It was 1979 when I competed in a spelling contest during my hometown’s sesquicentennial celebration — which, by the way, is a cruel word to include in any spelling contest. Fortunately, that was not the word that took me down. No, my downfall was sheriff.
Sheriff. Two f’s. One r. A word found on kindergarten worksheets and county patrol cars. And, somehow, under the bright lights and unbearable pressure facing this terrified 10-year-old, I added an extra r and got myself publicly escorted out of the competition.
Maybe it was stage fright. Maybe I was intimidated by law enforcement. Difficult to say. But, regardless, I was eliminated.
Apparently, I’m not alone in struggling with sheriff. But, surprisingly, sheriff didn’t make the top 10 words Iowans most often search how to spell. The word that did top the list? Canceled. This feels appropriate, because that is exactly what happened to me after I butchered sheriff.
Of course, there are many ways to determine the most misspelled words, but the study I am referring to was completed by language learning platform Mondly and analyzed Google search data for 382 words over the past 12 months to determine which words had the most spelling searches in each state and America overall.
Canceled claimed the top spot in Iowa, likely because Americans use one “l,” while much of the rest of the English-speaking world uses two. Clearly, the English language remains deeply committed to chaos.
Second was gray, thanks to the eternal gray-versus-grey debate. Receipt landed third, as silent letters apparently build character. Then came congratulations, received, pneumonia, dictionary, appreciate, schedule and license. Nationally, the list was nearly identical, except niece snuck in — another word clearly designed by someone who hated children and phonics equally.
Still, no sheriff.
Honestly, this stings a little, as I have carried the spelling trauma for decades. But somewhere out there tonight is another nervous 10-year-old standing on a stage, palms sweating, silently praying the next word is not receipt, pneumonia… or sheriff. Kid, if you’re reading this, it is sheriff. One r. Trust me. I learned the hard way.
Have a great week, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305 |
