New York is a state full of complex, tongue-twisting names. From "Poughkeepsie" and "Schenectady" to "Skaneateles," you'd think residents would be spelling experts.Yet, when it comes to the most-searched "how to spell" queries, the words that trip up New Yorkers are often the ones we use every day.
New York is a state full of complex, tongue-twisting names.The Words That Stump the Empire State: What New Yorkers Misspell Most
While the "most misspelled word" can change from year to year based on different data analyses, a few contenders consistently top the list for the Empire State.
The Top Culprit: "Beautiful"
In many recent reports analyzing Google search data, the most misspelled word in New York is "beautiful."
It’s a classic spelling trap that stumps people nationwide. The difficulty lies in the tricky "eau" vowel cluster, a French-derived pattern that doesn't follow standard English phonetics. It's so common that the movie Bruce Almighty created a famous mnemonic (B-E-A-Utiful!) just to help people remember it.
The Other Top Contenders
Unlike some states with one clear "winner," New York's top misspelled word often varies. Other words that have recently topped the list include:
- "Definitely": This is another nationwide stumper. The "a" vs. "e" in the middle ("def-i-nit-e-ly" or "def-i-nit-a-ly"?) is what sends most people to the search bar.
- "Resume": Perhaps in a nod to the state's career-driven culture, "resume" (or "résumé") is a common spelling query, likely due to the ambiguity of the accent marks.
- "Coronavirus" / "Quarantine": During the pandemic, these health-related terms unsurprisingly became the most-searched spelling words in New York and many other states.
So, while New Yorkers can navigate the spelling of their most complex towns and boroughs, it's the simple, everyday words that prove to be the most "definitely" beautiful problem.
