Nemesis Word Blues

This blog post is on nemesis words and it’s all because of this one Instant Message Chat between myself and my equally obsessed spelling fiend of a Cousin. Pardon the lack of grammatical placement even though I know your blood is boiling.

Calling someone a “white ass cracker” never felt so right.

—

The Cousin: ugh for the life of me i cant spell albuquerque right on the first try EVER

Me: hah i can never spell rthym

GAH

Rhthmy

sonofa—

 The Cousin: rhythm

 Me: that’s my nemesis word

here let me try

albuqueque

SHIT

 The Cousin: YES ITS SO HARD

to spell

ha

honestly my nemesis word is accidentally

or is it accidently

OMG i can never remember

 Me: no u had it right

you know, i think ill do a blog post on nemesis words

—

And there we have it. This little chat evidences the torment we feel when words are needed to be spelled but they just won’t come. At least on the first try. The words that continuously haunt us. We may be damn good spellers we’re nothing when it’s a showdown between misspell and donkey punch.

Wait. What?

Now I’ll admit it. I’m a grammar Nazi.

The Raptor really brings this message together

I pride myself on being a damn good speller, I can spell superfragilisticexpialidocious in one fell swoop, and know the difference between there-their-they’re like a BOSS, but I’m not afraid to admit there are words out there that stump me. Everyone has a word nemesis. If you don’t then you’re a LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE. Maybe it’s only one lone word that sneaks up from the depths to claim your linguistic soul or maybe it’s a few.

Either way, sometimes my brain can’t wrap their synapses around phrasing or proper I-before-E etiquette.

So as I do most nights, I’m throwing shame out the window (along with my bra because who needs that?) to confess the words that give me pause and give me tantrums like a three-year-old.

Rhythm (I got this down now)

Carribean            Caribbean

Supposedly or Supposebly

Judgemental   I always add that damn E

Cemetary   Cemetery

I have about four big ones that occasionally pop up. It’s not too bad but it baffles the mind why I’m still not able to log these down to memory. Luckily, I keep a copy of The Elements of Style handy and randomly give it a read whenever I need to refresh my skillz skills. In fact, I flog myself with it daily.

As a handy side note, Googling “spelling photos” made me look at waaaaaaaay more photos of Tori Spelling than I’d like to. Although now I really want to watch the Lifetime classic “Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?”

“I’d rather stay celibate, thank you.”

 So I implore you, good writers and fellow heathens, what’s your nemesis word? Confess it here on my blog and I promise I won’t touch you in inappropriate places.