spelling (PDF)

Writing in the workplace
Does spelling matter at work?
Can you read this?

If yu cn reed
and undrstnd
ths, thanck
yur brane.
Isn’t it amazing how the brain can decode the phonetics
and ferret out the intended meaning – almost instantly?
Why then should spelling matter as long as the reader
knows what you mean? The texting generations in your
workplace may well be asking this question.
This issue was debated on social media earlier in August
when the Jeopardy game show folks denied the Final
Jeopardy round win to an eighth-grade contestant
because he threw in an extra letter: “Emanciptation
Proclamation.”
Host Alex Trebek knew what the word was meant to be
and pronounced it correctly. Then the judges cited the
spelling error and disqualified the answer. That decision
accords with Jeopardy’s branding: It’s a show about
correct answers – answers that are correct on every level.
High-brow viewers appreciate the strict high standard
Jeopardy stands for. And therein lies the answer to the
question about spelling:
Article submitted by Summer Turner with Business Writing
Breakthrough LLC, “A full-service consultant when
workplace writing excellence is a must!” Turner can be
reached at summerturner123@gmail.com.

Spelling matters if your customers or
clients expect correct spelling.
Your candy-buying customers won’t mind if you call your
store Kandy Korner. However, in your law practice, a
client might look askance at a legally binding document
that spells out the terms for “joynt kustudy.”
I remember for years seeing a large painted sign on the
side of an old building in my hometown of St. Petersburg:

If your
Toliet clank
call Frank!
Spelling, grammar – yikes! But when you need a plumber,
do you care about his academic performance in those
subjects?
Sometimes the first impression your customers get is
through your written communication. If your company
stands for “high-quality” products, but your spelling
is, shall we say, unconventional, then those potential
customers can’t help but wonder how excellent your
products really are. Or you might be a genius in your area
of expertise, but people won’t want to hire you if they see
that you aren’t meticulous with details, such as spelling.
Yes, my brain can quickly figure out what you’re
communicating to me despite your phonetical spelling,
but, unfortunately for you, I just judged you. And I don’t
want to hire you. Unless you’re a plumber named Frank
and my “toliet clank.”

Grand Strander

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