June 19, 2007 - Psued*

A popular pseudo-spelling of the word pseudonym is Psuedonym: the Ballard list puts Psued* in its "highest probability" category with 114 hits on OhioLINK. A tendency to reverse those first two vowels may be partly due to the embedded name Sue, which would be a suitable pseudonym for a girl. And if there really were a boy named "Sue," perhaps he'd spell it "Psue"—and then sue his parents for naming him that. At any rate, for a corrective mnemonic, let's try this: A pseudonym is not a real name. So it should be Seu, not Sue. Or else tell yourself that it's like Dr. Seuss, a pseudonym for Theodor Geisel.

Carol Reid