VIRGINIA - In an age of autocorrect and predictive text, we all still have a few words that make us pause and question our spelling skills. For residents of the Old Dominion, one word seems to cause more collective head-scratching than any other.
VIRGINIA - In an age of autocorrect and predictive text, we all still have a few words that make us pause and question our spelling skills. For residents of the Old Dominion, one word seems to cause more collective head-scratching than any other."Beautiful" Baffles Virginians: The State's Most Misspelled Word
According to data compiled from Google Trends, which analyzed the most common "how to spell..." searches by state, the most misspelled word in Virginia is: "beautiful."
That's right, the very word used to describe the Blue Ridge Mountains or the shores of Virginia Beach is the one that trips up Virginians the most.
Why Is "Beautiful" So Hard to Spell?
Virginia is not alone in this; "beautiful" is one of the most notoriously tricky words in the English language. Its difficulty comes from a few key areas:
- The "eau" Vowel Cluster: The word's beginning is a direct borrowing from French. The b-e-a-u combination, which creates the "byu" sound, is not phonetic in English and is very difficult to remember by sound alone.
- The Suffix Rule: This is the most common mistake. Many people want to spell the word "beautifull," adding a second "l" at the end. The rule for the suffix "-ful" (meaning "full of") is that it is only spelled with one "L" when attached to the end of a word (like helpful, careful, or wonderful).
- The "i" Placement: The simple order of the vowels in the middle (t-i-f-u-l) is just a matter of pure memorization, and the "i" is easily misplaced.
So, if you're in Virginia and find yourself struggling to remember if "i" comes before "u" or if it's one "l" or two, take comfort—you are in very good company.
