Posted by Hoyt Smith on June 16, 2009
Yesterday, on the anniversary of Dan Quayle’s 
1992 run in with the word “potato”, recent survey results were published in the UK about some tricky English words. the word “definitely” (I just misspelled it as I wrote this. sheesh) A spokesman for researchers OnePoll.com said: “So many of us seem unable to spell. Considering people judge others, yet don’t like their intelligence to be judged by how well they spell, they should up their game and pick up a dictionary.” Here is the tricky Top 10
1. Definitely (Definately) 2. Sacrilegious (Sacreligious) 3. Indict (Indite) 4. Manoeuvre (Maneouvre) 5. Bureaucracy (Beaurocracy) 6. Broccoli (Brocolli) 7. Phlegm (Phleghm) 8. Prejudice (Predjudice) 9. Consensus (Conscensus) 10.Unnecessary (Unecessary)
Regarding “potato” online listener Virginia Cuenca had a good comment in an email “I think the confusion derives from singular (potato): without the letter e; plural (potatoes), with e”
hs
Interesting, but why the British spelling of Maneuver? Only got 8 right, didn’t take credit for maneuver… In my younger years spent many hours on watch in a box we called the “maneuvering room.”
Comment by dan — June 16, 2009 @ 7:36 pm
It was great to hear Betsy’s voice yesterday! I missed the announcement of her retirement and didn’t know why she had “disappeared”. Thanks for playing all the great music! All my radios are tuned to KDFC and I’ve been listening ever since that “other” classical station went off the air.
Comment by Theresa — June 19, 2009 @ 7:44 am
Mr. Smith – thank you for your comments on the wonderful experience you had in Paris. My family went to Paris in April 2009. What a wonderful 10 days we had. Traveling all over with the Metro and train. If I were single, I would move to Paris in a heart beat. I used my high school/college French, but found that most everyone would assist us in English. It is very important for everyone to smile and put their best foot forward. You get what you give! Thank you for your positive comments.
Comment by Patricia — July 14, 2009 @ 8:13 am