Keywords
Spelling, words, English language
Document Type
Essay
Description
While I love the English language, I have found that creative orthography is the only way I can express mysel£ Don't get me wrong, variety is pleasing, but I rarely do it on purpose. In my defense, there are some uncommon words that are notoriously difficult to spell-cymotrichous (relating to having wavy hair) and smaragdine (relating to emeralds or their color) would fall into this category. Even Microsoft Word flags those words as incorrect, and any Spelling Bee contestant would start to sweat if a judge picked them. But then there are common words that always make me think twice, even if they are not overly complex. These include minuscule, bologna, and fuchsia. The only explanation I can give for those spellings is the arbitrary nature oflanguage itself and English's habit of stealing things from other nations (ricochet, I'm looking at you). Unfortunately, those are understandable stumbling blocks, but I have also been known to commit the most basic of errors with words like definitely, guard, and separate. I take solace in the BYU-approved version of Andrew Jackson's quote: "It's a [dang] poor mind that can think of only one way to spell a word."
Recommended Citation
Guajardo, Paul
(2020)
"Ode to Spell Cheak,"
Inscape: Vol. 40:
No.
2, Article 6.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/inscape/vol40/iss2/6