Why can't ANYONE spell???????

Question

Am I the only one who notices that this is becoming an epidemic?!! I mean, I saw someone the other day spell "erase" as "earace"! Do people drop out of elementary school now? What is going on????

Answer 1

I teach middle school and my students come to me at a second and third grade level. (Some even lower)

Their parents are terrible!

Answer 2

The way our English language is put together no wonder people have trouble. Except for the extra 'a' that got thrown into the mix, "earace" isn't that far off phonetically. The letter "c' before "e" sounds like "s". Also I think I've heard it pronounced "ear-race" so funny as it looks and sounds to some of us there are reasons, not excuses for the words that are spelled incorrectly. I think spelling check is a blessing. I've learn to spell a lot of words using that, my hand held spelling check and the dictionary. There are many other words I see that are spelled phonetically correct or (almost), but actually incorrect. As was mentioned there are typos and you can not go back and change a word in a question. But I do wish people took time to use spelling check. Now I hope I caught my mistakes. :o

Answer 3

I know. I don't get it either. Spelling itself doesn't bug me really, I have trouble with some words myself. It's the fact that you don't have to be able to write to get into college these days. And, it's the way people use the language. They can say so many words without saying anything at all. People think knowing large words and using them in chains is good practice these days, but it's lazy english. I can say more in two words than some people can say in a million. There's always gonna be spellchecks in the future, but you can't push a button and have an insightful thought form. So, bad spelling doesn't bug me. It's people who use fancy words to say nothing that really bug me. Who cares if kid's can't spell? Is that what's important about language? No. It's the craft that is beautiful. Shakespeare MADE HIS OWN WORDS! He bent the language to his will and many of his words are still used today. That's what language is all about. I won't give a list of the words because frankly, I can't remember them. All I remember was thinking "Shakespeare made all these words?". They were all such common words. I was like "How did we say (insert word here) before Shakespeare?" And I guess we didn't. That's what language is all about.


So I guess what really bugs me, is people who put more emphasis on spelling than, the language itself. Ironic. You were probably agreeing with me until you read this paragraph. But let me tell you why. We have computers that can spell for us. The smartest computer in the world has intelligence equivalent to a toddler- at best. The ability to spell is not indicative of ones intelligence. It's the ability to speak with precision, clarity, and poise that is.

I didn't use spell check once while writing this.

Answer 4

Many people write in shorthand - especially on sites like this. However there does seem to be an epidemic of younger people who have been allowed to get away with spelling things phonetically through their school days and then walk away as semi-literate graduates because they don't know any different. I blame teachers that allow this to happen. Correct spelling is like good manners - it takes just a little effort and it makes the people we are dealing with so much happier!

Answer 5

This is one of the disasters of children doing all their work on computers from elementary school on to college. It does the spellcheck for them and they never have to learn to spell.
The same with cash registers that automatically give the change and teachers that allow calculators in classrooms from elementary school on to college.
It's really sad, to get to college and have a roommate who's computer goes down and they freak because they can't write a paper without it! Or going to a drive-thru at the local fast-food place and the cashier takes your money, then pulls out their calculator, and after getting an answer, still struggles to count out the correct change to match what the calculator told them!

Kids should have to learn the basics: reading, writing, and arithmetic, before they ever put a finger on a computer. Otherwise they grow up to be computer whiz illiterates!!!

Answer 6

I agree - I think a lot of it is laziness. There is a spell check here (as well is in most places). There are times I misspell things, but it is more likely that I am using the wrong spelling such as their verses there, which spell check does not catch.

I tend to skip questions that the person could not take the time to write properly. If it is going to take more time to figure out what they are saying than answering the questions, I don't bother.

Answer 7

naught evaryone can bea as purfact az Amanda. :)

"Seriously though,My friend is a 9th grade teacher and found out her student was iliterate. It's outrageous teachers have been just pushing him through the system....it's sad and scary. You'd be surprised at the amount of people in your own everyday life that can't read or write and have drivers licenses, families and good jobs.

But if you are talking about typos....it happens when people type fast.

Answer 8

I don't know if they do it because they are thinking they are abbreviating what they are writing or feel creative because they are making up their own spellings but sometimes I won't even answer a question if the spelling is that bad.

Answer 9

It isn't required of anyone anymore, especially in this forum. Correct punctuation seems to be going the way of the dinosaur as well. Be assured you have company in recognizing this atrocity. Isn't this why there is spellcheck?

Answer 10

no its just that nowadays we all rely on computers and tech to do all the spelling and math for us...thats what the word is coming down to...relying on technology. I mean what is it to just "spell check" something now right??? I agree with you though. ^_^