MARYLAND - In the age of autocorrect and spell-check, you'd think spelling would be a solved problem. But we all have those specific words that just don't look right, prompting a quick, sheepish search for the correct spelling. So, which word trips up Marylanders the most?
The results are in, and the word causing the most headaches for Maryland residents isn't "Pocokoke" or "Chesapeake"—it’s a lot simpler than that.
Maryland is known for many things: blue crabs, Old Bay, and being the home of the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee. You might assume that growing up in the state that hosts the "Olympics of Spelling" would make residents dictionary wizards. However, new data suggests that when it comes to everyday vocabulary, Marylanders are hitting a stumbling block.
According to a recent analysis by Google Trends, which tracked "how to spell..." search queries across the United States, the most misspelled word in Maryland is a surprising seven-letter adjective:
"Special"
That’s right. While residents of the Old Line State effortlessly navigate tongue-twisters like "Patuxent," "Susquehanna," and "Annapolis," the word "special" sends them to the Google search bar more than any other.
The "Special" Struggle: Why This Word?
At first glance, it seems baffling. How does a word taught in elementary school outrank complex medical or legal terms?
Linguists and educators suggest the confusion likely stems from the phonetic ambiguity of the "sh" sound. In English, that sound can be created by a variety of letter combinations, including:
- -cial (as in special)
- -tial (as in spatial)
- -shel (as in bushel)
For many Marylanders typing quickly on their phones, the hesitation between "s-p-e-c-i-a-l" and "s-p-e-t-i-a-l" is enough to warrant a quick spell-check. It is a classic case of second-guessing the basics.
How Do Our Neighbors Compare?
If you are feeling embarrassed about looking up "special," don’t worry—Maryland isn't alone in tripping over common vocabulary. The Google Trends map reveals that our neighbors are in the same boat:
- Virginia: The Commonwealth’s residents are searching for how to spell "beautiful." (Thanks to Jim Carrey’s Bruce Almighty, many of us still sound out "B-E-A-utiful" in our heads!)
- Pennsylvania: Just north of the Mason-Dixon line, the most searched word is "schedule," likely due to the confusion over the silent "c" or the "sk" sound.
The Takeaway
This data serves as a humbling and humorous reminder that English is a tricky language, even for native speakers. In an era of autocorrect and voice-to-text, our spelling muscles might be getting a little rusty.
So, the next time you find yourself pausing to wonder if a word ends in "cial" or "tial," take comfort in the fact that you are in good company. Thousands of your fellow Marylanders are doing the exact same thing.
Fun Fact: While "Special" took the top spot this year, previous years have seen Marylanders struggle with words like "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "cancelled."
