Texts to mom. Emails to your boss. Resumes. Cover letters. Job applications. Orthography is everywhere, and, even if you’re a master speller, most folks have that one word that has proven to be their spelling kryptonite.
Now for a little good news. There’s a secret to skirting those spelling speed bumps without revealing your fatal flaw: substitute a synonym.
diarrhea
Diarrhea. I'm an ER nurse. I have to write that word a LOT.
— Traci (@amansnivis) July 27, 2018
Unfortunately, even Thesaurus.com can’t ward off a case of diarrhea. But, we can give you some options to describe what’s been keeping you in the bathroom all weekend:
- Montezuma’s revenge
- the runs
- the trots
WATCH: Trumps Misspellings On Twitter Drive Searches
necessary
Necessary.
— Kim Kovarik (@KimKovarik1941) July 27, 2018
Are there two Ss? Or, is necessary like occasion with the double c and single s?
You could use this mnemonic to remember how to spell it: “A shirt has one collar and two sleeves.” But, it’s not always necessary to write this one out. Try slipping one of these synonyms in its place instead:
- crucial
- fundamental
- imperative
- indispensable
- mandatory
- needed
separate
Do you spell it "seperate" too?
— Susan 🏳️🌈 (@AdorkableWriter) July 28, 2018
Separate yourself from the shame of stumbling over this commonly misspelled word. Choose one of these options instead:
- free
- independent
- isolated
- detached
- disassociated
definitely
Definitley.
Dammit.
— Annmarie – That Girl (@Middleinamerica) July 28, 2018
Sure, you could just remind yourself that this word has “finite” in the middle, but if it’s so complicated do you really need to write it out. Most definitely not, especially when you can pull up Thesaurus.com’s ways to write around it:
- absolutely
- clearly
- decidedly
- finally
- obviously
- surely
- undeniably
- unquestionably
committee
Committee…have to look it up every time, including before I posted this tweet.
— Carlos Murillo (@switchingtime) July 27, 2018
You could try recalling that a committee is made up of multiple people, so you might as well double up on the M, the T, and the E. Or, you could call on any of these folks to help you out:
- panel
- task force
- commission
acquiesce
acquiesce. WHY SO MANY Cs ??? ITS AWFUL but the word is so pretty
— ? festive shrub (@GrandCacti) July 27, 2018
We concur that it can be tough to remember all of those Cs in acquiesce. Good thing you’ve got another way to say it:
- cave in
- comply
- concur
- conform
- give in
- go along
restaurant
Restaurant…and my hubs is in the business 🤦🏽♀️
— Shawn Bowers Buxton (@ShawnBowWow) July 28, 2018
Grab your fork, and dive into these other places to eat:
- dining room
- outlet
- joint
- eatery
vacuum
Vacuum.
I'm surprised I don't see anyone saying ridiculous. I see that spelled wrong *all* the time
— We Won't Be Silenced? (@darlinshel) July 28, 2018
It’s not ridiculous to have trouble spelling the word vacuum, we promise. If you’re using the word to talk about your least favorite cleaning appliance … we don’t have many other options for you. But, if you’re talking about “a space entirely devoid of matter” then try these synonyms out instead:
- nothingness
- gap
exercise
Exercise – always want to put the c after the x
— Lauren (@LKottis) July 28, 2018
There’s a way around that awkward C and X conundrum. Throw on a pair of sneakers, and:
- work out
- condition
- limber up
embarrassing
Embarassing or embarrassing? Lol
— katrina grace (@moonkat__) July 28, 2018
There’s nothing embarrassing about writing your way around embarrassing. Try one of these to save yourself the red face:
- awkward
- confusing
- disconcerting
- distressing
- perplexing
- puzzling
- shameful
