Learning English pronunciation and spelling is, to put it mildly, quite difficult. When you first glance at a word, you may assume it is misspelled before realizing it is not. Which word do you find challenging to write before using the dictionary or autocorrect? These words appear to be misspelled but aren’t.
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Colonel
This word is pronounced as kuh-nuhl, so it definitely looks misspelled when written ‘colonel.’ It turns out colonel is a French-derived word.
Bologna
Is this word pronounced baloney or bolonya? Some people vote for the former, while others are convinced it is the latter, sparking debate online. Regardless, its correct spelling is bologna.
Queue
All letters after the initial Q are silent, yet the word is spelled as queue. One commentator jokes, “Maybe they’re just waiting for the Q to finish, so it will be their turn to make a sound.”
Wednesday
“I hate that word. I always struggle to write it,” says a user. Another adds, “I’m a 30-year-old man, and I say ‘We-ns-day’ every time, but I have to spell it ‘Wednesday.’”
A different user shares, “As a native Spanish speaker, I pronounced the ‘d’ for like 10 years until someone finally corrected me.”
Segue
“I knew the word pronounced as ‘seg-way’ existed and what it meant. I just assumed it would be spelled like the transportation device. I don’t know why I never connected the two,” explains a commentator. Many users admit they also made the same mistake.
Worcestershire
Users also admit that Worcestershire looks misspelled, with some admitting to spelling it “Worchestershire.” However, a huge debate arises on the correct word’s pronunciation, with some saying it is pronounced wuh-ster-sher, wuh-sta-sha, and wuss-ter-sher.
One commentator, however, comes up with a sensible way to ease pronunciation, “Throw away the ‘ce.’ This applies to other words like Leicester and Gloucester that are pronounced without the ‘ce.’
Guaranteed
“I always have to use auto-correct for this word,” complains a commentator. And he isn’t alone. “It always ends up ‘garenteed’. Then I’m like, no, it needs a ‘u.’ So it becomes ‘gauranteed’ or ‘garuenteed’. Still no idea, so I just end up googling it,” explains another.
Phlegm
It is pronounced as ‘flem’ yet written as ‘phlegm,’ which makes people think it is misspelled.
Twelfth
One user writes, “I don’t think I have ever spelled that word correctly. Either I have never written it out, or just put 12th, or autocorrect has saved me for years.” A different commentator points out that forty also looks misspelled because ‘four’ comes with a ‘u.’
Subpoena
Next is subpoena. “I thought it was ‘cepina’ for the longest time,” admits a poster. This unique spelling is because “a lot of English judicial words are French, dating back from the rule of William the Conqueror and the Norman takeover of England.”
Indict
Indict is another word of French origin that users think looks misspelled. “Why is it spelled this way?” wonders a commentator.
Subtle
A post reads, “I think some words were part of a spelling reform that took place in the 15th century that strove to retain supposed Latin etymologies, so words like subtle, doubt, island, and aisle were born.”
Source: Reddit
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