A Theory

[gnomi]

It is my theory that everyone has a word or phrase that they consistently misspell and have to look up every time they want to use it in writing.

For me, it's "vice versa." I always want to spell it "vise versa," even that looks So Very Wrong. So I always end up looking it up.

So, do y'all have words you always have to look up?

Comments

[dpolicar]

soi-disant is the one I most often notice.

I also have trouble with consonant-doubling and non-doubling, in general. necessary, resuscitate, terrific, etc. I rarely actually look them up, so much as rely on built-in spellcheckers, but I often get them wrong.

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

Oh! I couldn't remember at first what my bugbears were, but looking at this, I'm pretty sure "resuscitate" is one of them. Resuescitate? Rescuscitate? Arrgh! Sometimes also "necessitate" (pesky single-or-double c).

[dpolicar]

IMnsHO, the proper spelling of "necessitate" is "require."