Does Spelling Matter?

Does spelling matter?

A young colleague recently asked me that after the two of us wondered whether to spell the word ‘collectable’ or ‘collectible’. To my eye, collectable seemed correct – able to be collected. As a counterpoint, my colleague pointed out that spellcheck accepted collectible.

So, which is it? Most online sources suggest either spelling can be used but some grammar sites insist they are actually two different words. The confusion led my colleague to throw up his hands and ask “Does spelling it right really matter?”

Even to a person whose motto is words matter, I found the question reasonable – partly since there are so many English words with more than one spelling. I often have to pause when writing cancelled or canceled, likable or likeable, gray or grey, adviser or advisor, and ax or axe. Usually, one is more common in British English and the other in American English. Not surprisingly, Americans usually prefer the version with fewer letters.

To make things even more confusing, occasionally spelling changes over time based on how a word sounds. My favorite example is the word barbecue. You may think I spelled that incorrectly, and that the ‘c’ should be replaced by a ‘q’. Over the years, barbeque has become accepted spelling because the last syllable sounds like the letter q and the word is often abbreviated BBQ.

The words “there,” “their,” and “they’re” are often misused/misspelled, likely due to the fact they are homophones (sound the same). On social media, it’s a common meme for responders to undermine a post by pointing out one of these words was misspelled. In fact, research has shown misusing ‘there’ in social media reduced perceived intelligence by ~10% while misusing it in a work email reduced perceived intelligence by ~23%.

Research also shows strong links between spelling, writing, and reading skills. Misspelled words can can make it harder for others to understand what you wrote, and improving your spelling is correlated with better reading skills. While there is some evidence that improving spelling modestly improves writing skills, the overall impact is not well established.

So, does spelling matter?

From my perspective, how you choose to spell (and write, in general) is part of your overall identity – both personal and professional. At work, I am consciously informal in how I speak, dress, and interact with co workers. But informal doesn’t mean sloppy or unprofessional.

If you aren’t paying attention to spelling and misusing “there,” “their,” and “they’re”, you’re sending a message to others. And it may not be the message you want.

Both words and spelling matter.