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Ever mistaken a real word for a typo?


Lumo

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Have you ever received an email from anyone containing an unusual word which you upon first reading it thought was a typo or txt speech but in fact turned out to be a real word?

 

I have. Today it happened with the word: redact

 

I don't think I had ever come across this word before and as there were some other shortened words in the email upon skimming the message I initially thought this was a condensed or misspelt word.

 

So, confession time, is this just me or does this happen to other people too?

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Oh gosh, glad its not just me then. I do that sometimes, even if I am the only one who knows I did it, I still feel stupid :D I used to have the annoying habit of when I was reading aloud I would say "ceramic" as "serra-mik" - absolutely NO idea why I did this as when I read it to myself in my head, I read it properly. I've managed to stop that strange little habit though - made me feel so thick when I did it a couple of times :smile2:

 

I have never heard of the word "redact" before so I am off to look up its meaning.

Edited by HoneyGirl
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yes - I have been coming across a lot of these playing online scrabble (good job the other player can't see me looking it up to check)

 

 

on a similar line of thought, have you ever realised you have been a certain phrase wrong.

 

just today I read "dogged determination" I always thought it was "dog earred determination" :smile2:

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The same person has just sent me another email and the first point in the email is a grammar correction in something I wrote. He is right to do so, and I'm not complaining, but I did find it amusing that this was in the next email after starting this tread. I should have paid more attention during English at school, or I should learn now.

 

When I was very young I used to think the radio reporter talking abut the "rush hour traffic" was saying the "Russia traffic", it didn't really strike me as odd that a Scottish reporter was so fixated on the roads in Russia...

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  • 7 months later...

This always happens to me when I have been reading for too long - be it a book for leasure, or academically, when I was still studying - but strangely enough it is always the same word my brain can't seem to process as spelt correctly...

Edited by Deborah
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I often write a word...look at it....rewrite it....then ask someone else how to spell it only to be told I was right the first time!

 

I've never heard of the word redact either so for anyone who wants to know-

 

 

re·dact/riˈdakt/

 

 

 

Verb:

  • Edit (text) for publication.
  • Censor or obscure (part of a text) for legal or security purposes.

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Bad fan fictions. Oh boy, fan fictions. So badly written, but so funny to read with friends. Sadly, because of all the grammar and spelling errors you start questioning the legitimacy of the words and sentences that are correct. I think these things make you actively dumber (I'm looking at you Half Life: Full Life Consequences!)

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  • 3 weeks later...

I used to be quite good at spelling, but since I started using the internet almost everything I write looks wrong to me. I've seen things like "definatly" and "deteriate" and "copywrite" and "supercede" so many times it's scrambled my brain cells. Nowadays I can't even write "wouldn't" without wondering if I've put the apostrophe in the right place.

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I do that a lot. I think this weeks most mind boggling strange words have been:

"dulcet", I was convinced it had to be "decent" and I only figured it out after googeling it. And

"defenestrate". Apparently that's the verb for "trowing something or someone out of a window". Who knew.

 

I've also been quite amazed that conscience is spelled as con-science. Its like, fake science, makes no sense at all.

 

On a related note, sciencing should totally be a common verb. I science, you science, we science, we have scienced, we are sciencing. "What have you done today John? I've spend my entire day sciencing!" Its perfect! Though the Oxford dictionary disagrees with me on that point.

Edited by Argon9
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Sciencing would be great! ;)

 

It is, isn't it?. We should all use it on regular bases until it catches on. :D

 

 

Also, I've just finished the book with the weird words, "A Clockwork Orange", and only now I've noticed the explanatory word list in the back. I feel kind of dumb for not noticing it sooner.

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Also, I've just finished the book with the weird words, "A Clockwork Orange", and only now I've noticed the explanatory word list in the back. I feel kind of dumb for not noticing it sooner.

 

Oh, that happened to me too! Haha Only I was really proud of myself having more or less figured them out, using the context in which they appeared.

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Oh, that happened to me too! Haha Only I was really proud of myself having more or less figured them out, using the context in which they appeared.

 

Yes, but "horrosshow" had me confused for several pages because why would he call his boots "horrorshow" when he liked them? Its a rather impractical word to replace "good" or "well".

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  • 2 months later...

On a related note, sciencing should totally be a common verb. I science, you science, we science, we have scienced, we are sciencing. "What have you done today John? I've spend my entire day sciencing!"

 

Hahaha this sounds just like a definition out of urban dictionary!

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