Author Topic: We've probably done this before, but... (Read 3861 times)

Narnia · « **on:** December 19, 2008, 04:33:28 PM »

This site points out that each spelling has it's own definition. That's ridiculous!

I have to admit that 'cancelled' drives me bonkers, but maybe that's just because I trained myself to spell it with one l. This is also an issue with traveled and travelled. If you say cancelled is correct, then you have to go with travelled too. :devil:

Jonathon · « **Reply #1 on:** December 19, 2008, 04:48:06 PM »

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This site points out that each spelling has it's own definition.

Actually, it looks like someone simply said that Google returned different results for "define canceled" and "define cancelled."

The double l version is older and is the norm in Britain. The single l version is an American thing, though I've seen both. Originally, double consonants were used to indicate that the preceding vowel was short, though, as with most English spelling practice, this was never entirely consistent. I'm not sure when people started dropping the second consonant. I guess the rationale is that it's unlikely that anyone will read it as CAN-seeld or can-SEELD.

The Genuine · « **Reply #2 on:** December 19, 2008, 04:53:33 PM »

I voted for "cancelled."

I read the later as "can s?l?d." Almost "can salad."

rivka · « **Reply #3 on:** December 20, 2008, 06:24:09 PM »

There's no choice for "both", so I can't vote.

Ela · « **Reply #4 on:** December 20, 2008, 06:59:30 PM »

I think I mostly spell it with two L's, but I've probably spelled it with one L sometimes, too. I'm inconsistent that way.

Icarus · « **Reply #5 on:** December 20, 2008, 11:22:58 PM »

My knee-jerk reaction is to use two L's for all those words, but years of spell-check have beaten that habit out of me. Now I think two L's but type one. Two L's seems . . . er, righter, though.

One battle I don't intend to let spell-check win, though, is dialogue, prologue, and epilogue.

-o-

Here's one: "ahold" or "a hold"?

Narnia · « **Reply #6 on:** December 21, 2008, 10:15:26 AM »

Joe, what does spell check do with your -ogue words? Does it try epilog? Really??

Jonathon · « **Reply #7 on:** December 21, 2008, 03:26:18 PM »

I see dialog and catalog quite frequently, though I'm not sure I've seen prolog and epilog.

I know ahold is quite standard, but I still vaguely dislike it.

rivka · « **Reply #8 on:** December 21, 2008, 04:51:22 PM »

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I see dialog and catalog quite frequently, though I'm not sure I've seen prolog and epilog.

I know ahold is quite standard, but I still vaguely dislike it.

Agree completely.

Except I actually prefer catalog to catalogue. So does FF's spellcheck, apparently.

Farmgirl · « **Reply #9 on:** December 22, 2008, 06:20:28 AM »

I typed both spellings into Word, and it accept either one without qualms. So know I really don't know which one is right!

Nighthawk · « **Reply #10 on:** December 22, 2008, 07:54:22 AM »

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I see dialog and catalog quite frequently, though I'm not sure I've seen prolog and epilog.

Interesting example on that: I usually spell it "dialog" when it refers to programming components (i.e., Win32 API) because that's what the popup boxes are called there.

I use "dialogue" when it comes to conversation.

Then again, thanks to years of reading through D&D manuals, I still spell "armour" as such, so what do I know?

ETA: Firefox's spell reports spelling errors on "prolog", "epilog" and, for that matter, "armour".

Narnia · « **Reply #11 on:** December 23, 2008, 11:11:09 AM »

The reason this whole thing came up is that we've been watching the weather on the news for the last 9 days straight. Under the news is a ticker with all the school/business closures. One channel is using 'cancelled' and the other is using 'canceled' and one is using both willy nilly. It started to drive me a little crazy.

pooka · « **Reply #12 on:** December 23, 2008, 11:18:50 AM »

Prolog is a computer language, or at least was back in my very brief stint as a computer scientist groupie.

I had the devilest time with judgment back in the day. It still feels wrong.

Jonathon · « **Reply #13 on:** December 23, 2008, 12:55:36 PM »

I always spell it judgement.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #14 on:** December 23, 2008, 01:04:47 PM »

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I always spell it judgement.

You know, that's the way it should be spelled. Just because everyone's doing it the other way doesn't mean that it's right.

Nighthawk · « **Reply #15 on:** December 23, 2008, 03:18:45 PM »

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I always spell it judgement.

I spell it that way quite often, too.

Firefox spellcheck disagrees with us both, though.

The Genuine · « **Reply #16 on:** December 23, 2008, 07:01:06 PM »

Spelling it with two e's is a big no-no in legal circles.

Jonathon · « **Reply #17 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:22:35 PM »

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I always spell it judgement.
I spell it that way quite often, too.

Firefox spellcheck disagrees with us both, though.

Yeah, well, who died and put Firefox in charge of spelling?

pooka · « **Reply #18 on:** December 23, 2008, 08:58:56 PM »

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Spelling it with two e's is a big no-no in legal circles.

Yeah, there was no getting around it when I was a legal secretary. Though it seems like if they get rid of the e, there shouldn't be a d. They really should spell it jujment.

I did wonder, the first time Word flagged it, whether the woman who preceded me had sabotaged the spellchecker by entering a bunch of wrong spellings and telling it to add them to the dictionary. But the boss also circled it.

I miss that boss. This Christmas season in particular keeps sparking memories of being in Baltimore.

rivka · « **Reply #19 on:** December 23, 2008, 09:24:19 PM »

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Spelling it with two e's is a big no-no in legal circles.

Yup. In fact, going through a divorce completely broke me of the habit of spelling it with a second e.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #20 on:** December 23, 2008, 10:14:39 PM »

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Yeah, well, who died and put Firefox in charge of spelling?

Noah Webster.

rivka · « **Reply #21 on:** December 23, 2008, 10:22:50 PM »

Who was in charge all that time in between?

Porter · « **Reply #22 on:** December 23, 2008, 10:33:27 PM »

I chose 'cancelled', but I had no idea which one was right.

Tante Shvester · « **Reply #23 on:** December 23, 2008, 11:51:45 PM »

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Who was in charge all that time in between?

It was anarchy!

Poll

canceled or cancelled?

Author Topic: We've probably done this before, but... (Read 3861 times)