Don't Let This Happen To You – A Spell Checking Disaster

Is Spell Checking Destroying Your Email Messages?

Unfortunately, too many computer users are relying on spell checking software as their only means of proofing their work. The rule of thumb most people go by is that anything not related to business gets sent the way it is typed without the benefit of revision as opposed to a message being sent to a customer or being turned into a professor should be run through spell checking software. People think that's all they need to do to it.

I find that spell checking software is great at catching typos such as transposed letters, but that's about it. It will not save you from typing (or rather mistyping) homophones. [You remember those from English class, right? They're sets of words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings such as "they're," "there," and "their."] Spell checking won't save you when your mistyped word happens to be another real world. Another potential pitfall is letting the spell checker automatically correct as you type. It may "correct" your typing error, but change the word to something else entirely. If "ewe" don't believe me, read on.

Would you want your employees sending out correspondence like this?

To Out Values Customer;

We got your e-male about yore missing shipment and are sew sorry for ant incontinence we may have caused. Where not shore how your order got miss placed hair? But were looking into it. Wheel chip it write out fro you too day fro our wear house. Thanks for undertaking!

Spell checking software does not find a single problem with that example. Test it for yourself and you'll be amazed. Spell checking software is a good start, but it's not the final solution. The software is a complement to, but not a replacement for, proofreading and editing the old-fashioned way.

A writer would know the appropriate corrections to make.

To Our Valued Customer:

We received your e-mail about your missing shipment and are so sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused. We’re not sure how your order got misplaced here, but we're looking into it. We’ll ship it right out for you today from our warehouse. Thanks for understanding.

Imagine an instructor receiving this.

Is it jest a myth that hour frost precedent shopped dawn a cheery tree? Scholars have rebated this store four ages, but to day wheel come to a definitive concussion.

A writer would know the appropriate corrections to make.

Is it just a myth that our first president chopped down a cherry tree? Scholars have debated this story for ages, but today we'll come to a definitive conclusion.

Again, try it in spell check. Go ahead. I'll wait. I hope these examples have convinced you that spell check is only the first step in the editing process.