Patch's Poll: Is It OK To Rely On Spell Check?

Robert Welt April 4, 2012 at 09:34 pm

their, they're, there
to, too, two site, sight, cite accept, except affect, effect

Amy Brenner-Fricke April 4, 2012 at 10:01 pm

I guess colleges should stop testing engineers in math, too. Since calculators can just do the work for them.
This is ridiculous. I've worked as a writer and editor for more than 20 years. If I had a nickel for every time I've seen errors that slipped past the spell check, I could have retired to my beachfront property in Maui years ago.

Joan April 4, 2012 at 10:30 pm

I see errors in correspondence all the time due to reliance on spell check. Hopefully these students are still learning how to proof read. People who rely on spell check commonly use an inappropriate word because of it. When notices come home from school and I see errors, I cringe. I feel that between texting shorthand and the play on words with businesses, spelling is already becoming a lost art.

Christine April 4, 2012 at 10:45 pm

Spell-check is a great tool, but it is no replacement for basic knowledge. Kids should know how to spell! I see errors in newspapers all the time and I find it very discouraging. By the way -- is the typo in the last line of the article a test?

Thomas Cornick April 4, 2012 at 11:02 pm

Letts here it four homophones!

Lisa Coe April 5, 2012 at 12:43 am

I make no effort to disguise the fact that I cannot spell to save my life. That said, I don't rely on spell-check to do my work. Often when I click on spell-check it doesn't correct what I meant to say.

Karen Loftis Rankowitz April 5, 2012 at 01:09 am

As a writer I am absolutely, without hesitation, against relying on spell check to point out spelling errors in writing. While it is helpful in some cases, I feel that it induces laziness. Learning to spell is a fundamental necessity. As mentioned, with homophones, the word processor will not highlight these if spelled correctly but USED incorrectly...it would be great if not only spelling could be checked but usage as well. However, relying on the basics of learning to spell correctly is, for me, the best practice. Learn to spell or heaven forbid you have to write a thank you card to your grandmother.

Sarah C April 5, 2012 at 03:29 am

I guess we can rely on spell check as long as we are willing to accept that the mortgage payment on our hose is dew on the fist of the month.

Maria Nilson April 5, 2012 at 10:24 am

Hear, here! You can't rely on spell-check, I'm glad Durham has spelling-bees!

Carrie Jacobson April 5, 2012 at 10:54 am

Before I loose my mind
Please sight a good example of technology replacing smarts Ouch! My brain hertz!

Howard April 5, 2012 at 11:55 am

Think before typing. Type carefully, slowly if need be. Proofread the document. Fix the errors. Proofread again. Conduct the spell-check. Save the document and get a good night's rest. Open the document in the morning and proofread again and think about it. Then you can publish or transmit the document.
If you still write cards or letters, just think, take your time, and consult a dictionary if there is any doubt.

Martha J. April 5, 2012 at 12:14 pm

I agree with all of the above posters. As someone who worked in law offices since high school, it gags me to see the number of people who cannot spell or are too lazy to take the time to proofread. Then again, if some of the writers are graduating from high school with such a lack of spelling, I fault the teachers who promote them from grade to grade.

LB April 5, 2012 at 12:46 pm

As a writer, I love spell/grammar check, I have customized it to my needs and I use it every day. Like a calculator, it's a wonderful tool but it should never replace a working knowledge of the English language anymore than a calculator should replace basic math skills. My children were introduced to 'inventive spelling' in grade school and they were never introduced to 'how to spell correctly'. They would bring home tests, school work, home work, essays, and more with things misspelled all over the pages and not once did a teacher correct them! I was shocked. As they got older and entered high school I would inquire about their lack of being able to spell and how could they go from grade to grade this way. I was repeatedly told by teacher after NLPS teacher "That's what spell check is for." To this very day my 26 and 20 year-old daughters still ask me; "Mom, how do you spell ______?" Drives me batty.

Betty Lebert April 5, 2012 at 04:28 pm

Yes, this says it all! I'm appalled at the lack of correct spelling today - and they don't care!

Jean Chappell April 5, 2012 at 08:32 pm

Sum buddy can be accepted for somebody.
Spell check doesn't seem to understand the context of a sentence.

Tom Gez April 12, 2012 at 08:47 am

Hi All,
I think that it is important to know how to spell. It is a basic human function. How would you know which is the right spelling when shown by a spell check, if you don't know how to spell? Especially, in the field of journalism, I believe that they made a mistake. It is necessary to know how to spell for journalists. I want to suggest on this note that spell checks do have a place, but not instead of spelling education. I personally use a great spell checker, Spell Check Anywhere. It adds spell checking to all of Windows programs, and is very powerful.