In the Loop: July 2024
Spellbound
Words are our playground. We like to rootle around in them, making magic out of mess and turning letters into love. But those letters can be slippery little suckers. Words matter, but spelling is hard.
We hope to conquer the dictionary, letter by letter. Embrace your inner spelling nerd!
You can start by reading this month's newsletter, which includes most of your favorite features—Q&A, What's the Diff?, Stuff We Like, What a Weird Word. Our Pay It Forward feature is on summer hiatus, but it will be back before you know it.
Editing Q & A: Spelling Rules You Might Not Know You Already Know
S does not follow X. If it makes an s sound after an x, then you want to put a c (e.g., excise, except, excite, excess).
Can’t remember if a word ends in -k or -ck? If it has a short vowel, use -ck (e.g., stick, flick, pick). If it has a long vowel, use -k (e.g., peak, sneak, meek).
Double or single f or l or s? One syllable words usually end in doubles (e.g., stiff, whiff, will, shrill, spell, floss, boss), but there are obvious exceptions, like of and plurals and words that end in a consonant blend (e.g., wharf, twirl).
Playlist: P-L-A-Y-L-I-S-T (click the image)
What's the Diff?
There are a lot of sneaky words out there—words with similar spellings, similar sounds, or just similar vibes. Here’s the lowdown on some of those commonly swapped-by-accident words.
Explicit (adj.): Explicit means clear-cut or fully revealed without any vagueness or ambiguity. If something is explicit, it is deliberately and clearly spelled out (see what I did there?). For example: explicit instructions, an explicit plan.
Implicit (adj.): Implicit means present but not consciously recognized, or capable of being understood without being expressed. If something is implicit, it is not specifically stated but is perhaps suggested in the wording. For example: an implicit attitude. NB: Avoid implicit to mean “complete, unmitigated.”
Cool Guide: Spelling Vibes
Stuff We Like
Do you know which words are misspelled most often?
Why is English spelling so difficult? Because it’s bananas. B-a-n-a-n-a-s.
This scene from Bad Words is *chef’s kiss*.
Lazy tongues and snobbery.
The Gyllenhaal Experiment—aka the celebrity spelling test.
Winning moment from Scripps Spelling Bee.
On the sheer romanticism of obscure words.
Are these the hardest words to spell in the English language?
Cheater.
Spelling can be a tough business (SNL).
Watch this Spelling Bee kid crack up after being asked to spell “sardoodledom.”
How much do you love The Electric Company? What about a hot dog (Lin-Manuel Miranda) rapping with an apple (William Jackson Harper)?
It goes from cloudbrooded to tinseldung faster than you can blink.
Yes, yes. You do the New York Times Crossword and the Wordle. But what about the Spelling Bee? And Strands? Connections? Get it together.
