August 31, 2007 - Annoint*

Annoint* is a "high probability" typo on the Ballard list because it's highly probable that people can't spell it. You won't scratch if you don't itch. Like Innoculate for inoculate, we sometimes think if a little is good, then more is better. There are 25 cases of Annoint* in OhioLINK, and only 467 of anoint*, which is a fairly high wrong-to-right ratio. Many typos, strictly speaking, are not typos at all, but intentionally spelled words, misspelled. This can be a real problem. Last Sunday's New York Times ran an op-ed mea culpa on the subject of its numerous name errors. It seems they make the same ones repeatedly (necessitating a memo asking if reporters know how to spell Gonzales) and egregiously (their boss's name, Sulzberger, has proved persistently troublesome). The possibility of keeping a names database or customized spell checker was raised in the article, prompting one to urge them, if a bit unctuously, to apply this saving salve. Meanwhile, let's hope the Old Gray (Grey?) Lady isn't forced to change her motto to: "All the news that's fit to misprint." (Ointment is an "itinerant collective of artists working in Live and interdisciplinary Art practices, based in West Wales.")

Carol Reid

August 30, 2007 - Dictionaire*

With 163 hits in OhioLINK, Dictionaire* is a typo of "highest probability" on the Ballard list. When written in the plural (Dictionaires), it's usually a simple case of letter inversion. However, only 15 of these are typos for the word dictionaries; most are for the singular French form (dictionnaire). The French language has no monopoly on this sort of confusion, though. We have trouble with n-words like this in English too. Is it "questionaire" or "questionnaire"? "Millionaire" or "millionnaire"? Good question. Give up? It's questionnaire with two n's and millionaire with one. (Maybe Regis should have asked contestants the question, "How do you spell millionaire?" before they could be declared one.) There may be no easy way to remember these, but remember this: You can always look them up in le dictionnaire.

Carol Reid

August 29, 2007 - Americam*

In last week's blog entry for Ameeri*, we "did not recall" that there were plenty of other anti-American typos as well. The usual suspects, deemed "high probability" risks on the Ballard list, include: Ameica*, Amerca*, Amercia*, Ameria*, Americam*, and Americn*. All of these are worth keeping an eye on. The following variants should be surveilled as well: Aamer*, Ameirca*, Amercic*, Amereic*, Ammeric*, and Americs. Whether you consider Ralph Nader a true American or a traitor to his country, it's interesting to note that, according to the film An Unreasonable Man, Nader shot to national prominence after noticing one day that he was being followed and chatted up (they didn't have camcorders back then) by a GM snoop hired to dig up some dirt on the celibate and single-minded crusader. While some feel Nader reached his nadir in 2000 when he stubbornly insisted on running for president, it's clear that he holds himself to a very high standard and, in our own small way, we should try and do the same. A snapshot taken of alien Americans in my library's catalog today exposed at least 30 of these typos.

Carol Reid

August 28, 2007 - Countires

All countries run on tires, but if you tried to count them all, you would quickly run out of steam. We buy tires, change tires, kick tires, rotate tires, and recycle tires. If you laid them end to end (do tires have ends?), they'd probably roll all the way to the moon, and then back by an alternate route. On the other hand, it's easy to count all the Ballard list typos for country and countries, given that there are only two: Counrty and Countires. They swing "high" and "low," respectively, in terms of probability. OhioLINK also sports five cases of Counry and seven of Counries. (Photo from the California Waste Tire Enforcement website.)

Carol Reid

August 27, 2007 - Requirm*

There are earthworms in the garden, and gummy worms in the tummy, and Richard Scarry's "Lowly Worm" in his snazzy red apple car, but when it comes to our favorite form of fun, nothing beats the requisite bookworm. I still have my orange wooden bookworm pin from the library's recreational reading club I belonged to as a kid. A "bookworm," you should know, is not only a voracious reader, but a voracious eater as well, wreaking havoc in the stacks if left unchecked. Much the same may be said of the "high probability" typo Requirm* and the numerous related pests that have wormed their way onto the Ballard list: Requr*, Requiremens*, Requiremet*, Requiremn*, and Requierm*. (Bookworm pic comes from Blog at WordPress.com.)

Carol Reid

August 24, 2007 - Acadam*

In a bit of of ivy-covered irony, Acadam* (registering 52 times in OhioLINK) is in the "high probability" class of typographical errors. While its pronunciation tends to militate against the misspelling of academic, there's no similar hedge when it comes to mistaking Acadamy for academy. Google searches on the right and wrong spellings of this word returned results in about a 70 to 1 ratio. The Ballard list also includes Adadem*, a typo of "highest probability," along with the less frequently occuring Academc*, Academeic*, Academay, and Academey. Now, how about taking a study break with some excellent nuts that deserve all of their A's? (Pictured are a bunch of promising young macadamias ripening on the bough.)

Carol Reid

August 23, 2007 - Ameeri*

While I could have illustrated this entry with a picture of a Middle Eastern prince, or Snow White's looking glass, or a soupçon of ... something, I decided instead to go with the cutest animals to have their own reality show, Meerkat Manor. Despite their "mob" mentality, meerkats (a type of mongoose) stand tall and proud, just like a lot of Americans. So don't go spelling it meercat, Buster. In fact, if meerkats could read, they'd probably make great proofreaders, given how hilariously hyper-vigilant they are. Ameeri* (for America, etc.) is a "high probability" typo on the Ballard list, popping up 24 times in OhioLINK. (Now, if those were meerkats, would that be two dozen mongooses or mongeese?)

Carol Reid