6 Top Blogger Spelling Mistakes
Blogs are all the rage these days, and with everyone and their grandma trying to maintain one – things are bound to get messy.
Whenever I browse a blog by someone whose name sounds natively English, I logically expect the author to write in proper English. No chatspeak, 1337speak and excessive grammar mistakes. Is that too much to ask? Apparently it is, so in an attempt to eradicate poor grammar on the web, I have compiled a list of the six most common spelling mistakes by bloggers.
This post is dedicated to those who slept during English classes; here is your chance for a brighter future (no kidding). Without further ado, below are the six most common spelling and grammar mistakes made by bloggers.
- Its and it’s: Its is used to describe a possessive relationship whereas it’s is short for it is.
Example
The cat chased its tail.
It’s currently raining. - There, their, and they’re: There describes a location, their describes a relationship of possession while they’re is short for they are.
Example
There stands Carl, let’s ask for his autograph!
Our neighbors are treating their new cat really well.
Watch out, they’re probably pretty upset. - Your and you’re: Your, again, is a possessive pronoun describing a relationship of possession while you’re is simple short for you are.
Example
Your breath stinks.
You’re an idiot. - Then and than: Then describes a kind of time relationship while than is used when comparing two or more objects.
Example
Back then, life was so simple.
I am better than you. - C and S: Contrary to popular belief, the letters c and s are not interchangeable. This means that the phrases resent blog post and common sence are incorrect.
- IGHT and ITE: Similar to the above, the letters ght can not be replaced with te, and vice versa.
Sight seeing can not be written as site seeing.
Alright is not spelled alrite.
Night is not nite.
Without pointing fingers or dropping names, remember that these are all real mistakes made by real, semi-established to established bloggers.
If you’re having problems with mistakes 1-4, stop using contractions. Spell two words instead of misspelling one and risking making a fool out of yourself. Mistakes five and six are harder to fix but also a lot more annoying, especially when A-list or wannabe A-list bloggers make these mistakes. It gives me a tingling sensation in my neck and the sudden urge to smash my mobile phone to the ground and throw the pieces out of the window. 
So please, start spelling properly. If I, someone whose first language isn’t English has made the effort, then you can too. 
June 13th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
It’s mistakes “five and six”, not “5 and 6″.
It’s “someone … has”, not “someone …. have”. OK, you’ve got a smiley at the end suggesting the mistake could have been intentional and you were testing us. I doubt it. Earlier, you talk about “everyONE and THEIR grandmas” - it’s a mistake you seem oblivious to.
Please don’t end sentences with “for”. Please also learn how to use a colon.
June 13th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Thanks for the corrections, I should’ve proofread better.
June 13th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
1) “A Lot” is spelled with two words
2) “Definitely” is not spelled with an ‘a’
June 13th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Have describes the action of I, not someone, so have is the proper word.
Granted his sentence should have been: If I, someone whose first language isn’t English, have made the effort (then) you can too.
June 13th, 2007 at 4:34 pm
@ Neal - Thanks for the contribution. They are pretty common mistakes as well. I used to spell definitely with an “a” all the time before.
June 13th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
>>Thanks for the corrections, I should’ve proofread better.
Excellent response, and the right attitude!
You’ve moved to: “If I, someone whose first language isn’t English has made the effort then you can too.”
That’s incorrect. Carl is right; if you want to maintain that sentence structure then you have to use “have”. My preference would have been to rewrite the sentence to not lead with “If”, or to use “someone … has” correctly.
June 13th, 2007 at 4:40 pm
I meant “Martin”, not “Carl”. Sorry
June 14th, 2007 at 12:40 am
Carl, nice article. A lot of times we make spelling mistakes without being aware of it. Just a shame that because you write something like this, you have people scanning every post to see if they can correct you on something! Everyone makes mistakes…. get over it!
June 18th, 2007 at 5:42 am
I came from where English is not the first language. I admit this is some of the errors that I have done quite frequent before. Hope I won’t repeat it next time.Thanks for the head up
June 25th, 2007 at 11:04 pm
[…] Pei has an interesting post about the 6 Top blogger spelling mistakes. I have to admit that I recognize most of the mistakes. I make them too often, try to correct them […]
June 29th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
No problem zaki, thanks for commenting!
July 1st, 2007 at 11:31 am
Howdy Carl!
I am as anal as you when it comes to spelling. Though, it’s hard to see the mistakes you make yourself; therefore, it may be a good idea to let someone else proof-read before publishing. I often find mistakes that I just can’t let slip in my posts so I simply go in and post-edit them.
August 25th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
I found this post via Google, checking the spelling of ’should’ve’. For some reason, my new and exciting Firefox 2.0.0.6 browser, which has a built-in spell checker, hits on ’should’ve’ as being incorrectly spelled.
Hmmmm….bug, I suppose.
August 25th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
Here’s a site that you may enjoy….
http://astro.temple.edu/~bstavis/courses/spell.htm
September 8th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I find most mistakes are due to laziness rather than stupidity.
June 4th, 2008 at 12:19 am
You forgot the worst of all - ‘would of’ and ‘could of’ everyone knows it should be ‘would ov’ and ‘could ov’