
@vicky30 (4766)
• India
18 Apr 12
I do not lose respect for a person who cannot spell
. Maybe the person typed it in a hurry or he might have been busy. Since chat feature came on to the internet, people are using short forms which few people cannot understand. It took me some time to understand few of the words if i was regular at chat.
If the people do not come from an English background, there are chances that they came make mistakes. We just have to correct them patiently.
. Maybe the person typed it in a hurry or he might have been busy. Since chat feature came on to the internet, people are using short forms which few people cannot understand. It took me some time to understand few of the words if i was regular at chat.
If the people do not come from an English background, there are chances that they came make mistakes. We just have to correct them patiently.
@matersfish (6306)
• United States
16 Apr 12
I've always had a little bit of an aversion toward the grammar police!
On one hand, I try to write well. But that's out of habit more so than trying to make it a point. Because I earn my living writing, I've found that half the world is comprised of editors who demand that much. And since it's writing, it's perfectly understandable. They don't like contractions; they'll quickly go and point out a split infinitive. They hate reflexive pronouns. I don't like the nitpicking myself, but that's just me. I have to write well or I won't be paid!
On the other hand, it's OUR language! 
Who made the rules of language? Okay. I'll tell ya who! 
Highbrow, we're-better-than-you, silver-tongued, drawn-diction elitists who decided that the tone they took and the grammar they demonstrated was to be the standard for everyone.
That's totally contrary to how language developed. People created words. People still create words. And while I'll probably always write "dying" instead of "dieing," I'm really not ready to throw someone under the bus for doing it the other way.
If it's your profession to write well or if you're trying to ace a test, that's one thing. Facebookese and all the initialism (NOT acronyms 
) used to chat? Ahh....it ain't botherin' me none!
Who made the rules of language? Okay. I'll tell ya who!
Highbrow, we're-better-than-you, silver-tongued, drawn-diction elitists who decided that the tone they took and the grammar they demonstrated was to be the standard for everyone.
That's totally contrary to how language developed. People created words. People still create words. And while I'll probably always write "dying" instead of "dieing," I'm really not ready to throw someone under the bus for doing it the other way.
If it's your profession to write well or if you're trying to ace a test, that's one thing. Facebookese and all the initialism (NOT acronyms ) used to chat? Ahh....it ain't botherin' me none! 
@millertime (1394)
• United States
16 Apr 12
I think there are a lot of weird spellings in the English language and many opportunities to get it wrong. There are also many spellings that don't make a lot of sense. Your example of dieing and dying is a good example. When spelled die, it means the ending of life. The spelling dye refers to the coloring of something or the material to change the color of something, as in "dye that shirt blue" or "change the color of that shirt by using dye". Yet the spelling "dying" can be used for either. I can see how someone would use the spelling dieing to denote the ending of life rather than changing the color of fabric. Of course, the context would tend to make it clear too.
Anyway, here's another good example - there, their and they're. They misspelled and misused all the time. I don't always get bothered by an occasional misspelling in print but it would get annoying if the mistake was repeated over and over. It would be apparent at that point that it wasn't just an innocent slip.
It also depends a little on where the mistake is. If it's informal or inconsequential like here on MyLot, I would just overlook it, but if it was on a resume or job application that I was evaluating to hire someone, I would not be so forgiving.
On a side note, one of the things that I do find really annoying is when someone types without using any punctuation. I have received emails from people with absolutely no punctuation at all and it makes it really difficult to read and understand what they mean. I could forgive any misspelling if they would just use a period now and then. 
Oh well, I guess English skills are declining in today's society. It's a shame but I think that's the case, generally speaking. 
Oh well, I guess English skills are declining in today's society. It's a shame but I think that's the case, generally speaking. 
@TheDemonicAngel (699)
• United States
16 Apr 12
I don't lose respect at all for some who doesn't spell right.
My own mother has asked me how to spell something because when she wrote it out; it looked really weird to her. I don't ridicule her about it, she's getting older and I respect that at least she is trying to spell things correctly. I believe if the person is older just leave the alone; they have to try much harder than younger kids and young adults to spell words correctly.
If I am sitting in the dark on the computer I will spell a word or two wrong; that is just because of my sight (being legally blind).
We are in an age now that so many people think that just because you spell a word wrong you must not have a proper education; this isn't true because you just don't know what that person is going through or even why they spelled the word a weird way. Now if it was spelled wrong on purpose then I am a little concerned.
@workhomebased (77)
• Philippines
27 Apr 12
No. I am nat a grammer Nazi and I oftentimes misspell my words on perpose. LMAO But seriously, it is not a big deal if a person can't spell. To some people, it sure is.
