12 Most Common Typos You Need to Be Aware Of

To err is human, and those of us who write a great deal will inevitably fall victim to one typo or another. The key is to be aware that we are all fallible wordsmiths, and to refrain from getting so cocky as to believe that we never screw up.

In this article, we will discuss the 12 most common typos made on a daily basis, so you can be diligent about proofreading everything you read to avoid looking like a complete jackass.

Missing Punctuation Marks

You might be surprised at how vital proper punctuation can be. The absence or misuse of a punctuation mark can alter the entire meaning of a sentence. For example, the phrase “Let’s eat, grandma!” means something entirely different from “Let’s eat grandma!”

The Wrong Version of “It’s”

The most common confusion in English is the wrong use of its and it’s. The apostrophe in it’s stands for “it is” or “it has,” while its is a possessive pronoun. Remembering this simple guideline will help ensure you use the correct form in your writing.

“Taken for Granite”

This is particularly common in areas where people may slur their words, or have strong accents. The correct term is “taken for granted,” but if it’s said quickly or drawled, it all clumps together.

Dropping the R at the End of “Your”

One of the most common typos is caused by the fact that people type so quickly that they forget to add in the R at the end of “your,” so it just ends up as “you.” Spellcheck won’t catch this one.

Definitely

This word is often spelled with an “a” in it, as “definately.” Although spellcheck should catch this slip-up, it may still slip through on occasion.

Misspelled Foreign Terms

If you plan to interject foreign phrases into your writing, you have to ensure that you’ve spelled them correctly. Don’t try to spell foreign terms phonetically.

Voila/Viola

This goes along with the foreign terms mentioned above, but it deserves its section solely for the sheer number of times it seems to pop up in people’s writing. It comes down to placement of the “o” and the “i” within the word.

Missing or Switched Letters

Although your spellcheck should, in theory, catch these slip-ups, they may still slip through on occasion. This can be incredibly embarrassing for businesses and organizations if the typos aren’t caught ahead of time.

“Teh” instead of “The”

One of the more common misspellings, it occasionally crops up if people are trying to be cute in their writing. If you’re over the age of 12, just don’t.

Too Many Ns

Many people seem to feel the need to add an additional N to words like “shiny” or “dining,” so you end up with “shinny Christmas ball ornaments” or arguments at the “dinning table.”

Except/Accept

Believe it or not, this little homophone tends to pop up rather often. The words sound similar, but they’re not interchangeable.

“Alot”

There is no such word as “alot,” so if you want to say that your receptionist talks a lot or you bought a lot of biscuits over the weekend, make sure you keep that space in there.

The best way to avoid these errors is to read your work aloud before submitting it, as the combination of visual and auditory processing seems to help most people catch the typos that were missed earlier. We all think more quickly than we can type, so it’s inevitable that there will be the occasional misstep as we try to harness brain-spew into coherent written pieces. Taking a few minutes to read a piece before shipping it off may seem like a waste of time, but it can actually save time for both you and your editor, since there will be fewer issues to resolve or revisions to make.

In conclusion, proofreading is an essential part of the writing process. It helps to ensure that you convey your intended message with clarity and accuracy. By being aware of these common typos, you can improve the quality and effectiveness of your writing.