Homophones and Typos Hurt Your Writing

The dictionary: refine- to remove impurities and imperfections. to make more pure.

Like a blacksmith with heat, hammer and anvil; we work the written word purifying all spelling errors to bring clarity to your message and voice. I have been doing this kind of work for all types of literature, fiction and non-fiction, casual and technical. For over 40 years I have refined many types of spelling errors which fall into 4 main categories:

1. Misspelled words- words that are commonly caught by the spellcheckers on our computers. Some computers apparently do not have a spellchecker or the writer chooses not to use it. I see this type of error quite frequently.

2. Misplaced words- words that are correctly spelled but used in the wrong context. Most spellcheckers are not very good at context.

3. Missing words- words that are not there, but should be.

4. Multiple words- a word used too too many times in a sentence; as in this sentence.

Of these errors, #2 is my favorite. There are many reasons that these errors are so prevalent, not the least of is that the English language is such a hodgepodge of bits and pieces of other languages, it is full of words that sound alike. These words are known as homophones.

Homophones that nearly everybody might be familiar with includes: to, too, two, or do, due, and dew. There are a lot of them in our everyday life, one of my favorites is right, write, rite, and wright. Quadruple homophones, as rare as a four leaf clover.

Because so many of us have become accustomed to thinking like we speak, we write what we hear in our head without taking cognizance of the proper spelling.

The downside here is that we are constantly represented by our written words, if these words are not accurate then we have not put our best foot forward. We may find that the first impression we give is the only opportunity we get. Poor spelling can cause us not just problems, but can cause us unanticipated hardships. In this competitive world we live in, it is very essential to our success to always be at the top of our game in every way possible.

So write right like a wright for a rite.

Remember: Words Have Meaning and Spelling Makes a Difference. 

​Copyright © 2015 Mark L Schultz 
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