words that never look like they're spelled right.

[acroyear]

My collection of words I always misspell is rather large, and not just 'cause my left hand out-types my right (resulting in teh and taht).  There are just certain words that simply never look right no matter what combination of phonetically applicable letters I throw at them.

Arrange is a big one.  I simply can't avoid wanting to stick an I in there - Arrainge - 'cause the "ng" is *two* letters between a and the closing e which serves to soften the g sound and avoid the normal -ng ending sound.  By all the laws we're taught in first grade, that e should not also cause the long-a sound.

I've got others I'll think of and add to this list but feel free to add your own in comments...

Update:  Separate is one on my list, so is celebrity (since its a variant of Celebrate, I want an a there and not an i).  Similar to that is variant itself which as a variant of variety, could do just as well to keep the e instead of the a there.

Comments

[cozit.livejournal.com]

Naw... you've just lived in Virginia too long, and want to make the harder vowel shift for the 'a' and emphasize that twang :-)

Curriculum is my annoying one currently... but not because of phonetics... it just *looks* like it should only be curriculm, even if it wouldn't sound right read out that way.

[fiona64.livejournal.com]

Separate.

I have to think about it each and every time, since my phonics-trained head says it should be "sepErate."

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

that one's ALWAYS on my list.

[supergoober.livejournal.com]

Lately, I've been typing "their" and "thier" over and over again, trying to remember which is correct, and I could have sworn I'd conquered that one years ago!

[ladyaelfwynn.livejournal.com]

The word that always gives me trouble is "occasionally"; I want to spell it "occaisionally". Sometimes, I want to double the "s". Without that "i" there is nothing that give the long "a" sound.

Thank goodness for spell check!

[tyrus.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure why, but I tend to want to put an i in signature, spelling signiature

[sequentialscott.livejournal.com]

I always have trouble with "missspelled".

My pet peeve, inasmuch as I care, is "definitely." Not "definately."

[fiona64.livejournal.com]

My pet peeve, inasmuch as I care, is "definitely." Not "definately."

To that, I will add the frequently seen variations on pregnant (not committed by me, I assure you): pregnate, pregant, preganant.