Hardest common words for you to spell

[pinball1970]

tsk? Or the big reference on the web comes from the book "Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema who uses tlick. Though, I think it is to define the clicking sound heard in some African languages.

What about G-up or Giddy-up?

 

[Mark44]

"Dining" as in "dining room". I often spell it "dinning" and the spell checkers don't object.

The double consonant after an i vowel usually changes the vowel's sound, and similar for some other vowels, although I can't think of any examples.

So slimer (think Ghostbusters) would be pronounced differently from slimmer -- long i in the first, and short i in the second. Another example would be griper vs. gripper, or miler vs. miller.

 

[sysprog]

The double consonant after an i vowel usually changes the vowel's sound, and similar for some other vowels, although I can't think of any examples.

An example would be 'below' and 'bellow'. Also 'folic' and 'follow'.

 

[Hornbein]

lieutenant

 

[Astronuc]

TIL, cleidoic meaning of an egg. : enclosed in a relatively impervious shell which reduces free exchange with the environment. The eggs of birds are cleidoic.

 

[Mark44]

lieutenant

Not so hard if you understand the origin...

from Old French lieu tenant "substitute, deputy," literally "place holder" (14c.), from lieu "place" (see lieu) + tenant, present participle of tenir "to hold,"

 

[Hornbein]

Not so hard if you understand the origin...

So a lieutenant is a substitute for a leader.

 

[sysprog]

So a lieutenant is a substitute for a leader.

In the Army, not only a Lieutenant, but a Sergeant or a Corporal or a Private First Class, can and should, if he's of the highest rank still alive, take command on the field of battle.

 

[DaveC426913]

In the Army, not only a Lieutenant, but a Sergeant or a Corporal or a Private First Class, can and should, if he's of the highest rank still alive, take command on the field of battle.

Maybe so, but thanks to Mark44 and his mnemonic, I will never again not know how to spell lieutenant.

(Now if only there were a mnemonic for spelling lieu...

 

[Mark44]

Maybe so, but thanks to Mark44 and his mnemonic, I will never again not know how to spell lieutenant.

It wasn't a mnemonic -- what I gave was the etymology.

(Now if only there were a mnemonic for spelling lieu...

Isn't French one of the two main languages where you are? Lieu is a French word that's now part of English.

 

[DaveC426913]

It wasn't a mnemonic -- what I gave was the etymology.

Fair enough. I'm using it as a mnemonic.

Isn't French one of the two main languages where you are? Lieu is a French word that's now part of English.

Why would you think I'm any better at spelling in French than in English?

 

[gmax137]

So a lieutenant is a substitute for a leader.

Right, like when you see "Lieutenant Governor"

 

[sbrothy]

There are some words even though not really difficult often require me to spell check in Google. For me it's "maintenance", "ecstasy", "conscience", "entrepreneur", "unnecessary".

"Necessary" is a problem child of mine. But then again English is my second language. (Which doesn't prevent me from beating the natives in scrabble. I don't know who(m?) that says most about? Probably the small weird (weird small?) 2-3 letter words no one ever use(s?).