What is it with all of the constant spelling errors?

Question

I know people are probably going to say I'm a little pr!ck for asking this, but honestly, why do so many people make such horrendous errors? Let me disarm some wrath by saying that everyone makes some mistakes every now and then, especially when they are trying to write out an answer quickly. Also, I've gotten some wonderful replies from people who might not have the best spelling, but it is obvious that they are intelligent and well educated; spelling is not everyone's forte, I know.

What bothers me is the fact that some answers on here are nearly positively incomprehensible. Is the general level of education declining to such extent that mediocrity---and worse than mediocrity---is the acceptable standard? I've also noticed that those who pontificate the most, who give the most pompous answers(usually in the religion section), are among the worst spellers.

Please bear in mind that I'm referring to the minority, but it is a glaring minority. Anyone else agree?

Answer 1

Sir, May i stste publickly that this is the firsth tyme i ahve replied to any answer. Actually in the church to whom i am aquainted with ,I am irreversibly prouned as an ackecimic. - I think the y callled me that anyways.
Wlee on behalf of holy people every where - i just want to state that i seem to be goin around in circles here.
Ahem yes - you wil all burn in hell. Read Tom sawyer ( page 175 in which the widda Douglas eats ice cream. -I merely mention this as i lost my bibel yesterday so I need to qote someting.
Imcomrhe incrompreh that word you said - grossy unfair .
Go to church or at least visit aTopless bar - everyon need to be fleeced oof there cash.
May I finish by stating categoricalley that selfe abuse has mad my fingers swell - and typing is just as touf as spelling at this stsge
Repent or as least withdraw that insult to horrendus errorors everywhere

Answer 2

I grit my teeth a lot these days over this, too. Some thoughts:

1. Most people in the world don't have English as their first language, and many are still trying to learn.

2. Text-messaging is destroying the language. (Some schools are even allowing students to turn in papers wrtn in txt. [mks me wna scrm!!!])

3. Many people barely reach a level of functional literacy, perhaps due to laziness, indifference, limited aptitude, or other constraint.

4. Haste, emotion, and other factors reduce the amount of attention paid to grammar and spelling errors.

5. Some people know it's an easy way to tick off the perfectionists among us.

6. I'm sure there are more, but these seem like the most obvious explanations, anyway.

(Okay, EDIT:
7: Societal emphasis on self esteem over self respect.)

Answer 3

I agree completely. And it's not just here where the errors occur. Go to any online news article and you will see horrendous errors in spelling as well as in grammar. I think that education does have a bearing. However, I think the advent of the pc along with more individuals who lack formal typing keyboard skills contributes to the majority of the mistakes. I also think that many people rely too heavily on spell-check programs. While they will find some errors, they typically do not spot contextual ones where the spelling varies (ie. too, to) according to how a word is used. I think more people should take greater pride in language arts and their ability to communicate effectively.

Answer 4

It's easy to slip up... especially if you're trying to answer quickly, but some people seem to make the same mistakes over and over, so it seems to be the acceptable standard.
"I before e, except after c " can be hard to remember at times, but it just seems that some people "sound out" a word and don't bother to proof-read or use spell check

Here in Australia, some teachers will accept any homework paper that can be "deciphered", saying that the student got their point across, and that's all that counts. That's not good enough in my book, and my kids think I'm a "pita".... but too bad. ( I'm a family daycare provider who helps the kids with their homework every night)

"My favrit flayver is choclit frawgs, and I writ a storie about it" (written by a 13 year old girl, btw) may get the point across, but what about having to work out there in the big world when they grow up? They can't just sound out words and expect that they will be able to compete in the future job market. Or can they ? Will it become the accepted norm ?
Standards aren't what they used to be, and it frustrates me no end.

Okay... stepping off my old lady soapbox now.

Answer 5

It basically comes down to this: a lot of people simply don't care about spelling in this forum. Quite a few people don't care in ANY situation, but it is especially true here. The only point here is to express yourself, and the spelling doesn't mean a thing in many of those cases. This forum is essentially treated more like a conversation.

To make it worse, there are many people on here that are simply not natural English speakers. Sometimes people are on here spelling poorly and making no sense, but it is simply that their English is not that good.

That said, I am in total agreement with you that sometimes the answers and questions are incomprehensible. Often spelling is the least of their worries. But I don't think most of these people really care what we think about their spelling. That is not why they are here.

Answer 6

To you and Sanityisbeyondme: Spell Check doesn't pick up all spelling errors (what so ever) and neither does grammar check. It would be wonderful if people would preview what they write and then edit before submitting. I have answered similar questions many times and I have read many similar complaints. People still don't realize that they are judged by the way they write. If they speak ungrammatically, they're (there, their) not going to write grammatically. Still, let's have some mercy. The above example giving three ways of spelling just one homonym indicates the difficulty of spelling in English. The Spell Check will consider all three of them correct.

Answer 7

While I see how your query can be seen as a rant, I also absolutely agree with you. The worst is the people who leave uneducated answers and also cannot spell! I think the computer age and spell check have really hindered the spelling ability in today's youth. I also share your frustration with the religious members that "pontificate" and preach all over yahoo answers. I say live and let live....no one wants to have views forced upon them

Answer 8

I agree. I wonder if they are so obsessed with proving their intelligence, they reach for the longer words to impress their audience and then misspell it because they don't use it in everyday speech.
Then there are the hopeless cases with their semi-text sentences that begin "me and my bf r fighting" that makes one wonder if a sledgehammer might be in order.
I have seen many people point out there is a spell-check button but I have yet to see it. I rely on the old standby, Webster's dictionary.

Answer 9

I agree. It really drives me nuts to see how badly some spelling and grammar is these days. There is a spell check for a reason and for those who you can not understand what so ever I think they need to go back to school and get a better education or if they are still in school pay more attention and quit being a damn idiot.

Answer 10

two problems.

1) people want to get as many answers down and feel a small error or two is not going to affect the ability to read the question.

2) Spell Check doesn't always function