Can you tell the difference between typos and spelling errors?

Question

When people correct spellings on line, they sometimes make comments about the person not knowing the spelling, when it is actually a 'typo'. The difference being, a typing error is when the hand hits the wrong key although the mind knows the spelling.

Typical 'typo' signals are:
- double letter reverse (e.g. ball becomes blaa);
-Slight mis-ordering (close becomes colse);
-Leaving out or typing one letter twice;
-Hitting nearby letters instead of the intended one (no becomes bo, or bno).

Just asking because I can spell (I mis-typed that splell) but Can't (acn't) type too well. I do recognise typos when I see them though, and mention them as 'typos', without telling the person they 'can't spell'. You can see the difference by looking at the word then your keyboard, plus mis-spells often have sound patterns which typos don't.

Can you tell the difference?

In the UK, mis-typed and mis-spelled are hyphenated. I'm a literacy teacher and am also aware that the rules differ in the US (because I used to have to 'translate' university colleagues' work into 'English' English when I was at University).

The above should read 'may be'. It is a flexible rule as it was never decided by the O.E.D.

My grandmother was a stenographer during the war and she used the term 'typo'. It isn't some new-fangled excuse; although the fashion for claiming 'old fashioned values' constantly appears to be.

Answer 1

Yes, I can tell the difference.
If someone typed "Why ate there no good spellers?" I can tell that 'ate' is a typo because the 't' and the 'r' are next to each other and the typist just hit the wrong key.

If someone typed "Why are their no good spellers?" I can see that the typist's grammar is poor.

If someone typed "Why are there no good spellars?" I can see that the typist is not a good speller.
.

Answer 2

In response to the question..."How old are you?", asked by the fourth responder (If I remember correctly) going by the name :). So, it's just us "Old Folks" That like to try and make it easier for the reader to actually get the message, by using punctuation and using proper spelling. Chat is one thing. I use all of the little acronyms there, too. However, when I am trying to make a point or communicate an idea, I want the reader to know what I am saying. Maybe you're right, ":)", maybe I'm just too damned old and weird to even try to communicate with you youngsters. Too bad. We may have learned something from one another. Then again, probably not.

Answer 3

Yes, I can tell the difference, because of too many years of being a copy editor/proofreader in college. I not only worked on the school's newspapers in the schools I attended, but had an internship at my local newspaper once I graduated. I was told the time I was there they had the fewest errors ever. I also not only typed my own term papers, but nearly everyone else's on campus as well (I not only caught the misspelled words, but also the grammar mistakes, etc.) and usually got the other person a much better grade. All I had to use was an electric typewriter, by the way.
PS: "Misspelled" is not hyphenated, nor is "mistyped". :)

Answer 4

I can type, but sometimes I appear to be dyslexic when using the keyboard. (I blame the keyboard). Words which are incorrect but have all the right letters should be put down to typos. However, I understand why people use Yahoo Answers, when they could get the answer using their search engine. Spelling which is really 'creative' is difficult to understand.
Spell checkers are not fool-proof. I can put texts through my spell-checker, but, for example, it accepts 'form' when it should be 'from' and 'of' when it should be 'off'.
If I have time I do a quick visual scan before I send a text. Sometimes, if the text is important, I'll print it and check it out. Sometimes it's easier to see mistakes on paper.

Answer 5

Yes.
If it's a typographical error the letters can be jumbled sometimes (as mentioned above) or you may have just pressed the wrong key (eg. physicak).
A poor speller would spell a lot of words incorrectly throughout a composition.
So I say, don't worry about it. You know you didn't commit a mistake. The person that made a remark is just ignorant. "Forgive them for they do not know what they are doing." ;)

Answer 6

Typos are usually the result of hitting the wrong keys (especially when in a hurry), whereas spelling errors are misunderstanding of how to spell a word. It's fairly easy to tell the difference as you have indicated in your question above.

Answer 7

Not sure I'd spend that long looking, but I am glad that YA give you a double chance to spot any. I think that people who don't use that chance & send answers (or even issue questions) with typo's are just rude. (spelling mistakes are something diff, my spelling is atrocious)

Answer 8

Yes You can tell the difference, I consider a typo a worf, (word), that's a typo, sometimes people misuse a word,
Like, They went over their. (there) is the correct word, so even if you put spell check on this it won't show a mistake.

Answer 9

Yes.

Answer 10

Typos are syntax errors whereas spelling is using incorrect letters that have the same phonetical sound