How dependent are you on Spell Check?

1. 79

   LisaKoskiposted 12 years ago

   How dependent are you on Spell Check?
   
   Seeing made up words and misspellings all over HubPages made me wonder how dependent most people are on spell check. I do just fine checking my own work and using a dictionary (although I know I'm not perfect). I also know there are those who type their work into Word before posting them in a Hub, which is a great idea.

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2. 68

   CriticalMessageposted 12 years ago

   I never use it and come off as being a total dork sometimes because of it... But it is a good way to show that I am at least authentic, and human.. ~smiles~

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   1. 67

      Dr. Arthur Ideposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I salute you. I can tell with an initial reading who uses spell checkers and who knows how to spell. The latter is educated and educatable; I do not pass spell check users as generally they do not proof their work nor add a style of their own.

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3. 58

   liveandlaughposted 12 years ago

   The browser I use comes with spell check, so I am forced to use it. The only time it ever corrects me is if I made a common typo or used the Canadian spelling instead of the American spelling. But as I said if you want to be sure about your spelling just use a browser with spell check built in and always reread your hub for errors.

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   1. 67

      Dr. Arthur Ideposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Spell checkers are available in every language I communicate in: Canadian, USA, UK, South African, etc. English as well as non-English languages. Spell checkers, sadly, limit learning of a language and deaden what the author is writing.

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4. 60

   Juls2posted 12 years ago

   I use it all the time. 
   
   My browser has spell check as well.  Mind, it's American English and at the best of times I am not a good speller, so also have The Oxford Dictionary bookmarked.

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5. 81

   Moon Daisyposted 12 years ago

   Yes, my browser has a UK English spellcheck on it.  (In fact it's now telling me that the word "spellcheck is wrong, so I'll use "spell check" instead).  I'm usually careful of spelling, but I'm very glad of it for any typos that I make, either by accident or for those words that I tend to spell wrong.

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   1. 67

      Dr. Arthur Ideposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That is another point few people know--that spell check/Spellcheck has different spellings and/or word separations based on the language. For example, in the UK a cooker in the USA is a stove; a lorry in the UK is a USA truck; etc.

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6. 69

   ASchwartzposted 12 years ago

   Very dependent. I think spell check has made me a worse speller. If I come across a word I can't spell, I never take a moment to commit the correct spelling to memory. What's the point? My trusty spell checker will catch it for me next time too.

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   1. 67

      Dr. Arthur Ideposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That depends on what word the Spell checker assumes is wrong or right based on data input--it does not know grammar and therefore cannot correct a word that is used in a different context. You may have to compose an essay--when your computer is down.

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7. 60

   MyGirlThursdayposted 12 years ago

   I always use it. It's important to me to put my best form forward as a writer and I get very embarrassed if I haven't used spell check and I make a goof!

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   1. 67

      Dr. Arthur Ideposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      While spell checkers can catch minor inconsistencies and typographic errors, they cannot correct grammar, as with the third person and a plural or fictative verb (one that takes two objects).  It is easy to know who uses a spell checker and who knows

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      MyGirlThursdayposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Regardless, Dr. Ide, basic spelling mistakes are easily avoidable if spell check is used.

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8. 67

   Dr. Arthur Ideposted 12 years ago

   One of two remaining first bibles created in the fourth century CE by the Arian bishop Eusebius of Cesaraea on order of Emperor Constantine I Codex Vaticanus Lisa Koski, on a Hub, asked about the value of Spell Check (a trademarked word). Her... read more

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9. 61

   DeanSextonposted 12 years ago

   Hardly at all. I've found that spell check can actually create just as many grammatical errors as it solves. I believe the only way to strengthen the mind in regards to grammar and spelling is to read for at least five to six hours a day, it helps you envision words more clearly, whereas spell checking is the lazy way to learn.

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   1. 67

      Dr. Arthur Ideposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Bravo! As a professor of grammar and spelling, your response is stellar.  True scholars and serious writers know both grammar and spelling and are energized using dictionaries, etc. Those who use spell checkers usually are unaccomplished writers.

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10. 0

    hawaiihibouposted 12 years ago

    I don't live without spell check anywhere! Good question.

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    1. 67

       Dr. Arthur Ideposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       When I taught on Maui (at Mauna Olu College), we were fortunate not to have computers or Spell Check.  We used dictionaries--the unabridged ones (I rejected "pocket" books), as even in college we had spelling bees. The students learned--then.

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11. 61

    T. R. Brownposted 12 years ago

    Pretty much totally dependent.  When I was in Grad school, I had a professor who gave an automatic "F" if she found a word that was misspelled and in the spell check dictionary.  Her view was that you had no business misspelling with such an easy tool at your disposal.  Beyond that, I type pretty fast but with little dexterity, so I always have plenty of misspellings.  I would be forced to slow down significantly without it.

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    1. 67

       Dr. Arthur Ideposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       For the sake of your readers, I encourage you to slow down: read what you wrote, correct any and all errors, and make certain it is succinct and understandable.  Make haste slowly (festina lenta [Latin] speude bradeos [Greek]). People judge words.

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12. 78

    bernard.sinaiposted 12 years ago

    I am very dependent on Spell Check. I use it all the time. However, there are times when Spell Check does not get it right.

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13. 67

    Dr. Arthur Ideposted 12 years ago

    Spell checkers (from Google to Yahoo and others) are frequently wrong when working electronically on a page. Spell checkers only verify if a typed word is correct, but do not distinguish between "from" and "form".  The numerous inconsistencies in words can add confusion to any composition or essay (and the two words do not mean the same thing). 
    
    A person learns more by referencing a dictionary, word list, grammar guide, and other material than by letting a machine do the work.  Spell checkers not only ignore obvious inaccuracies but do not even recognize words that exist in the targeted language as with the words "resume" (where there is an accent over both vowels "e" and refers to a form curriculum or work vita) and "resume" (a word that has no diacritics (a mark, point, or sign added or attached to a letter or character to distinguish it from another of similar form) and means "to start again").
    
    Students who write papers for my classes are upset when they get a low grade when I award numerics to their paper or put a letter grade on it--circling spelling errors, misused words, and bad grammar. Their major protestation is that they used Spell checkers and assumed that the equipment understood the nuances of language.  When I direct them to a dictionary, they are amazed at how little knowledge really is a part of the system they used.  I am opposed to spell checkers, as can be seen in one thoughtful comment where the write commented: "Mind [sic: mine], is American English".  We need to return to exacting education, reading books and books on books, and writing with knowledge requiring subject mastery.

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       Juls2posted 12 years agoin reply to this

       You have put up top points about spell check. 
       I must say, my spelling mistakes are many, but here, the 'mind' was actually meant to be 'mind' as in "mind you, it is ... " & not, as understood - "mine is in ... "
       Perhaps it's where I'm from :-)

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14. 86

    DzyMsLizzyposted 12 years ago

    Not at all!  I AM the spell-check in this household!  LOL  I am always being asked how to spell numerous words.
    I do proofreading on the side, as well. 
    
    I don't trust the automated versions, for they fail to catch context errors.  What is worse, is that I have caught them (more than once) suggesting unnecessary grammatical changes that would have resulted in incorrect grammar!

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15. 0

    Jade0215posted 12 years ago

    As far as my spelling goes, I rarely need it and I'll usually try and fix the word myself before I even press that button. If I can't do it after 2 or 3 tries then I give in.

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